Weary Willies: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Winkler, 1929) – Silent

This rare black-and-white archival footage presents "Weary Willies," a classic silent Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon from August 19, 1929, produced by George Winkler’s Winkler Pictures for Universal Studios—nearly a century ago—offering a nostalgic chuckle for early animation fans. The silent film follows Oswald, the mischievous black rabbit with expressive ears, and his friend Peg-Leg Pete as "Weary Willies," lazy hoboes riding a train boxcar, only to be ousted by a conductor. Stranded in a rural setting, they attempt to catch a train again but fall asleep, missing it, and resort to fishing—Oswald using a fishing line and Pete a net—only for their efforts to turn slapstick: Oswald’s line catches a whale, dragging him into the water, while Pete’s net snags a shark, leading to a chaotic chase. They finally hitch a ride on a cow, but it bucks them off, landing them back on the tracks, where another train narrowly misses them. A lively window into late 1920s animation’s golden age, this preserved gem—directed by Walter Lantz and Tom Palmer—grips cartoon enthusiasts, animation historians, and nostalgic viewers, offering a timeless peek at a lazy misadventure frozen in time.