Hells Heels: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Lantz, 1930)

This rare black-and-white archival footage presents "Hells Heels," a landmark silent Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon from June 2, 1930, produced and directed by Walter Lantz for Universal Studios—nearly a century ago—marking Lantz’s 61st Oswald short and a memorable early work in his tenure. The silent film follows Oswald, the mischievous black rabbit with expressive ears, as he reluctantly joins two tough desperadoes—a dog with an eyepatch and a peg-legged bandit—in robbing a bank in Heela City. Forced to blow up the bank with dynamite, Oswald survives the explosion that reduces his partners to animated skeletons, but the safe remains intact, emitting a radio broadcast when he turns its dial. The bulldog sheriff emerges, chasing Oswald out of town, only for the rabbit to stumble upon the sheriff’s infant son (with a gruff voice) wailing in the desert. Coerced by the baby’s force of will, Oswald returns him to Heela City, facing the sheriff once more. Voiced by Pinto Colvig, this short—restored and included in The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection—captures Lantz’s surreal, slapstick style, drawing inspiration from the western film Hell’s Heroes (1930), itself based on The Three Godfathers. A lively window into early 1930s animation’s golden age, this preserved gem grips cartoon enthusiasts, animation historians, and nostalgic viewers, offering a timeless peek at a western misadventure frozen in time.