March 01, 2005

THE WINKLER OSWALDS

oswaldwebsite.jpg
In early 1928, when Walt Disney lost Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and most of his staff to producer Charles Mintz, he retaliated, with the help of his one lone, loyal employee Ub Iwerks, by creating Mickey Mouse.

But what a difference 12 months can make. Roughly a year later, in mid-1929, Universal had moved Oswald into the hands of producer Walter Lantz, Charles Mintz was booted out (though he continued on in Hollywood, producing sound Krazy Kat cartoons for Columbia), and Disney got the last laugh - his new mouse had become a national sensation.

The mysterious 26 Oswald cartoons released between August 1928 and August 1929 have gone largely undocumented (for example, they are not listed in OF MICE & MAGIC, nor WALT IN WONDERLAND) - They weren't Disney, nor Lantz productions. They are essentially lost Winkler productions. Lost, that is, until now.

I'm very proud to announce the latest Cartoon Research special project: Of Rocks and Socks: The Winkler Oswalds (1928-1929) by David Gerstein and Pietro Shakarian. This new database contains reviews, credits, frame grabs, original title art, posters and good solid cartoon research.

The Winkler Oswalds are some of the hardest cartoons to see and, though these pages are still a work-in-progress, here is a chance to examine a missing piece of cartoon history. As Gerstein says, "A lot of people still erroneously seem to believe nothing came between the Disney Oswalds and the Lantz series. Ah, well... time to set 'em straight."


Posted by at March 1, 2005 12:30 AM