Homeless Homer: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Winkler, 1929)

This rare black-and-white archival footage presents "Homeless Homer," a classic Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon from January 7, 1929, produced by George Winkler’s Winkler Pictures for Universal Studios—nearly a century ago—offering a nostalgic, if uneven, laugh for early animation fans. The silent film follows Oswald, the mischievous black rabbit with expressive ears, as he takes in a homeless kitten named Homer, attempting to teach him table manners and give him a bath, only for Homer to retaliate with slapstick chaos—using a clothesline and a player piano to turn the tables on Oswald, leading to a series of comedic mishaps. Co-directed by Friz Freleng (under his legal name Isadore) and Rudolf Ising, this short reflects the early Winkler era after Walt Disney lost the character’s rights, marked by rough, characterless slapstick and a lack of narrative momentum, yet it retains some crisp, fluid animation and Oswald’s likable charm. A lively, though flawed, window into late 1920s animation’s golden age, this preserved gem—Freleng’s second directorial effort and one of his least refined works—grips cartoon enthusiasts, animation historians, and nostalgic viewers, offering a rare, fleeting peek at a playful misadventure frozen in time.