Oswald's "Cold Turkey": A Quirky Old Cartoon Trip 🐰🦃

"Cold Turkey" from 1929? Yeah, it's a deep dive. Worth watching today? Absolutely, if you're into seeing how cartoons used to be. Folks who dig animation history or just really short, bizarre old films will probably get a kick out of it. If you're looking for slick modern animation or something with a plot deeper than a puddle, you'll probably hate it. This one's a relic, pure and simple.

The whole premise is simple: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit wants to eat a turkey. For, like, a meal. Not even Thanksgiving is mentioned, which makes it kinda more brutal, somehow. Just, dinner.

Right away, the turkey is a real jerk. It's smart, too. Oswald tries to lure it with corn, and the turkey just kicks the corn back at him. What a move, that. 🦵

There's this bit where Oswald tries to shoot the turkey. With a rifle. In a kid's cartoon from 1929. Wild stuff. Of course, the gun backfires. Classic. It's a miracle these old cartoons didn't have more permanent injuries. Well, cartoon permanent, anyway.

The animation is super basic, but it has this raw energy. Like, when Oswald is running, it's not smooth, it's kinda jerky. But that's part of its charm, I think. You can practically see the animators hustling.

One scene, Oswald gets hit by a flying turkey and lands headfirst in a wash tub. He comes out *clean*. Not just clean, but like, sparkling. ✨ It's such a quick, weird gag that barely makes sense, but it made me chuckle.

The turkey itself is very expressive for a really old drawing. Its eyes get huge when it's scared, then narrow when it's being mischievous. It feels more alive than Oswald sometimes.

There's a moment where Oswald uses a huge cannon. A cannon! Against a turkey. The sheer escalation is just… something else. It blows up the whole yard, basically. And the turkey just pops out from the smoke, totally fine, maybe even a little smug.

You can see the roots of so many later cartoon gags here. The anvil falling on the head, the ridiculous explosions, the character getting flattened and then springing back. It’s all here, kinda clunky, but present.

The ending is a bit abrupt. Oswald finally catches the turkey, or at least he thinks he does. It ends with him kinda falling into a pie. A pie! 🥧 It's not a grand conclusion, but then again, what were they really going for?

It's interesting how much these early cartoons rely on slapstick that could be genuinely painful in real life. Oswald gets smacked, blasted, and generally put through the wringer. And he just... shakes it off. Resilience, I guess.

Compared to something like The Unknown, which is a whole different beast from around the same time, "Cold Turkey" is pure, unadulterated silliness. No deep emotional stakes, just a chase. And a lot of cartoon violence.

The sounds, if you find a version with them, are likely very simple sound effects and maybe a jaunty tune. But even without, you can feel the boings and bonks.

Honestly, it's less a story and more a series of escalating gags about one rabbit's ill-fated lunch plans. And for what it is, it's kinda great. A fun little piece of history.

I mean, Oswald is really going for it. He's determined. You gotta give him that. Even if he's a bit of a menace.

That one shot where the turkey makes a face at Oswald after he misses a shot. That face. It's so good. Like it knows it's invincible.

The entire film is only a few minutes long. So, if you blink, you might miss a few of Oswald's more spectacular failures. It’s a real quick watch.

It’s not trying to be anything more than it is: a quick, funny, slightly violent old cartoon. And that's okay. Sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.