On the Links (1928) - Golfing with a very mean mouse

If you have six minutes and want to see how weird cartoons used to be before they got all polished, On the Links is worth a look.

It’s perfect for people who like silent-era slapstick and don't mind a bit of flickering on the screen. 🎞️

If you need a coherent plot or hate watching old men get bullied by animals, you will probably find this annoying.

The movie starts with Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse riding their golf bag like it’s a motorized scooter or something.

It’s such a strange visual, just two characters standing on a bag that scoots across the grass without any wheels. 🚲

Then we meet Farmer Al Falfa, who just wants to hit a ball but is clearly doomed from the start.

Ignatz is the real villain here. He swaps the golf ball for a bird egg when the farmer isn't looking.

The moment the farmer hits the 'ball' and a tiny bird hatches mid-air is actually really funny.

The bird starts flying around with the shell still on its butt, and the farmer looks so confused his beard practically vibrates.

The animation is pretty jerky, even compared to something like The Play House, which felt a bit more smooth in its weirdness.

There is a specific shot where the characters are just vibrating in place because the artist probably didn't draw enough frames.

I noticed the background doesn't change much, just a few lines that are supposed to be hills.

It’s much faster than The Knight That Failed, which also has that old-school Terrytoons energy but feels slower.

I love how the golf clubs bend like they are made of overcooked noodles whenever someone swings them.

There is no logic to the physics here. At one point, the characters just sort of float because the scene needs them to.

The ending is kind of abrupt. It just stops after the chaos peaks, which is typical for these 1920s shorts. ⛳️

It doesn't have the heavy drama of Black Beauty, obviously, but it’s a nice palette cleanser.

I think I saw a hair on the film print during the egg scene. It stayed there for like three seconds.

Small things like that make these old cartoons feel more real to me than the digital stuff today.

Anyway, it’s a fun little time capsule of when animation was still figuring out its own rules.