My Pal Paul | 1930 | Animated Short

Title: My Pal Paul | 1930 | Animated Short Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Walter Lantz Productions / Universal Pictures Starring: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Paul Whiteman (caricature voiced) Based on: Original animated screenplay by Pinto Colvig Release Date: June 16 1930 Runtime: Approximately 7 minutes Format: Black and white animated short with synchronized sound Country: United States Language: English Genres: Animation Comedy Music --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Oswald’s barnyard concert begins 00:01:30 Disappointment as animals boo 00:03:00 Oswald’s shame and woodland wandering 00:04:00 Paul Whiteman appears 00:05:00 Musical improvisation with car parts 00:06:00 Comic chaos and ending gag --- Summary: My Pal Paul is a 1930 animated short film featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in a musical comedy cartoon produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. In the short, Oswald attempts to impress a group of barnyard animals with a concert that turns sour when they discover he is miming to a record of his idol, bandleader Paul Whiteman. Crestfallen, he is dissuaded from despair by Whiteman himself, and the pair spontaneously create music using parts of a passing automobile, leading to surreal instrumental antics and humorous set pieces. --- Background: Directed by Walter Lantz and animated by his production team in the Universal/Oswald series, My Pal Paul was created to promote the 1930 musical feature *King of Jazz* and includes references to that film’s music and its star Paul Whiteman. The short exemplifies early synchronized sound animation in the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit filmography and showcases contemporary musical and visual comedy typical of the Walter Lantz era. --- Trivia: The cartoon was made as a marketing tie-in to the Universal Pictures musical *King of Jazz*. Oswald’s performance is interrupted when his barnyard audience realizes he is lip-syncing to a record of Paul Whiteman’s music. Paul Whiteman, a famous bandleader of the era, is caricatured in animated form and appears to assist Oswald. The short includes surreal visual gags as Oswald and Whiteman transform everyday objects into instruments. The animation was voiced in part by Pinto Colvig, who also contributed writing and animation work. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: June 16 1930 Original Studio / Distributor: Walter Lantz Productions / Universal Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Not applicable --- Hashtags: #MyPalPaul1930 #OswaldTheLuckyRabbit #WalterLantz #AnimatedShort #ClassicCartoon #PublicDomain