Permanent Wave | 1929 | Animation, Comedy

Title: Permanent Wave | 1929 | Animation, Comedy Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Walter Lantz Productions Starring: Bill Nolan Release Date: September 29, 1929 Runtime: 6 minutes Format: Black and white; Western Electric sound-on-film Country: United States Language: English Genres: Animation, Comedy, Short --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening at sea 00:01:05 Serving the captain 00:02:30 Island music and mermaid 00:04:00 Capture aboard ship 00:05:15 Storm and shipwreck 00:06:20 Shore reunion --- Summary: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit serves a gruff ship’s captain on a small vessel before discovering a mermaid on a nearby island. The captain abducts her, prompting Oswald to mount a rescue that culminates in a thunderous storm and the destruction of the ship. The short blends slapstick gags with a seafaring chase, ending on a romantic note as Oswald reunites with the mermaid after the wreck. --- Background: Permanent Wave was produced during Walter Lantz’s first year handling the Oswald series for Universal after the studio brought production in-house in 1929. Lantz’s early Oswalds embraced synchronized sound and a brisk gag style typical of the transition era. Contemporary notes and related shorts indicate the use of Western Electric sound-on-film recording on Lantz’s Oswald cartoons of the period. --- Trivia: The short was presented by Universal boss Carl Laemmle and produced by Walter Lantz, with animation contributions from Bill Nolan and Tom Palmer. Music is credited to Bert Fiske. The title plays on the “permanent wave” hair treatment popular in the 1920s. Although produced with sound, circulating prints can lack audio due to source-element limitations. The running time in contemporary sources is approximately 6 minutes 38–39 seconds. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: September 29, 1929 Original Studio / Distributor: Universal Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: PermanentWave OswaldTheLuckyRabbit WalterLantz UniversalPictures 1929 ClassicAnimation PublicDomain CartoonHistory Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Permanent_Wave_(1929).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Permanent_Wave_%281929%29.webm