Lost Oswald Short "Hungry Hobos" Found in England

[Sotiris]

Disney would be extremely stupid not to buy it.

A long-lost Disney cartoon that features a character who was the prototype for Mickey Mouse has been discovered in a British film archive. The cartoon, called Hungry Hobos, was made in 1928 but has been missing since before the Second World War.

The black and white footage features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and was drawn shortly before the character was abandoned and turned into Mickey Mouse that same year. Incredibly, the five-minute silent cartoon has turned up in a vault at the Huntley Film Archives in Herefordshire, where it has sat for decades. Amanda Huntley, who runs the company, said a colleague stumbled upon it on a shelf and out of curiosity searched its name on Google and discovered it was a 'lost' classic. She said: "There are a lot of lost films out there. This was made in 1928 and has been in our collection for decades. We specialise in social history films and not animation. But my colleague took the film from the shelf and Googled it - I don't really know why. We quickly realised it was one of the great lost films. We posted the news on specialist web forums and everybody was very excited!"

Hungry Hobos follows a starving Oswald and his friend Peg Leg Pete on a train. They rob a chicken of her egg by squeezing the animal and cook it by using the train's wheels. Oswald's facial features and behaviour are clearly those of Mickey Mouse - the legendary character that has endured ever since. The whereabouts of the film has for decades baffled animation experts, who believed it would never be seen again.

It is now expected to fetch at least £25,000 ($39,000) when it goes under the hammer at Bonhams' Entertainment Memorabilia auction in Los Angeles next month. Hungry Hobos was released for general screening on May 14, 1928, just one day before Mickey Mouse's feature debut, 'Plane Crazy', had its first preview screening. The film marked a significant turning point for Walt Disney as it was the last time he had to work alongside another studio. Walt Disney made 26 films with Oswald as the central character for Universal Pictures before taking the character to his own studio and turning it into a rodent. Mrs Huntley said: "It is significant because it is Disney but also because the character was the prototype of Mickey Mouse. Disney developed many characters and they changed over time and Oswald has the characteristics of Mickey Mouse - he looks similar even though he's a rabbit. Disney made a series with this character and then turned him into a mouse. Mickey Mouse has lasted over 80 years and many generations have grown up to love him. How we ended up with the film I don't know. It was probably collected by my father who started the company and it has been sitting on our shelves for decades. We have decided to sell it because it is not really what we specialise in and we can use the money to preserve other films we have".

Stephanie Connell, from Bonhams, said: "Hungry Hobos is an incredible find, a lost masterpiece and a cartoon with a unique and vital place in animation history".

The film comprises of a 16mm double perforated celluloid acetate positive print. It is being auctioned on December 14.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -1928.html

[Dr Frankenollie]

Nice story; thanks for sharing, Sotiris.

[Mayhem]

Yeah, I was gonna post that here too, given my location heh. I wonder how on earth it got over to here and was stored away...?

[Mickeyfan1990]

It's so funny! One minute, I'm at another forum posting a Disney on DVD filmography which lists missing Alice/Oswald shorts then the next thing I know, I heard an Oswald short was found!!! What are the odds?

[Sotiris]

Nice story; thanks for sharing, Sotiris.

No problem!

[Elladorine]

Amazing find! I wonder how soon any of us will be able to see it.

[The_Iceflash]

Thanks for sharing this Sotris!




One issue I have is why is the Huntley Film Archives auctioning it instead of offering to selling it to Disney. Wouldn't they of all places want to see a piece of Walt Disney film history preserved and at its rightful home?

Here's a quote by them:

We have decided to sell it because it is not really what we specialise in and we can use the money to preserve other films we have.

That's fine but then why not ask Disney for an offer. I wouldn't want some random person buying it for their own private collection and it end up not cared for properly and it end up getting destroyed or lost.

Amazing find! I wonder how soon any of us will be able to see it.

We might not if it's auctioned to the wrong person.

[Elladorine]

Maybe they're hoping they'll fetch a higher price if they give Disney some competition? I would think that most people willing to pay a high price for such a historical piece would very interested in proper preservation, but who knows. I do hope that if its bought outside of Disney, the buyer could at the very least donate a copy to the Disney archives (as it wouldn't be the first time that has happened in such a situation).

[Sotiris]

Thanks for sharing this Sotiris!

You're welcome!

As it wouldn't be the first time that has happened in such a situation.

Really? Do tell!

[Elladorine]

As it wouldn't be the first time that has happened in such a situation.

Really? Do tell!

It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure I read about individuals donating 35mm copies of their rare originals to the Disney archives in the book Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney. I'm not sure if I still have the book or not but it's a very interesting read on early Disney history.

[The_Iceflash]

Really? Do tell!

It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure I read about individuals donating 35mm copies of their rare originals to the Disney archives in the book Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney. I'm not sure if I still have the book or not but it's a very interesting read on early Disney history.

How sporting of them to give Disney a 'copy'.

Maybe they're hoping they'll fetch a higher price if they give Disney some competition? I would think that most people willing to pay a high price for such a historical piece would very interested in proper preservation, but who knows. I do hope that if its bought outside of Disney, the buyer could at the very least donate a copy to the Disney archives (as it wouldn't be the first time that has happened in such a situation).

Disney certainly deserves better than a "copy" of something that should be Disney's outright. Not to mention, a copy is a generation down from the original in quality. That's a slap in the face to them to give them a lesser quality version.

[Elladorine]

It doesn't "rightfully" belong to Disney. Sure, it would be great for them to have it but nobody owes it to them. Disney should really get off their duffs and make sure they acquire it in some form.

It's a 16mm print; a 35mm copy (while still a copy) would be pretty good actually and much less fragile to handle for restoration.

* * *

Anyway, maybe I'm remembering wrong? I probably haven't read the book in a good 10-15 years . . . it's possible that the Disney archives merely borrowed the originals to copy and returned them along with new 35mm copies for the original owners as a thank-you. Once I'm back home again I'll have to check and see if I still have the book; keep in mind that the book itself was first published in 1994 and 35mm was the best method to create copies at the time.

[Sotiris]

It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure I read about individuals donating 35mm copies of their rare originals to the Disney archives in the book Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney. I'm not sure if I still have the book or not but it's a very interesting read on early Disney history.

Thanks! Too bad that book is OOP. It looks quite interesting!

Disney certainly deserves better than a "copy" of something that should be Disney's outright. Not to mention, a copy is a generation down from the original in quality. That's a slap in the face to them to give them a lesser quality version.

It's really up to Disney to purchase the original; no one is stopping them. The price $39,000 is definitely not a lot for the world's biggest media conglomerate. It would be unacceptable (and very cheap) of them to not buy it even if the price gets higher than that.

[Sotiris]

Press Release:

The only known copy of the Disney film Hungry Hobos, which was previously recorded as lost, has been found in a social history film archive in Herefordshire, UK and is to feature in the Entertainment Memorabilia auction on 14th December 2011 at Bonhams in Los Angeles, USA. The film features Oswald The Lucky Rabbit and Peg Leg Pete and is estimated to sell for $30,000-40,000.

Stephanie Connell of Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia department comments, "Hungry Hobos" an incredible find, a lost masterpiece and a cartoon with a unique and vital place in animation history."

Comprising a 16mm double perforated celluloid acetate positive print, silent, probably dating from around its distribution date of late 20s/early 30s, total running time 5 minutes, 21 seconds and 2 frames at a running speed of 24 frames per second.

Huntley Film Archives is a social history film archive, based in Herefordshire. They recently re-discovered the film and when they realised its significance they decided to sell it, and will devote the proceeds to their collection of 80,000 films, which are badly in need of restoration.

Amanda Huntley of Huntley Film Archives comments, "When we checked this film we couldn't quite believe our eyes. For an archive, finding a lost masterpiece is incredible - you just don't think it will happen to you. We are excited and delighted to offer this gem to animation aficionados and collectors."

Source: http://www.bonhams.com/eur/press/6282/

[Heil Donald Duck]

Thanks for sharing this Sotris!

One issue I have is why is the Huntley Film Archives auctioning it instead of offering to selling it to Disney. Wouldn't they of all places want to see a piece of Walt Disney film history preserved and at its rightful home?

Here's a quote by them:

We have decided to sell it because it is not really what we specialise in and we can use the money to preserve other films we have.

That line you quote by them actually the same Issue I have with Huntley Film Archives, it sounds to me that its more of an private company than public arichive like UCLA

[cartoonsonfilm]

Hello all. I just found this forum and discussion while googling the Oswald situation that came to light yesterday.

I will say on behalf of myself and other animation preservationists that yesterday's discovery of the auction made for a very sad and worrisome day in the archival community. As someone who works in the field of locating and preserving silent cartoons day in and day out, it is fair for me to say that Bonhams has blown the film's value extremely out of proportion, whether or not it is a "lost" Disney film. The results of this auction, whether it is successful or not, could spell problems for the future of our preservation efforts when new "lost" films come to light.

If anyone is interested, I've written a lengthy piece on this matter for my early animation blog:

http://cartoonsonfilm.blogspot.com/2011 ... oited.html

-Tom Stathes

[Dr Frankenollie]

^ I enjoyed reading that linked article; very interesting and thoughtful.

[singerguy04]

Welcome to the forum cartoonsonfilm!!!

I also found your article to be very interesting and eye opening into your field. I'm just starting to have a big interest in the older Disney productions and in silent animation. I can't imagine trying to aquire any of these at such a high cost. Even if a person bought this short and massed produce this, I feel like we'd end up paying a high price to watch a short clip. That wouldn't even be worth it if it were new? lol

This whole situation reminds of the people who walk into the pawn shop on Pawn Stars with some piece of paper with Aberaham Lincolns name on it from the Civil War expecting to sell it for $1,000, when its really only worth $10 or $20 because it's not really all that special. haha

[Alphapanchito]

This is very exciting, despite the interesting article cartoonsonfilm has linked to. Lets just hope Becky Cline is well informed about this and on it. It is definitely something that I believe belongs in the archive, considering it is such an important piece of history regarding Walt. I also hope that, eventually, it makes it's way to DVD .

[cartoonsonfilm]

Thanks very much, singerguy04. If you're interested in silent animation, kudos to you and definitely have a look at my websites which are linked through the blog.