Viva Willie (1934)

Willie tells his friend that he was once a cowboy.

Director:

Ub Iwerks (uncredited)

Storyline

Willie and a friend are playing Cowboys and Indians when they happen across a statue of a pistol-wielding Poncho Villa. In an attempt to prove that he too is a tough guy, Willie spins a tall tale about his former life as a cowboy. Willie's girlfriend is harassed by another cowboy in a saloon where she dances. Willie engages in a gunfight to defend her honor. Meanwhile, Willie's horse is drinking beer from an unattended barrel. When the cowboy kidnaps Willie's girlfriend, he and his drunken horse must follow. A combination of creativity and haphazard luck allow Willie to save his girlfriend from the cowboy and his gang.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy | tall tale | saloon | playing cowboys and indians | gunfight | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 1934 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Celebrity Productions,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),MGM Cartoon Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Heading for the Last Roundup
Written by Billy Hill
Performed by McKinney's Cotton Pickers

User Reviews

Expected Iwerks toon

The Willie Woppers are among the most circulated of the Iwerks animations and they are representative of his work and indeed of the independent cartoons of the thirties - always an agreeable break in a first half of the show but less than brilliant. The Disney work blew away the opposition, showing a whole lot more man hours and often innovating.

Willie wasn't a particularly endearing character but his tall tale adventures were fun. This one is pretty simple. Insutin' the Sultan is more lively. Still our hero battling bandidos to the strains of "last Roundup" fills in the time nicely.