Woody Woodpecker

Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character who appears in short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Studios. Though not the first of the "screwball" characters that became popular in the 1940s, Woody is perhaps the most indicative of the type. Though less popular today, Woody Woodpecker cartoons are still seen frequently in television syndication. He has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 7000 Hollywood Blvd.

Early years

According to Walter Lantz's press agent, the idea for Woody came during the producer's honeymoon with his wife, Gracie, in Sherwood Lake, California. A noisy woodpecker outside their cabin kept the couple awake at night, and when a heavy rain started, they learned that the bird had bored holes in their cabin's roof. Gracie suggested that her huband make a cartoon about the bird, and thus Woody was born. The story is probably just that, however, since the Lantzes weren't married until 1941, a full year after Woody made his screen debut.

Related Topics:
Agent - Honeymoon - Gracie - Sherwood Lake, California - Woodpecker - 1941

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Woody Woodpecker first appeared in the film Knock Knock on November 25, 1940. The cartoon ostensibly stars Andy Panda and his father, Papa Panda, but it is Woody who steals the show. The woodpecker constantly pesters the two pandas, apparently just for the fun of it. Andy, meanwhile, tries to sprinkle salt on Woody's tail in the belief that this will somehow capture the bird. To Woody's surprise, Andy's attempts prevail, and Woody is taken away to the funny farm -- where his captors prove to be crazier than he is.

Related Topics:
Knock Knock - November 25 - 1940 - Andy Panda - Papa Panda - Woodpecker - Pandas - Salt - Funny farm

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The Woody of Knock Knock is a truly deranged-looking animal. His buggy eyes look in different directions, and his head is all angles and sharp points. However, the familiar color scheme of red head and blue body is already in place, as is the infamous laugh: "Heh-heh-heh-HEH-heh!" Woody is perhaps the best example of the new type of cartoon character that was becoming popular in the early 1940s -- a brash, violent aggressor who pesters innocents not out of self defense, but simply for the fun of it. Ironically, Woody's original voice actor, Mel Blanc, would stop performing the character to work exclusively at Warner Bros., where he had already established the voices of two other famous "screwball" characters who preceded Woody, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. Woody's voice was taken over by story man Ben Hardaway after his first four cartoons.

Related Topics:
1940s - Voice actor - Mel Blanc - Warner Bros. - Daffy Duck - Bugs Bunny - Story man - Ben Hardaway

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Audiences reacted well to Knock Knock, and Lantz realized he had finally hit upon a star to replace the waning Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Woody would go on to star in a number of films. With his innate chutzpah and brash demeanor, the character was a natural hit during World War II. His image appeared on US aircraft and mess halls, and audiences on the homefront watched Woody cope with familiar problems such as food shortages.

Related Topics:
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - World War II

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Layout artist Art Heinemann streamlined Woody's appearance in the 1944 film, The Barber of Seville, directed by Shamus Culhane. The bird became rounder, cuter, less demented, with a brighter smile, much more like his counterparts at Warner Bros. and MGM. Nevertheless, Culhane continued to use Woody as an aggressive lunatic, not a domesticated straight man or defensive homebody as many other studios' characters had become. The follow-up to The Barber of Seville, The Beach Nut, introduced Woody's nemesis Wally Walrus.

Related Topics:
Art Heinemann - 1944 - The Barber of Seville - Shamus Culhane - Warner Bros. - MGM

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