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.

The post-war woodpecker

Woody's wild days were numbered, however. In 1946, Lantz hired Disney veteran Dick Lundy to take over the direction chores for Woody's cartoons. Lundy rejected Culhane's take on the series and made Woody more defensive; no longer did the bird go insane without a legitimate reason. Lundy also paid more attention to the animation, making Woody's new films more Disneylike in their colors and timing. One thing worth noticing is that his last film for Disney was the Donald Duck short Flying Jalopy. That features a badguy called Ben Buzzard, a character not unlike Woody's archenemy Buzz Buzzard. This short is played much like a Woody Woodpecker short, right down to the laugh in the end.

Related Topics:
1946 - Disney - Dick Lundy - Donald Duck - Flying Jalopy - Ben Buzzard - Buzz Buzzard

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"The Woody Woodpecker Song"

In 1947, Woody got his own theme song when musicians George Tibbles and Ramey Idriess wrote "The Woody Woodpecker Song", making ample use of the character's famous laugh. Kay Kyser's recording of the song became a hit in 1948, and other artists did covers, including Woody's original voice, Mel Blanc. "The Woody Woodpecker Song" first appeared in the 1948 short Wet Blanket policy. Lantz soon adopted the song as Woody's theme music, and due to the song's popularity, Woody Woodpecker fan clubs sprang up, theaters held "Woody" matinées, and boys got the "Woody Woodpecker" haircut.

Related Topics:
1947 - Musicians - George Tibbles - Ramey Idriess - Kay Kyser - 1948 - Mel Blanc

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The song made extensive use of Woody's famous laugh, upsetting the man who recorded it, Mel Blanc. Although Blanc had only recorded four shorts as the voice of Woody, his laugh had been recorded as a stock sound effect, and used in every subsequent Woody Woodpecker short up until this point. Blanc sued Lantz and lost, but Lantz settled out of court when Blanc filed an appeal.

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Later films

The post-war period provided more changes for Woody. In 1950, Lantz began directing Woody Woodpecker shorts again after a brief studio closing. Beginning with the 1950 feature film Destination Moon, which featured a brief segment of Woody explaining rocket propulsion, Woody's voice was taken over for this and following films by Lantz's wife, Grace Stafford. She had slipped a recording of herself into a stack of audition tapes, and her husband chose her without knowing her identity. Lantz also began having his wife supply Woody's laugh, possibly due to the court case with Mel Blanc. Nevertheless, Stafford was not credited for her work at her own request until 1952 in the film Termites from Mars (she felt fans might reject a woman doing Woody's voice). Gracie did her best to tone down the character through her voicework.

Related Topics:
1950 - Destination Moon - Rocket propulsion - Grace Stafford - 1952 - Termites from Mars

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In 1953, Paul J. Smith took over as primary director of Woody's shorts. The bird was redesigned once again, this time by animator LaVerne Harding. This version of the character is still used today as Woody's official look. This era would also introduce several of Woody's recurring costars, most notably Gabby Gator in 1960's Southern Hospitality. Other films paired Woody with a girlfriend, Winnie Woodpecker, and a niece and nephew, Splinter and Knothead, voiced by June Foray. The domestication of Woody Woodpecker was complete.

Related Topics:
1953 - Paul J. Smith - Animator - LaVerne Harding - 1960 - June Foray

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