Woody Woodpecker/Trivia

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• Directors:
  • Alex Lovy -- Directed Woody's debut cartoon, in addition to providing his original design, and handled most of Woody's early shorts until 1943. He later returned in 1956, before leaving for good in 1960. His shorts tended to be the most derivative of Warner Bros. shorts, although they often suffered from mushy timing and even pacing. All in all, his 40's shorts are not highly regarded, but his 50's works tend to be considered better. He directed 12 shorts on his own, and co-directed "Dizzy Acrobat" with Lantz and Hardaway.
  • Ben Hardaway: Sole effort was co-directing "The Dizzy Acrobat" with Lantz and Lovy.
  • Walter Lantz -- Handled a few early cartoons, although exactly which ones is up for debate. He definitely directed a number of cartoons in 1951 following Dick Lundy's departure. Like Lovy, the cartoons he (supposedly) directed in the 40s aren't too well regarded, but his 1951 efforts benefited from him maintaining the animation standards of Dick Lundy. He directed 16 shorts total, and co-directed "Dizzy Acrobat" with Lovy and Hardaway.
  • Emery Hawkins & Milt Schaffer -- Directed one cartoon, 1943's "Ration Bored," between the departure of Alex Lovy and the arrival of Shamus Culhane.
  • Shamus Culhane -- Made his bow on the series with 1944's "The Barber of Seville," and continued until 1946's "Fair Weather Fiends." Usually regarded as the best director on the series by those who prefer more brutal Tom and Jerry style comedy in the cartoons. Despite being highly regarded, his tenure on the series was surprisingly brief, only directing 10 shorts.
  • Dick Lundy -- Started working on the series with 1946's "Bathing Buddies," and carried on until the studio's hiatus in 1949. His work was by far the most technically accomplished of all Woody's directors, and his cartoons had a pacing and timing style that found the sweet spot between Lovy and Culhane's work. Directed 13 shorts on his own, and co-directed one of them.
  • Don Patterson -- Took over as the primary director between 1951 and 1954. He had a very similar style to Lundy, albeit with a bit less polish. Sadly, he was demoted to being an animator in order to make way for the returning Tex Avery (who subsequently left the studio without directing a Woody Woodpecker cartoon and in turn was replaced by Alex Lovy, who himself was returning to the studio). He directed 14 shorts total.
  • Paul J. Smith -- The most prolific director of Woody Woodpecker cartoons -- and indeed, Walter Lantz cartoons in general -- but also generally regarded as the worst. His first effort on the series was 1955's "Helter Shelter," and continued all the way through to the last ever Lantz cartoon, 1972's "Bye Bye Blackboard." Although his first few cartoons were generally quite solid, his work suffered particularly badly from cost-cutting as the the 1960s went on. He directed 109 shorts total, and one of Woody's cameos in a Chilly Willy short.
  • Jack Hannah -- Showed up in 1960, following Alex Lovy's final departure from the studio. Probably the least well-remembered of Woody's directors, although his work is generally regarded as being better than what Paul J. Smith was doing at the time. His last cartoon was 1962's "Voodoo Boodoo". He directed 8 shorts total.
  • Sid Marcus -- Better known as a storyboard artist, though he also worked as a director at the studio from 1963 until 1967. Like Hannah, his work isn't particularly well remembered (mostly because he actually directed more Chilly Willy cartoons than Woody Woodpecker ones), but is held in higher regard than that of Paul J. Smith. He directed 14 shorts.