Woody Woodpecker: Difference between revisions

'''''Woody Woodpecker''''' is an iconic cartoon star, easily the most successful series of the [[Walter Lantz]] cartoon studio, from his [[Breakout Character|breakout debut]] in the [[Andy Panda]] short "Knock Knock" <ref>[[Older Than They Think|Although it's believed by many that ''The Cracked Nut'' was his first cartoon]], in reality it was his first ''solo'' outing, which may have been what has led to this misconception. Well, that and its original title, which was simply [[Character Title|Woody Woodpecker.]]</ref>, in [[The Golden Age of Animation|1940]], to the end of his theatrical run in [[The Dark Age of Animation|1972,]] lasting for around 180 shorts, supplanted by appearances in comics, merchandise, and a short-lived modern day revival, thus establishing him as an animation [[Long Runner]].

He is famous for being a prominent example of the [[Screwy Squirrel|Heckler-Screwball]] type cartoon character, up there with masters like [[Daffy Duck]] and, or course, [[Tex Avery MGM Cartoons|Screwy Squirrel]] himself. His eleventh appearance, ''[[The Barber of Seville (Animationanimation)|The Barber of Seville]]'' even made it onto the list of [[The 50 Greatest Cartoons]], with his first solo short, ''[[The Cracked Nut (Animation)|The Cracked Nut]]'', being a runner up on the list!

Time for a history lesson: In the late 1930s, Universal Cartoons' then-prime series, the former Disney-operated [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]], was running out of gas. Besides the gradual decline of quality in that series, a new entity emerged in the field of animation to make things worse for them—[[Looney Tunes|the Warner Bros. distributed cartoon studio operated by Leon Schlesinger—aka Termite Terrace]]. As if things weren't already bad enough, the already largely successful [[Walt Disney]] was finding wide success [[Classic Disney Shorts|with his Grade-A lineup of short subjects]] as well as [[Snow White and Thethe Seven Dwarfs (Disney film)|his recent feature length film]]. On top of that, Lantz had just split his studio from directly working with Universal in order to remain independent from them save for distribution, leaving Lantz to have to front his own cash to make his cartoons.

In order to keep his Universal distributed cartoon studio afloat, [[Walter Lantz]] quickly attempted to make successors to Oswald--among them was a character [[Andy Panda]]. While Andy was fairly popular, he wasn't the mega hit star Lantz needed badly. However, things got better. During this time, ex-Warner Bros. director and writer Ben "Bugs" Hardaway arrived at Lantz's studio and began work there, and with his help, Lantz created a brand new star in an attempt to combat the rising popularity of Warner Bros. and Disney cartoons — initially appearing as the villain of the Andy Panda short ''Knock Knock'', Woody Woodpecker was an [[Breakout Character|instant success]] -- [[Composite Character|being a hybrid]] of Classic [[Daffy Duck|Daffy Duck's]] [[Screwy Squirrel|troublemaking]], [[Cloudcuckoolander]] persona and the wiseacre attitude of [[Bugs Bunny]].

However, the series got off to a rocky start, and it's easy to see why -- in Walter Lantz and Alex Lovy's attempts to imitate [[Tex Avery]] and [[Bob Clampett]]'s fast paced slapstick comedy, they missed the mark -- the gags were Warner Bros. derivative in a self conscious way (undoubtably due to them having Ben Hardaway as the storyman), the timing was floaty and mushy, and the animation was some of the sloppiest of any cartoon from the Golden Age outside of The Jam Handy Studio. Lovy's haphazard direction and poor pacing often undermined many gags, as well as kept the series from establishing a true identity for itself. Matters improved when Lovy quit the studio and [[Shamus Culhane|James "Shamus" Culhane]] took over directorial duties, and improved the shorts considerably over Lovy's--the animation and staging got notably better (although still marred by sloppy inkers and inbetweeners), Woody's characterization got more clear, and the gags and pacing were improved, resulting in classics like ''[[The Barber of Seville (Animationanimation)|The Barber of Seville]]'', ''Who's Cookin Who'' and ''Chew Chew Baby''. The only genuine criticism would be that Woody was more prone to acting like a [[Jerkass]] than he did in the past.

That said, the series truly became up to par when Disney veteran Dick Lundy arrives at Lantz, and starting with ''Bathing Buddies'' as his first Woody short, took over direction of the series from 1947 to 1949, bringing the series to its peak, as the animation, gags, characterization and timing improved considerably, the stories became much more tightly paced and plotted, and the shorts just became all around more memorable and enjoyable as a result, with classics like "Solid Ivory," "Banquet Busters" and "Wet Blanket Policy." Even as Woody's design and characterization was softened as time went by, the series stayed extremely popular among theatergoers, especially during the rough years of [[World War II]].

Woody also has a Motion Picture Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. He's also starred in many comic books, including one story that was done by ''[[Pogo (Comiccomic Stripstrip)|Pogo]]'' creator Walt Kelly. He's also had an occasional game tie-in.

Despite this setback, his theatrical serials are still fondly remembered by classic animation fans and he is still the official mascot of [[Universal]] Studios to this day.<ref> Though the position was stolen from him by [[An American Tail|Fievel]] from the late 1980s into the 1990s. He seems to have earned it back, though.</ref> While the series was in a state of hiatus since then, a new CG feature length Woody Woodpecker feature is [https://web.archive.org/web/20120419053337/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/illumination-developing-cg-woody-woodpecker.html stated to be in the works.]

His character trademark has always been his [[Annoying Laugh|unique, skull-splitting laugh]], supplied by legendary voice actor [[Mel Blanc]] (and later, Lantz's own wife), which is up there with iconic sounds like the [[Wilhelm Scream]] and the [[Super Mario Bros.]] theme, known and recognized even by people who haven't even seen any of the Woody Woodpecker cartoons.

You can find more info on the woodpecker on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20101219063815/http://lantz.goldenagecartoons.com/ Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia.]

Has a [[Woody Woodpecker (Animation)/Characters|Character Sheet]].

* Knock Knock (Alex Lovy - no onscreen credit / Andy Panda cartoon): Woody's debut, where he is portrayed as the villain of the picture, harassing poor Poppa and Andy Panda. While the cartoon is by all accounts an [[Andy Panda]] short, the amount of screentime Woody gets in contrast to the infant cub makes this a [[Poorly-Disguised Pilot|very blatant pilot]] for his series. The ending is ripped almost wholesale from "[[Daffy Duck and Egghead (Animation)|Daffy Duck and Egghead]]"--no surprise, since the storyman for this short, Ben Hardaway, was a former Warner Bros. writer/director.

* [[The Cracked Nut (Animation)|Woody Woodpecker / The Cracked Nut]]: Woody's first solo entry. One reissued print renamed it "The Cracked Nut", which is what this short is usually called nowadays to avoid confusion. Runner-up on [[The 50 Greatest Cartoons]] list.

* [[The Barber of Seville (Animationanimation)|The Barber of Seville]]: [[Shamus Culhane]]'s first Woody Woodpecker short. One of [[The 50 Greatest Cartoons]]. Also the last Woody with green eyes until 1947. Woody's jerk tendencies were played up considerably from here on out, with sheer determination replacing his previously nutty, haphazard nature. He also recieved a major design overhaul in this short, doing away with his original ghoulish look in favor of a more streamlined, slicker design.

* Hot Noon (or 12 O'Clock For Sure) (Paul J. Smith)

* Woodpecker from Mars (Smith)

* Arts and Flowers (Smith)

* Woody Meets Davy Crewcut (Lovy)

* Red Riding Hoodlum (Smith)

* Box Car Bandit (Smith)

* The Unbearable Salesman (Smith)

* Watch the Birdie (Lovy)

* Half Empty Saddles (Smith)

* Log Jammed (Smith)

* Panhandle Scandal (Lovy)

* The Tee Bird (Smith - Dapper Denver Dooley's final appearance in a Woody Woodpecker cartune)

* Romp in a Swamp (Smith – Gabby Gator, identified only as "A. I. G.")

* Kiddie League (Smith)

* Pistol Packin' Woodpecker (Smith)

* Heap Big Hepcat (Smith)

* How to Stuff a Woodpecker (Smith)

* Ozark Lark (Smith)

* Southern Fried Hospitality (Jack Hannah - Gabby Gator receives his permanent name)

* Poop Deck Pirate (Hannah)

* The Bird Who Came to Dinner (Smith)

* Gabby's Diner (Hannah)

* Sufferin' Cats (Smith)

* Franken-Stymied (Hannah)

* Busman's Holiday (Smith)

* Woody's Kook-Out (Hannah)

* Rock-a-Bye Gator (Hannah)

* Rocket Racket (Hannah)

* Tragic Magic (Smith)

* Voo-Doo Boo-Boo (Hannah)

* Crowin' Pains (Smith)

* Little Woody Riding Hood (Smith)

* Greedy Gabby Gator (Sid Marcus - Gabby Gator's final classic-era appearance)

* Robin Hoody Woody (Smith)

* The Shutter Bug (Smith)

* Coy Decoy (Marcus)

* The Tenant's Racket (Marcus)

* Short in the Saddle (Smith)

* Calling Dr. Woodpecker (Smith - Miss Meany's first appearance)

* Skinfolks (Marcus)

* Get Lost! Little Doggy (Marcus)

* Freeway Fracas (Smith)

* Woodpecker Wanted (Smith)

* Birds of a Feather (Marcus)

* Canned Dog Feud (Smith)

* Sioux Me (Marcus)

* Lonesome Ranger (Smith)

* Woody and the Beanstalk (Smith)

* Hassle in a Castle (Smith)

* The Big Bite (Smith)

* Astronut Woody (Smith)

* Practical Yolk (Smith)

* Have Gun, Can't Travel

* The Nautical Nut

* Secret Agent Woody Woodpecker

* Feudin Fightin-N-Fussin'

* Peck of Trouble

* Woody the Freeloader

* Tumble Weed Greed (Buzz Buzzard's first appearance since Bunco Busters, ending a 14-year hiatus, something other secondary characters never achieved)

* Phoney Pony

* Seal on the Loose

* Coo Coo Nuts

* Hi-Rise Wise Guys

* All Hams on Deck

* Flim Flam Fountain

* Sleepy Time Chimes

* The Reluctant Recruit

* How to Trap a Woodpecker

* Woody's Magic Touch

* Shanghai Woody

* Indian Corn

* Gold Diggin' Woodpecker

* Pecking Holes in Poles

* Chili Con Corny

* Show Biz Beagle

* [[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]: Makes a cameo in the ending.

=== '''Tropes Related to the Original Theatrical Cartoons: ==='''

* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Gorgeous Gal in ''A Fine Feathered Frenzy'', a female crow who fell in love with the Woodpecker instantly. Woody on the other hand was turned off by her weight and age despite her riches and va va voom voice. Gorgeous Gal flirted, kissed him many times, chased after him and tried to seduce him wearing different outfits. Finally Gorgeous Gal trapped Woody and arranged for a priest to marry them.

* [[Anthropomorphic Shift]]: Woody started off looking like a [https://web.archive.org/web/20130304193307/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Woodywoodpecker-pantrypanic1941.jpg deranged bird] to looking like a [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Barber-of-seville-2.jpg standard issue funny animal.]

** Woody is rarely the true villain, especally in the later episodes which is the bulk of them. In spite of what Jerry Seinfeld thinks, he was rarely the instigator. He is like Bugs Bunny in that he always got the best of his enemies, but they almost always started the confrontation somehow. Where Woody differed from Bugs a bit was tht Woody went WAY more overboard with his revenge.

* [[Art Evolution]]: Woody himself went through several redesigns as the series ran its course. For example, Woody's original design became a little softer starting with Ace in the Hole. His buck teeth began to disappear, as Lantz realized this feature was extraneous. In addition, the beak and feet colors became slightly brighter and more vibrant. He also does not have a big chin anymore. Another full redesign came around in the short "[[The Barber of Seville (Animationanimation)|The Barber Of Seville]]" This design was much more streamlined (just look at the ''The Coo Coo Bird'' title card!) and cuter looking than the previous one, and Woody even got [[White Gloves|gloves!]] A third redesign came around later, this time streamlining Woody's design down to it's bare essence, and making him incredibly tiny as well.

* [[Attack of the 50 -Foot Whatever]]: The short ''Woody the Giant Killer''.

{{quote| "The following story is a big fat lie. No names have been changed to protect anybody!" }}

{{quote| '''Woody:''' You're not going to pull that old gag on me, are you, son? ''(puffs up as he speaks)'' Do you know what I '''DID TO THE LAST GUY THAT TRIED THAT?!''' '''[[ThisPunctuated! IsFor! SpartaEmphasis!|WHY, I TORE HIM LIMB—FROM—LIMB!]]''' {{spoiler|[[Anticlimax|And then he promptly walks off, playing his beak like a flute and deflating himself in the process.]]}}}}

* [[Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti]]: In an issue of an old Woody Woodpecker comic, Woody goes with his (niece and nephew?) over to Asia to film the abominable snowman. His camera is taken by a band of thieves using the legend of the snowman to scare people into giving them gift to appease them. {{spoiler|And then the real deal come along and scares the band away.}}

* [[Born in Thethe Theatre]]: In the short "Who's Cookin' Who?", at one point where Woody is deprived of food, he asks the audience if somebody could "please go up to the lobby and get me a candy bar?"

{{quote| '''Woody:''' "No coaching from the audience, please!"}}

* [[Chick Magnet]]: He's had plenty of women, particularly human women fall for him instantly. In "Belle Boys" the beautiful French actress Ga Ga Gazoon tries to kiss him on the lips the second she meets him. A Mexican woman gives him two gigantic smooches in "Hot Noon (Or 12 O'Clock For Sure)." Princess Salami of "Socco in Morroco" kisses him only moments after they've met and the cartoon ends with the two making out.

** With few exceptions such as his girlfriend Winnie Woopdecker this seems to work against his favor with other female animals though, with them becoming [[Abhorrent Admirer|Abhorrent Admirers]]. Gorgeous Gal of "A Fine Feathered Frenzy" had a lovely voice but was an overweight and elderly dowager crow. When Gorgeous met Woody Woodpecker she batted her eyelashes, gave him a giant wink and clicked her heels in excitement. Then she rushed to hug, kiss and marry him right away even though he was not interested. She even offered to bathe with him! Woody also caught the fancy of a gigantic female pink octopus in "Alley To Bali" who kissed him on the cheek twice.

* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: In the end of the short ''Ace in the Hole'' after Woody ejects himself and the Sergeant who is chasing him a plane, all but completely crippling the Sarge of the military airport that employed Woody at the time from the fall, he is forced to tediously shave all of the hair off a very, ''very'' long line of horses, one by one, under the threat of a shotgun aimed at him.

{{quote| '''Lion''': ''[[Breaking the Fourth Wall|What do you know? Just call me stubby!]]''}}

* [[Executive Meddling]]: Very rare for this series, but it has happened. For example, the ending of the short "Knock Knock" was edited out of the cartoons early TV airing due to showing the asylum staff whom were trying to catch Woody turn out to be just as crazy as Woody himself. This ending was a shameless ripoff of the ending of WB's 1938 cartoon ''[[Daffy Duck and Egghead (Animation)|Daffy Duck and Egghead]]''.

{{quote| ''"Take it easy, sarge... I want to fly like a bird!"'' (cue Woody's laugh)}}

{{quote| '''Crowd:''' [[And There Was Much Rejoicing|''HOORAY!'']]}}

{{quote| '''Main officer:''' Now, before we proceed: is there anyone here without a barrel?}}

** Also, Woody himself made a speaking cameo along with many other Golden Age cartoon characters in the ending of the film [[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]].

* [[Mad Doctor]]: In "The Cracked Nut", Woody, told he's crazy by his fellow [[Woodland Creatures]], goes to seek help...from a psychologist who's even more nuts than he is. [[Hilarity Ensues|Hilarity]] (and much [[Ham -to -Ham Combat]]) [[Hilarity Ensues|Ensues]].

{{quote| ''So I'm crazy, what what what can I do?''<br />

* [[Massive -Numbered Siblings]]: In "Born to Peck", Woody is shown to have seven older sisters, although their mother takes off with them before he's hatched.

* [[Meat -O -Vision]]: The shorts "Pantry Panic", "Who's Cookin' Who?", "Fair Weather Fiends" and "Everglade Raid".

* [[Pain -Powered Leap]]: Happens to Wally Walrus in ''The Dippy Diplomat''.

* [[Public Domain Soundtrack]]: "Largo Al Factotum" from [[The Barber of Seville (Animationanimation)|The Barber of Seville]], and ''The Woody Woodpecker Polka'' is a shameless mock-up of ''The Philadelphia Polka".

* [[R EmakeRemake]]: ''Pantry Panic'' must have been a favorite of the studio, since it got remade—''twice''—as ''Who's Cookin Who?'' and ''The Redwood Sap''.

{{quote| '''Crowd:''' [[And There Was Much Rejoicing|''HOORAY!'']]}}

* [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]]: This and [[It Runs Onon Nonsensoleum]] are combined in [http://classiccartoons.blogspot.com/2008/03/woody-mistery.html this Woody Woodpecker comic] in the moment Woody turns evil:

** "But there's no reason a brainy man can't make a success out of it [crime]! After all, it's a simple formula—[[You Fail Physics Forever|the thermodynamics]] [[TV Genius|of the psychognosis verticillated]] [[It Runs Onon Nonsensoleum|by the metaplasm proves my point!"]]

* [[Sitting Sexy Onon a Piano]]: The Mexican girl from the opening of ''Hot Noon''.

* [[Stairway to Heaven]]: Done in the end of ''Wild and Woody'' — Buzz Buzzard has just been crushed [[Anvil Onon Head|by a large object]], and he arrives at a lobby with elevators to both heaven and hell with Woody as the doorman: one opens and the angelic operator says "Going up?" and Woody forces it closed, the other opens and the demonic operator says "GOING DOWN?!" and Woody gives Buzz Buzzard a kick in the rear forcing him into [[Hellevator|the elevator.]] This also happened earlier, at the end of the short ''Ration Bored.''

{{quote| '''Dooley''': "I hate you!"<br />

{{quote| '''Woody''': ''[[Berserk Button|I don't like]]'' '''CHEESECAKE!''' ''(throws the cake into the loan shark's face)''}}

{{quote| '''Woody''': "Of course it is! ''I'm'' a [[Necessarily Evil|NECESSARY EVIL!]]"}}

=== '''Tropes Related to ''The New Woody Woodpecker Show'': ==='''

* [[Never Trust a Trailer]]: There was a Cartoon Network trailer for ''The New Woody Woodpecker Show'' which consisted entirely of classic Woody Woodpecker cartoon clips, and thought that CN was going to put more classic toons on, a reverse of the trend which had seen classics dwindled to just [[Tom and Jerry (Animation)|Tom and Jerry]]. Instead, it turned out to be a modern revival of Woody.

* [[Shout-Out]]: In the episode ''Automatic Woody'', the ATM from which Woody is trying to get money suddenly dons the persona and quotations of [[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|Hal 9000]].

[[Category:Works by Walter Lantz]]

[[Category:WoodyAnimal WoodpeckerTitle Index]]

[[Category:BrokenWestern imageAnimation markupof the 1940s]]