He's been forgotten by many, due largely to the fact that, aside from a brief comeback in 1999, Woody Woodpecker has been out of the public eye for so long.
Woody was to Universal what Tom & Jerry were to MGM, Popeye to Paramount, and Bugs Bunny to Warner Bros., an iconic cartoon star who was the linchpin of the studio's line of cartoons. Woody & his creator, Walter Lantz, first arrived on the scene in the 40's, and transitioned to television in 1957, beginning a 20-year, on-again, off-again run, often brought on as a mid-season replacement series, usually on NBC. After a few years, the series resurfaced in syndication in the 80's with a different opening than the one we have for you.....
YouTube poster Jason Beales dubbed in sound effects from Hanna-Barbera in his clip, which we added to replace the one originally shown. (4/9/14).
The Lantz stable also included Chilly Willy & Andy Panda, whose shorts also got some time on the show. Lantz's wife, Grace Stafford, was the voice of Woody for most of the run, though the inestimable Mel Blanc actually did some of the early shorts. As years went on, Woody was given a niece & nephew, Knothead & Splinter, with whom he could share adventures, and they were more prominent in the 1999 series, which aired intermittently on Fox due to that network's constant schedule shuffling.
Rating: A.
4 comments:
I remember watching the toons in syndication on Channel 5 (WNYW) weekday afternoons.
They were quite entertaining, and even Knothead & Splinter were easy to take, unlike a lot of young sidekicks.
As for the 90s version, I caught eps here and there (my neice used to like watching it for a while) and I noticed they'd added a girlfriend for Woody in the worm of "Winnie Woodpecker".
My dad used to to tell me the story of how Woody came to be:
Walter Lantz & wife, Grace were on vacation in a cabin in the woods. Lantz tried to relax in peace and quiet except for this nagging woodpecker, who relentlessly pecked a nearby tree. It seriously drove him to distraction!
Apparently this lead him to create Woody!
I read the same account. It's just a shame Universal, or whomever holds the rights, at present, is leaving Woody twisting in the wind.....
Well, they did have two dvd sets come out so at least that was something.
All well & good, Geed, but that isn't exactly getting Woody any attention from the usual suspects.....
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