The Woody Woodpecker Show
| The Woody Woodpecker Show | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Walter Lantz |
| Based on | Woody Woodpecker by Walter Lantz |
| Written by | Universal Cartoon |
| Directed by |
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| Voices of | Grace Stafford |
| Composer(s) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Walter Lantz |
| Editor(s) |
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| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC (1957–58) |
| Original release | October 3, 1957 – September 25, 1958 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | The New Woody Woodpecker Show |
The Woody Woodpecker Show is a long-running 30-minute American television series mainly composed of the animated cartoon escapades of Woody Woodpecker and other Walter Lantz characters including Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, and Inspector Willoughby released by Walter Lantz Productions. The series was revived and reformatted several times, but has remained popular for nearly four decades and allowed the studio to continue making theatrical cartoons until 1972 when it shut down. It also kept the Walter Lantz/Universal "cartunes" made during the Golden Age of American animation a part of the American consciousness. The Woody Woodpecker Show was named the 88th best animated series by IGN.
Movie theater owners in the 1950s were finding that they could release features with reissued cartoons, or no cartoons at all, and the audiences would still come. Because of the practice, the theatrical cartoon business was suffering and losing money. By 1956 there were only seven animation producers in the short-subjects business, and by the end of the decade that number would dwindle down to three. Walter Lantz and his distributor, Universal Pictures, knew that the only way to subsidize the rising costs of new shorts was to release their product to television. Norman Gluck from Universal's short-subjects department made a deal with the Leo Burnett Agency to release some older Lantz product on television. Burnett handled the Kellogg's cereal account, and Lantz soon met with the Kellogg's people to sign the contract. Lantz admitted that he was only working in the medium because he was "forced into TV" and "cartoons for theaters would soon be extinct."
The Woody Woodpecker Show debuted on ABC on the afternoon of October 3, 1957. The series was seen once a week, on Thursday afternoons, replacing the first half-hour of the shortened Mickey Mouse Club. Lantz integrated his existing cartoons with new live action footage, giving the show an updated look that satisfied both viewers and Lantz himself. The live action and animation segments created for the show, called 'A Moment with Walter Lantz', featured an informative look at how the animation process for his "cartunes" worked as well as how the writers came up with stories and characters. The live-action segments were directed by Jack Hannah, who was fresh from the Disney Studio where he had done similar live-action/animation sequences for the Disney show.
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