while.) For 1955's The Tree Medic, one last makeover was given to the woodpecker, making Woody's eye a simple black dot and taking away the green/hazel iris he'd had since his beginnings. However, Woody's eyes were not changed in the cartoon's intros, and they remained green for the rest of the shorts' production run. During this time, the intro was changed as well. Instead of having Woody's name on screen and Woody pecking a hole in the screen to introduce himself, Woody would peck his way onto the screen, say "Guess who?", peck his name on either a brown or gray wood background, and flip and flop around the screen, singing and laughing.
By 1955, Paul J. Smith had taken over as primary director of Woody's shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by Alex Lovy and Jack Hannah, among others. With Smith on board, the shorts maintained a healthy dose of frenetic energy, while the animation itself was simplified, due to budget constraints.
Woody in 1961's The Bird Who Came to Dinner, directed by Paul J. Smith. This cartoon was made several years after Woody's last redesign.
In addition to Lantz's wife Grace Stafford providing Woody's voice, which returned the cartoon to being more dialogue-driven again, voice talents during this period were generally split between Dal McKennon and Daws Butler. This era would also introduce several of Woody's recurring costars, most notably Gabby Gator (voiced by Daws Butler in an Ozarks voice, a slightly different southern dialect than he used for Huckleberry Hound). Gabby first appeared in Everglade Raid (then known as "Al I. Gator"). Other films paired Woody with a girlfriend, Winnie Woodpecker (voiced by Grace Stafford), and a niece and nephew, Splinter and Knothead (both voiced by June Foray). Other antagonists that Woody has dealt with were Ms. Meany (voiced by Grace Stafford) and Dapper Denver Dooley (voiced by Dallas McKennon).
Selected Woody Woodpecker shorts[edit]
The Hollywood Matador (1942)
Ace in the Hole (1942)
Ration Bored (1943)
The Dizzy Acrobat (1943)
The Barber of Seville (1944)
The Loose Nut (1945)
Woody the Giant Killer (1947)
Wild and Woody (1948)
Wet Blanket Policy (1948)
Hypnotic Hick (1953)
Hot Noon (1953)
Convict Concerto (1954)
Bedtime Bedlam (1955)
Square Shootin' Square (1955)
Get Lost (1956)
Niagara Fools (1956)
Fowled Up Falcon (1960)
Busman's Holiday (1961)
All Hams on Deck (1970)
The Genie with the Light Touch (1972)
Woody in the television era[edit]
As Lantz was struggling financially, Woody's longevity was secured when he made the jump to television in The Woody Woodpecker Show on ABC. The half-hour program consisted of three theatrical Woody shorts followed by a brief look at cartoon creation hosted by Lantz. It ran from 1957 to 1958 then entered syndication until 1966. It was later revived by NBC in 1970, and again in 1976. In addition, the woodpecker was no longer dishing out abuse to his foils, but was instead on the receiving end. The first notable short to feature Woody as a serious, put-upon character was
By 1955, Paul J. Smith had taken over as primary director of Woody's shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by Alex Lovy and Jack Hannah, among others. With Smith on board, the shorts maintained a healthy dose of frenetic energy, while the animation itself was simplified, due to budget constraints.
Woody in 1961's The Bird Who Came to Dinner, directed by Paul J. Smith. This cartoon was made several years after Woody's last redesign.
In addition to Lantz's wife Grace Stafford providing Woody's voice, which returned the cartoon to being more dialogue-driven again, voice talents during this period were generally split between Dal McKennon and Daws Butler. This era would also introduce several of Woody's recurring costars, most notably Gabby Gator (voiced by Daws Butler in an Ozarks voice, a slightly different southern dialect than he used for Huckleberry Hound). Gabby first appeared in Everglade Raid (then known as "Al I. Gator"). Other films paired Woody with a girlfriend, Winnie Woodpecker (voiced by Grace Stafford), and a niece and nephew, Splinter and Knothead (both voiced by June Foray). Other antagonists that Woody has dealt with were Ms. Meany (voiced by Grace Stafford) and Dapper Denver Dooley (voiced by Dallas McKennon).
Selected Woody Woodpecker shorts[edit]
The Hollywood Matador (1942)
Ace in the Hole (1942)
Ration Bored (1943)
The Dizzy Acrobat (1943)
The Barber of Seville (1944)
The Loose Nut (1945)
Woody the Giant Killer (1947)
Wild and Woody (1948)
Wet Blanket Policy (1948)
Hypnotic Hick (1953)
Hot Noon (1953)
Convict Concerto (1954)
Bedtime Bedlam (1955)
Square Shootin' Square (1955)
Get Lost (1956)
Niagara Fools (1956)
Fowled Up Falcon (1960)
Busman's Holiday (1961)
All Hams on Deck (1970)
The Genie with the Light Touch (1972)
Woody in the television era[edit]
As Lantz was struggling financially, Woody's longevity was secured when he made the jump to television in The Woody Woodpecker Show on ABC. The half-hour program consisted of three theatrical Woody shorts followed by a brief look at cartoon creation hosted by Lantz. It ran from 1957 to 1958 then entered syndication until 1966. It was later revived by NBC in 1970, and again in 1976. In addition, the woodpecker was no longer dishing out abuse to his foils, but was instead on the receiving end. The first notable short to feature Woody as a serious, put-upon character was
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