''Woody Woodpecker'' is the first animated cartoon short subject in the ''

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by ...

'' series. Released theatrically on July 7, 1941, the film was produced by

Walter Lantz Productions Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios. The studio was originally formed as Universal Cartoon Studios on the initiative o ...

and distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. This is the second appearance of Woody Woodpecker; his debut was in an Andy Panda cartoon, '' Knock Knock''. The working title of this cartoon is 'Cracked Nut'.

Plot

The inhabitants of the forest that

( Mel Blanc) lives in have started spreading the word that Woody is crazy, due to all of his

screwball A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known ...

antics. After telling him (and many others) this several times, Woody also begins to question his sanity. Woody Woodpecker spends his day singing loudly and pecking holes in trees. He infuriates the other woodland creatures - when he isn't baffling them with his bizarre behavior. Woody overhears a squirrel and a group of birds gossiping about him. Even though he just sang a song proclaiming his craziness, he denies their whispered accusations that he's nuts. But after they trick him into knocking his head on a statue, the poor bird hears voices in his head and decides the animals might be right. He decides to see a doctor. But leave it to Woody to choose Dr. Horace N. Buggy, a Scottish-brogue-burring

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

(Which was a prototype version of Fink Fox) who is, if it's impossible, even madder than he is. The story ends with Woody hurled into a movie theater audience, watching the doctor crack up on screen, and annoying the people beside him (''"That doctor sure is a card, isn't he? But I don't think he's near as funny as the woodpecker! Do you think so, mister? Huh? DO you, mister? HUH? I like cartoons! Don't YOU like cartoons??"''). One of the people then puts up Woody’s seat, leaving him stuck. Then, he screams for help from his seat. As for the people beside him, they smile gladly as the cartoon ends.

Notes

There is no director credit for the film. Lantz himself has claimed to have directed ''Woody Woodpecker''.

References

External links

* * 1941 films Films about psychiatry Films directed by Walter Lantz Walter Lantz Productions shorts Woody Woodpecker films 1940s American animated films 1941 animated films Universal Pictures animated short films Animated films about animals Animated films about birds {{1940s-animation-film-stub