'' Convict Concerto '' is the 58th 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 November 22, 1954, 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

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Plot

Woody is a shy piano tuner who is held at gunpoint by a bank robber named Mugsy (

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company where he originated the voices of many familiar characters, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry H ...

) who is on the lam. Mugsy hides out inside the grand piano Woody is tuning, and directs him to start playing immediately. Mugsy plays part of Frédéric Chopin's Funeral March to threaten Woody, who replies with a rousing rendition of Franz Liszt's " Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2." He manages to play the entire piece while being harassed by the gun-wielding Mugsy as well as a bricks-for-brains policeman (also Daws Butler) hot on the trail of the stolen loot.

Notes

* The normally red wood plank backdrop utilized during the opening theme when Woody bursts through a hole, announcing "Guess who?", is replaced with a light gray-colored wood backdrop starting with this entry. Woody also appears a lot smaller in this particular intro. This lighter background would be used until 1970, when the background reverts to a red wood plank for the remainder of the series, albeit with the smaller Woody Animation intact. * Veteran Animator Hugh Harman is credited with Story here. Coincidentally, He and Lantz had worked together on the

Oswald The Lucky Rabbit Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit or Oswald Rabbit) is a cartoon character created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. He starred in several animated short films released to theaters from 1927 to 1 ...

series back when it was produced under Charles Mintz. * Mugsy refers to

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n composer Sergei Rachmaninoff when he quips to Woody "Keep up the good work, Rachmaninoff!" * ''Convict Concerto'' was Don Patterson's final effort as director on a ''Woody'' short, although he would stay on at Lantz as an animator until 1960's '' Heap Big Hepcat''. He does not receive on-screen credit as director. * Mugsy's voice was used by Daws Butler in a number of later cartoons for Hanna-Barbera.

References

External links

* 1954 animated films 1954 films 1954 short films Walter Lantz Productions shorts Woody Woodpecker films 1950s American animated films Universal Pictures animated short films Animated films about birds Animated films about animals 1950s English-language films {{WoodyWoodpecker-film-stub