The Woody Woodpecker Show

The Woody Woodpecker Show
Title card
Genre	Animation, comedy
Created by	Walter Lantz
Directed by	Paul Smith Alex Lovy Sid Marcus
Voices of	Grace Stafford
Composers	Walter Greene Darrell Calker Clarence Wheeler
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	113
Production
Producer	Walter Lantz
Editors	F.Y. Smith Norman Suffern
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Walter Lantz Productions (1957–58; 1963-64; 1970-72) Universal City Studios (1976–77; 1988)
Original release
Network	ABC (1957–58) Syndication (1963–64; 1988) NBC (1970–77)
Release	October 3, 1957 (1957-10-03) – January 29, 1977 (1977-01-29)
Related
The New Woody Woodpecker Show

The Woody Woodpecker Show is an American television series mainly composed of the animated cartoon shorts of Woody Woodpecker and other Walter Lantz characters including Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, The Beary Family and Inspector Willoughby all released by Walter Lantz Productions. The series was revived and reformatted several times, but 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.

History

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 field, 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 shown 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.

After the initial year on ABC, The Woody Woodpecker Show was syndicated until 1966. The "A Moment with Walter Lantz" segments were eventually replaced with "Woody's Newsreel" and "Around The World with Woody" which used footage of Universal Newsreels and featured voice-over commentary by Walter Lantz and Woody Woodpecker.

In 1970, the show reappeared on network television, with 26 additional episodes assembled by Lantz for NBC. The show ran on NBC until September 2, 1972, which is the same year the Walter Lantz Productions studio shut down. The show was revived again on September 11, 1976, featuring cartoons made from 1940 to 1965. The show ended its network run on September 3, 1977. Local stations continued to air The Woody Woodpecker Show for the next several years.

In 1984, Lantz sold everything outright to MCA/Universal, though he remained active in overseeing how Universal handled his characters (for merchandise, TV, home video, theme parks, limited edition cels, etc.) up until his death in 1994.

In 1987, MCA/Universal and The Program Exchange returned the show to television with a new 90 episode package for syndication. This Woody Woodpecker Show featured a complete overhaul of the series format. Gone were the newsreels, "Around the World" segments, and live action scenes with Walter Lantz, replaced by vignettes known as "Musical Miniatures", in which new musical compositions were played over montages of classic cartoon footage. New commercial bumpers were added and a new opening sequence was created. This one featured Woody, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Smedley the Dog, and Inspector Willoughby along with Woody's nemeses Buzz Buzzard, Gabby Gator, and Wally Walrus as they caused chaos in a small town. Episodes of this Woody Woodpecker Show typically consisted of two Woody cartoons bookending another Lantz cartoon (typically a Chilly Willy cartoon). The series continued airing in syndication until 1998. Around that time, Cartoon Network picked up rerun rights and aired The Woody Woodpecker Show for several months, after which the series disappeared from television.

After Cartoon Network dropped The Woody Woodpecker Show, Universal revived most of the Lantz characters in The New Woody Woodpecker Show with Billy West voicing Woody, which ran from 1999 to 2002 as part of the Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup.

In August 2023, MeTV acquired the broadcast rights to Walter Lantz cartoons from 1934 to 1972 to air The Woody Woodpecker Show on Saturday mornings on September 2 as part of MeTV's Saturday Morning Cartoons animation block, marking Woody's return to television after 21 years (it was also picked up by MeTV Toons one year later). They were not aired in the actual The Woody Woodpecker Show anthology episodes formats, but the separate theatrical cartoon prints are shown directly from the Universal vaults.

Episodes

Cartoons with an '*' are repeats.

Series 1 (1957–1958)

#	1st cartoon	2nd cartoon	3rd cartoon	Original air date
1	Who's Cookin' Who?	The Overture to William Tell	Bathing Buddies	October 3, 1957 (1957-10-03)
2	Ace in the Hole	The Bandmaster	Banquet Busters	October 10, 1957 (1957-10-10)
3	Life Begins for Andy Panda	Pied Piper of Basin Street	Knock Knock	October 17, 1957 (1957-10-17)
4	Chew Chew Baby	The Sleeping Princess	The Dizzy Acrobat	October 24, 1957 (1957-10-24)
5	Fish Fry	Pixie Picnic	Woody Dines Out	October 31, 1957 (1957-10-31)
6	The Hollywood Matador	Adventures of Tom Thumb Jr.	Well Oiled	November 7, 1957 (1957-11-07)
7	Andy Panda Goes Fishing	The Poet and the Peasant	Ski for Two	November 14, 1957 (1957-11-14)
8	Fair Weather Fiends	Scrambled Eggs	Woody The Giant Killer	November 21, 1957 (1957-11-21)
9	Mousie Come Home	Apple Andy	The Dippy Diplomat	November 28, 1957 (1957-11-28)
10	Pantry Panic	Kiddie Koncert	Wacky Bye Baby	December 5, 1957 (1957-12-05)
11	The Painter & The Pointer	Dog Tax Dodgers	The Mad Hatter	December 12, 1957 (1957-12-12)
12	The Screwball	Three Lazy Mice	Solid Ivory	December 19, 1957 (1957-12-19)
13	Crow Crazy	Sliphorn King Of Polaroo	The Reckless Driver	December 26, 1957 (1957-12-26)
14	The Wacky Weed	Musical Moments from Chopin	The Beach Nut	January 2, 1958 (1958-01-02)
15	Meatless Tuesday	Jungle Jive	The Loose Nut	January 9, 1958 (1958-01-09)
16	Smoked Hams	Fox & the Rabbit	The Barber of Seville	January 16, 1958 (1958-01-16)
17	100 Pygmies and Andy Panda	Kitten Mittens	The Coo Coo Bird	January 23, 1958 (1958-01-23)
18	The Dizzy Acrobat*	Toyland Premiere	Woody Dines Out*	January 30, 1958 (1958-01-30)
19	Life Begins for Andy Panda*	Fish Fry*	The Hollywood Matador*	February 6, 1958 (1958-02-06)
20	Well Oiled*	Pixie Picnic*	Ski for Two*	February 13, 1958 (1958-02-13)
21	Andy Panda Goes Fishing*	Adventures of Tom Thumb Jr.*	Fair Weathered Fiends*	February 20, 1958 (1958-02-20)
22	Woody The Giant Killer*	The Poet and the Peasant*	The Dippy Diplomat*	February 27, 1958 (1958-02-27)
23	Mousie Come Home*	Scrambled Eggs*	Pantry Panic*	March 6, 1958 (1958-03-06)
24	Wacky Bye Baby*	Apple Andy*	The Mad Hatter*	March 13, 1958 (1958-03-13)
25	The Painter & The Pointer*	Kiddie Koncert*	The Screwball*	March 20, 1958 (1958-03-20)
26	Solid Ivory*	Dog Tax Dodgers*	The Reckless Driver*	March 27, 1958 (1958-03-27)

Series 2 (1963–1964)

#	1st cartoon	2nd cartoon	3rd cartoon	Original air date
27	I'm Cold*	A Horse's Tale	Puny Express	September 4, 1963 (1963-09-04)
28	Slingshot 6 7/8	Syncopated Sioux	Wet Blanket Policy	September 11, 1963 (1963-09-11)
29	What's Sweepin'	The Mouse and the Lion	The Legend of Rockabye Point	September 18, 1963 (1963-09-18)
30	Woodpecker In The Rough	Egg Cracker Suite	Sh-h-h-h-h-h	September 25, 1963 (1963-09-25)
31	Sleep Happy	Goodbye Mr. Moth	Flea For Two	October 2, 1963 (1963-10-02)
32	Hot Noon*	The Flying Turtle	Room and Wrath	October 9, 1963 (1963-10-09)
33	Wild & Woody	Crazy House	Dig That Dog	October 16, 1963 (1963-10-16)
34	Wrestling Wrecks	Pig in a Pickle	Drooler's Delight	October 23, 1963 (1963-10-23)
35	The Great Who-Dood-It	Andy Panda's Pop; a.k.a. Goofy Roofer	Paw's Night Out	October 30, 1963 (1963-10-30)
36	Real Gone Woody	Boogie Woogie Sioux; a.k.a. Indian Beatnick	Chilly Willy; a.k.a. Deep Freeze	November 6, 1963 (1963-11-06)
37	Get Lost	Dog That Cried Wolf	Hot Rod Huckster	November 13, 1963 (1963-11-13)
38	Wicket Wacky	Andy Panda's Victory Garden (Springtime for Andy)	Ostrich Egg and I	November 20, 1963 (1963-11-20)
39	Secret Weapon ft. Space Mouse	Convict Concerto*	I'm Cold*	November 27, 1963 (1963-11-27)
40	The Redwood Sap	Crazy Mixed Up Pup	The Screwdriver; a.k.a. Woody's Jalopy	December 4, 1963 (1963-12-04)
41	Nutty Pine Cabin	Scalp Treatment	The Talking Dog	December 11, 1963 (1963-12-11)
42	Termites From Mars	Swing Your Partner	Hold That Rock	December 18, 1963 (1963-12-18)
43	Ration Bored; a.k.a. The Gas Bandit	Scrappy Birthday	Plywood Panic	December 25, 1963 (1963-12-25)
44	Hypnotick Hick	Dizzy Kitty	Maw & Paw	January 1, 1964 (1964-01-01)
45	Buccaneer Woodpecker	The Hams That Couldn't Be Cured	Hot & Cold Penguin	January 8, 1964 (1964-01-08)
46	Belle Boys	Broadway Bow Wows	Woody Woodpecker	January 15, 1964 (1964-01-15)
47	Helter Shelter	Hot Noon*	Juke Box Jamboree	January 22, 1964 (1964-01-22)
48	Jungle Medics	Real Gone Woody*	The Legend of Rockabye Point*	January 29, 1964 (1964-01-29)
49	Alley to Bali	Destination Meatball/Under The Spreading Blacksmith Shop; a.k.a. The Village Blacksmith**	Pigeon Holed	February 5, 1964 (1964-02-05)
50	The Loan Stranger	Playful Pelican	Under The Counter Spy	February 12, 1964 (1964-02-12)
51	Operation Sawdust	Man's Best Friend	Hay Rube	February 19, 1964 (1964-02-19)
52	Convict Concerto*	Mouse Trappers	Born to Peck	February 26, 1964 (1964-02-26)

From Series 3 onward, the episode include four cartoons instead of three.

In the process of remastering 49th episode, Destination Meatball (from Woody Woodpecker) was replaced with one of Andy Panda's shorts for unknown reasons.

Special episode (1964)

#	1st cartoon	2nd cartoon	3rd cartoon	Original air date
-	Playful Pelican*	Under The Counter Spy*	Spook-A-Nanny	October 21, 1964 (1964-10-21)

Series 3 (1970–1971)

#	1st cartoon	2nd cartoon	3rd cartoon	4th cartoon	Original air date
53	Pistol Packin' Woodpecker	St Mortiz Blitz	Fodder & Son	Freeloading Feline	September 5, 1970 (1970-09-05)
54	Chief Charlie Horse	Space Mouse	After The Ball	Big Snooze	September 12, 1970 (1970-09-12)
55	Box Car Bandit	The Goofy Gardener	Woody Meets Davy Crewcut	Hyde and Sneak	September 19, 1970 (1970-09-19)
56	Arts and Flowers	Salmon Yeggs	Gabby's Diner	Doc's Last Stand	September 26, 1970 (1970-09-26)
57	The Woody Woodpecker Polka	Truent Student	Tree Medic	Witty Kitty	October 3, 1970 (1970-10-03)
58	Woodpecker In The Moon	Little Televillain	Calling All Cuckoos	The Bongo Punch	October 10, 1970 (1970-10-10)
59	Misguided Missile	The Bear & The Bees	Watch The Birdie	Punchy Pooch	October 17, 1970 (1970-10-17)
60	Half Empty Saddles	Fowled Up Party	Round Trip To Mars	A Chilly Reception	October 24, 1970 (1970-10-24)
61	Ballyhooey	Rough and Tumbleweed	Franken-Stymied	Mother's Little Helper	October 31, 1970 (1970-10-31)
62	The Unbearable Salesman	Yukon Have It	Dopey Dick The Pink Whale	Phoney Express	November 7, 1970 (1970-11-07)
63	Private Eye Pooch	Hunger Strife	Ozark Lark	Polar Pests	November 14, 1970 (1970-11-14)
64	Panhandle Scandal	Eggnaper	Fowled-Up Falcon	Operation Cold Feet	November 21, 1970 (1970-11-21)
65	Woodpecker From Mars	Tricky Trout	Everglade Raid	Three Ring Fling	November 28, 1970 (1970-11-28)
66	International Woodpecker	Swiss Miss-Fit	Niagara Fools	Mississippi Slow-Boat	December 5, 1970 (1970-12-05)
67	Socko in Morocco	Salmon Loafer	To Catch a Woodpecker	Papoose on the Loose	December 12, 1970 (1970-12-12)
68	Southern Fried Hospitality	Mackerel Moocher	Bats in The Belfry	Case of the Cold Storage Yegg	December 19, 1970 (1970-12-19)
69	Stage Hoax	Bee Bopped	His Better Elf	Robinson Gruesome	December 26, 1970 (1970-12-26)
70	Kiddle League	Charlie's Mother-in-Law	The Bird Who Came to Dinner	Fish and Chips	January 2, 1971 (1971-01-02)
71	Poop Deck Pirate	Pesky Pelican	A Fine Feathered Frenzy	Corny Concerto	January 9, 1971 (1971-01-09)
72	Log Jammed	Hi-Seas Hi-Jacker	The Tee Bird	Sufferin' Cats	January 16, 1971 (1971-01-16)
73	Billion Dollar Boner	Coming Out Party	Romp In a Swamp	Pest of Show	January 23, 1971 (1971-01-23)
74	Red Riding Hoodlum	Fowled Up Birthday	Tree's A Crowd	Fish Hooked	January 30, 1971 (1971-01-30)
75	Tomcat Combat	The Goose is Wild	Heap Big Hepcat	Tin Can Concert	February 6, 1971 (1971-02-06)
76	Jittery Jester	Clash and Carry	How to Stuff a Woodpecker	Mouse Trapped	February 13, 1971 (1971-02-13)
77	Square Shootin' Square	Plumber of Seville	Witch Crafty	Goose in the Rough	February 20, 1971 (1971-02-20)
78	Bunco Busters	Case of the Red-Eye Ruby	Bedtime Bedlam	Pigeon Patrol	February 27, 1971 (1971-02-27)

Series 4 (1971–1972)

#	1st cartoon	2nd cartoon	3rd cartoon	4th cartoon	Original air date
79	Careless Caretaker	Half-Baked Alaska	Guest Who?	Busman's Holiday	September 4, 1971 (1971-09-04)
80	Tragic Magic	Chilly Chums	Foot Brawl	Room and Bored	September 11, 1971 (1971-09-11)
81	Crowin' Pains	Fractured Friendship	Davey Cricket	Woody's Kook-Out	September 18, 1971 (1971-09-18)
82	Greedy Gabby Gator	Deep Freeze Squeeze	Case of the Elephant's Trunk	Shutter Bug	September 25, 1971 (1971-09-25)
83	Science Friction	Hot Time on Ice	Mouse in the House	Home Sweet Homewrecker	October 2, 1971 (1971-10-02)
84	Rocket Racket	Pesty Guest	Roof Top Razzle Dazzle	Short in the Saddle	October 9, 1971 (1971-10-09)
85	Voo-Doo Boo-Boo	Chilly and the Woodchopper	Rah Rah Ruckus	Skinfolks	October 16, 1971 (1971-10-16)
86	Stowaway Woody	Coy Decoy	Ski-Napper	Little Woody Riding Hood	October 23, 1971 (1971-10-23)
87	Freeway Fracas	Polar Fright	Window Pains	Calling Dr. Woodpecker	October 30, 1971 (1971-10-30)
88	Dumb Like a Fox	Lighthouse Keeping Blues	The Case of the Maltese Chicken	The Tenant's Racket	November 6, 1971 (1971-11-06)
89	Saddle Sore Woody	Vicious Viking	Snow Place Like Home	Get Lost Little Doggy	November 13, 1971 (1971-11-13)
90	Woody's Clip Joint	Operation Shanghai	Tee-Pee for Two	South Pole Pals	November 20, 1971 (1971-11-20)
91	Robin Hoody Woody	Phantom of the Horse Opera	Teeny Weeny Meany	Rock-A-Bye Gator	November 27, 1971 (1971-11-27)

Series 5 (1976–1977)

#	1st cartoon	2nd cartoon	3rd cartoon	4th cartoon	Original air date
92	Astronut Woody	A Haunting We Will Go	Airlift a la Carte	All Hams on Deck	September 4, 1976 (1976-09-04)
93	The Big Bite	Tumbleweed Greed	Bugged in a Rug	Buster's Last Stand	September 11, 1976 (1976-09-11)
94	Bye Bye Blackboard	Moochin' Pooch	Chiller Dillers	Canned Dog Feud	September 18, 1976 (1976-09-18)
95	Show Biz Beagle	Sissy Sheriff	Let Charlie Do It	Sioux Me	September 25, 1976 (1976-09-25)
96	Fat in the Saddle	What's Peckin'	Chilly and the Looney Gooney	Feudin' Fightin-n-Fussin'	October 2, 1976 (1976-10-02)
97	Flim Flam Fountain	Under Sea Dogs	A Fish Story	For the Love of Pizza	October 9, 1976 (1976-10-09)
98	Genie with the Light Touch	Wild Bill Hiccup	Chilly's Cold War	Gold Diggin' Woodpecker	October 16, 1976 (1976-10-16)
99	Hassle in a Castle	Woodpecker Wanted	Charlie the Rainmaker	Have Gun, Can't Travel	October 23, 1976 (1976-10-23)
100	Hi-Rise Wise Guys	Paste Makes Waste	Chilly's Hide-a-Way	Horse Play	October 30, 1976 (1976-10-30)
101	Hook Line and Stinker	Woody and the Beanstalk	Charlie's Campout	Hot Diggity Dog	November 6, 1976 (1976-11-06)
102	Janie Get Your Gun	Rain Rain Go Away	Chilly's Ice Folly	Indian Corn	November 13, 1976 (1976-11-13)
103	Kitty from the City	Sleepy-Time Bear	Charlie's Golf Classic	A-Lad in Baghdad	November 20, 1976 (1976-11-20)
104	Little Skeeter	How to Trap a Woodpecker	A Gooney is Born	Lonesome Ranger	November 27, 1976 (1976-11-27)
105	Lotsa Luck	Woody the Freeloader	Cool It Charlie	Monster of Ceremonies	December 4, 1976 (1976-12-04)
106	The Nautical Nut	Bungling Builder	Gooney's Goofy Landings	One Horse Town	December 11, 1976 (1976-12-11)
107	A Peck of Trouble	Woody's Knight-Mare	Charlie in Hot Water	Pecking Holes in Poles	December 18, 1976 (1976-12-18)
108	Phoney Pony	Unlucky Potluck	Highway Hecklers	Practical Yolk	December 25, 1976 (1976-12-25)
109	Prehistoric Super Salesman	Woody's Magic Touch	Gopher Broke	The Reluctant Recruit	January 1, 1977 (1977-01-01)
110	Roamin' Roman	Sleepy-Time Chimes	Project Reject	Rough Riding Hood	January 8, 1977 (1977-01-08)
111	Seal on the Loose	Snoozin' Bruin	Jerky Turkey	Secret Agent Woody Woodpecker	January 15, 1977 (1977-01-15)
112	Shanghai Woody	The Unhandy Man	The Rude Intruder	Ship A'hoy Woody	January 22, 1977 (1977-01-22)
113	Chili Con Corny	Candyland	Jolly Little Elves	Coo Coo Nuts	January 29, 1977 (1977-01-29)

List of shorts not included in the original TV packages

• Springtime Serenade (1935)
• Recruiting Daze (1940)
• Fair Today (1941)
• Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat (1941)
• Hysterical Highspots in American History (1941)
• Salt Water Daffy (1941)
• Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company "B" (1941)
• $21 a Day (Once a Month) (1941)
• Mother Goose on the Loose (1942)
• Yankee Doodle Swing Shift (1942)
• Air Raid Warden (1942)
• Cow-Cow Boogie (1943)
• Canine Commandos (1943)
• Pass the Biscuits Mirandy! (1943)
• Boogie Woogie Man (Will Get You If You Don't Watch Out) (1943)
• The Greatest Man in Siam (1944)
• Abou Ben Boogie (1944)
• Three Little Woodpeckers (1965)
• Birds of a Feather (1965)

Broadcast history

Title	Network	Run	Notes
The Woody Woodpecker Show	ABC	October 3, 1957 – September 25, 1958	original animation with bridge animation*
	Syndication	1958–1966	reruns of ABC series, sponsored by Kellogg's new episodes produced in 1963–64*
	NBC	September 12, 1970 – September 2, 1972 September 11, 1976 – September 3, 1977	new episodes without bridge animation
Woody Woodpecker and Friends	Syndication	1977–1987	Package of 185 individual shorts; 170 more added in 1982
The Woody Woodpecker Show		January 1988–1997	91-episode rerun package with new opening, bridges and music Also broadcast on TNT from 1991 to 1992 and Cartoon Network from 1997 to 1998
	MeTV	2023–present	Package of individual shorts
	MeTV Toons	2024-present

(*) = total of 59 episodes with original animation

Home media

In the early 2000s, a series of mail-order Woody Woodpecker Show VHS tapes and DVDs were made available through Columbia House. Each volume featured "cartunes", bumpers, and 'A Moment with Walter Lantz' or "Newsreel" segments set in the 1957-1977 format of The Woody Woodpecker Show, though Volumes 11-15 hardly feature any "Moments" or "Newsreels". There were complaints about cuts made to the shorts, which ranged from shorts from restored and intact prints to severely cut TV edits.

In 2007, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection, six behind-the-scenes segments from The Woody Woodpecker Show and a 1964 episode that contained the cartoon "Spook-a-Nanny" were released on the collection as bonus features. The following year, The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 was released, featuring twelve behind-the-scenes segments and two pilot cartoons, "The Secret Weapon" and "Jungle Medics" from The Woody Woodpecker Show.

External links

• Toontracker.com
• Skooldays.com
• The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia
• List of episodes ABC season
• https://www.ranker.com/list/full-list-of-the-woody-woodpecker-show-episodes/reference
• The Woody Woodpecker Show at IMDb