Woody Woodpecker and Friends
Season 1951
TV-PG
With arguably the most famous laugh of any cartoon character in history ("ha-ha-ha-HA-ha"), Woody Woodpecker pecked his way into our lives through a 1940 Andy Panda theatrical short entitled Knock Knock. Woody continued to appear in short films throughout the 40's and 50's, and in 1957, the Kellogg's company packaged these theatrical works into the syndicated package The Woody Woodpecker Show. Walter Lantz created the famed bird, and in the show's early days, the animator would host from his office, demonstrating how cartoons were made by showing the viewers at home such essentials as painting cels and drawing storyboards. Woody, an obnoxious mischief-maker, would usually star in the shorts, occasionally taking a backseat to his friends Andy Panda, Wally Walrus, Gabby Gator, Buzz Buzzard, Oswald the Rabbit, The Beary Family and Arctic penguin Chilly Willy.
Where to Watch Season 1951
7 Episodes
- Puny Express
E1Puny ExpressIn the Old West, daring "Puny Express" rider Woody Woodpecker tries to get the mail through and elude gunman Buzz Buzzard in the meantime. Woody and his horse run onto many obstacles- including a "horned toad." Desperado Buzz waits for Woody as he crosses the river. Buzz plans to bomb Woody with a big boulder from above... - Sleep Happy
E2Sleep HappyA sleep-deprived Woody crashes for the night at Wally Walrus's boarding home. Seeking a night's rest, he finds that the only lodging available is a spare bed in the hotel manager's office. But pretty soon, it's Wally who ends up not sleeping. Wally finds his ears full as soon as Woody's head hits the pillow. Woody's snoring is keeping Wally awake, so Wally attempts to stifle Woody's snoring in some unique ways. - Wicket Wacky
E3Wicket WackyWoody Woodpecker has a way of making things happen even when all is quiet and peaceful, as it is while he plays a solitary game of croquet. Quiet, that is, until he hits the goal stake and knocks it over. When Woody pounds the stake into the ground, he sends it through the roof of a gopher's parlor and finds himself in a territorial dispute. - Slingshot 6 7/8
E4Slingshot 6 7/8A shooting contest (carrying a $1,000 prize) in a Western frontier town narrows itself down to two pretty sharp-eyed finalists: Indian Buzz Buzzard and his bow and arrow, and tenderfoot Woody Woodpecker. In Woody's hands, "Slingshot 6 7/8" is a weapon to be reckoned with. - The Redwood Sap
E5The Redwood SapWoody Woodpecker's pursuing his favorite pastime, writing a tome on "Work and How to Avoid It," while all his friends of the forest work industriously to store food for the long winter ahead. He's warned by the other forest animals to store food, but he doesn't heed their warnings. With the first snow, the laugh's on Woody, who finds himself cold and starving during wintertime, a la "The Grasshopper and the Ants." He nearly starves to death sponging food off animals. They pour on the ice, but Woody merrily thaws his way out. - The Woody Woodpecker Polka
E6The Woody Woodpecker PolkaThe story opens with various couples going into a barn to attend a barn dance. All of them sway to the rhythm of the music. Wally Walrus is the doorman who collects the tickets as they enter. Admission to the dance is $1, which entitles each purchaser to a ticket to "Free Eats." Woody Woodpecker is in a haystack sleepily watching the dancers go by. He sees by his watch that it's dinnertime, and he realizes that he's hungry. His glance falls on the "Free Eats" sign, so he proceeds to follow the crowd into the barn. He hands a rubber dollar bill to Wally, who discovers it after Woody has entered the barn. Woody's hungrily standing by a table laden with food, and just as he's about to really feast, Wally ejects him from the barn. Woody then dresses up as a femme fatale and vamps Wally into letting him enter the barn dance. Woody's main object is to get food; Wally's, to dance with this new gal who has really excited him. Thus, we see a struggle on the one hand for food; on the other, the enjoyment of dancing. Woody finally gets to the food-laden table and ultimately obtains more than his share of the food, storing the excess in his dress in spite of Wally's efforts to keep him dancing. Wally finally discovers that his exciting gal is really Woody in disguise, and realizing that a fool he has made of himself, he violently kicks himself. - Destination Meatball
E7Destination MeatballA line of people (including Woody) drool at the window of the shop of market butcher Buzz Buzzard. A short series of gags ensues about how Buzz dishonestly (and literally) "jacks" up all his prices. Since Woody is broke as usual, he sneaks in and gets thrown out by Buzz. On the way out, Woody collides with a bottle of invisible ink and turns partially invisible. Buzz can only see parts of Woody's body, and, in a somewhat gruesome scene, thinks that he's been dismembered, so he sweeps him into a trap door to get rid of him. When Woody awakes, he realizes what is happening, and he douses himself with the rest of the ink in order to pose as a ghost.