‘Woody Woodpecker and Friends’ Is Joining MeTV’s ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Lineup
Woody Woodpecker, that animated avian who is noted as an instigator and troublemaker and for his instantly recognizable laugh, will be joining MeTV’s three-hour Saturday Morning Cartoons lineup starting Saturday, Sept. 2.
And Woody won’t be alone — the hourlong Woody Woodpecker and Friends, as its title suggests, will also feature the classic cartoon character’s colorful cast of other pals from Walter Lantz Productions and Universal, including penguin Chilly Willy, the Beary Family, Inspector Willoughby, Andy Panda and others.
MeTV says it has acquired over 360 Woody Woodpecker and other Lantz animated shorts from the late 1930s to early ’70s, which encapsulate the evolution of this series over the years.
Notable titles starring the wacky and mischievous bird include:
Knock Knock (1940), an Andy Panda cartoon that features the debut of Woody Woodpecker, voiced here by the iconic Mel Blanc; the Oscar-nominated (Best Short Subject, Cartoons) The Dizzy Acrobat (1943); The Beach Nut (1944), which introduced one of Woody’s famous foils, Wally Walrus; Wet Blanket Policy (1948), featuring the first appearance of another of Woody’s rivals, Buzz Buzzard, as well as the introduction of the Best Song Oscar-nominated “The Woody Woodpecker Song”; and The Barber of Seville (1944), the short that introduced the famous title card with Woody’s legendary opening routine, and the first cartoon with Woody’s voice provided by Ben Hardaway, who co-created the character with Walter Lantz.
MeTV has also secured all four of the animated gems that were directed by the legendary Tex Avery for Universal and Walter Lantz Productions:
I’m Cold (1954), starring Chilly Willy and featuring the debut of Smedley Dog (voiced mostly by Daws Butler, with Avery providing the pooch’s yawn); Crazy Mixed Up Pup (1955), which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject, Cartoons; The Legend of Rockabye Point (1955), another Chilly Willy cartoon, which received a Best Short Subject, Cartoons Oscar nod; and Sh-h-h-h-h (1955), which also features Butler’s vocal talent and was not only Avery’s final cartoon for Lantz, but his last theatrical cartoon overall.
Courtesy Everett Collection
A 1940s promotional poster for Woody Woodpecker and other Walter Lantz “Cartunes”
With the addition of the wacky woodpecker and his buddies, MeTV’s three-hour Saturday Morning Cartoons block will look as follows:
MeTV’s Saturday Morning Cartoons Schedule — Saturdays Beginning Sept. 2 (Times ET/PT)
7am: Popeye & Pals
7:30am: The Tom & Jerry Show
8am: Woody Woodpecker & Friends (begins Sept. 2)
9am: Bugs Bunny & Friends
Remind