Knock Knock

Woody Woodpecker's screen debut, as others have pointed out, was really an "Andy Panda" cartoon but Woody apparently made such a strong impression that he went on to be a animated movie star.

"Can you really catch a bird by putting salt on its tail? That's the question asked, and how we are introduced to WW. Little Andy had asked the question to his dad, who was busy reading the day's Racing Form (which was filled with puns. Take the time to freeze the picture and you'll get some laughs or groans.)

The rest is kind of juvenile but that had to be the intended audience, at least early on. Also, it's 1940 and humor - especially with cartoons, in my opinion - got much better - by the middle of the ''40s. Early Tom & Jerry cartoons, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, etc., all didn't hit their prime until then.

Knock Knock (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Andy Panda wants to know if you can catch a woodpecker simply by putting salt on its tail and he gets his shot of finding out when Woody Woodpecker shows up to drive his father crazy. This isn't the greatest cartoon ever made but it was the first to feature the famous woodpecker so that there makes it rather historic and worth seeing. There are certainly some funny moments here with the majority of them going to Woody so there's no question as to why he ended up becoming a big star. The movie's best moments happen after a fake, sexy woodpecker is used to kiss Woody who then goes on a rampage through the forest. Another funny sequence happens when the father panda thinks he has captured Woody but soon the two go flying. I really didn't find either panda overly interesting here but Woody makes it worth sitting through.

"Knock Knock" is the first cartoon with Woody Woodpecker, though it was considered an Andy Panda movie by Universal Studios. However, Andy really has little to do in the film...it's mostly Andy's dad fighting with this annoying Woodpecker!

The story is very simple. The Panda household is being annoyed by incessant pecking on their house by the woodpecker (his name is never given in the film). So, Papa Panda tries to stop the woodpecker...with expected results.

The quality of this cartoon is nearly as good as a film by Looney Tunes or MGM. This quality of animation and story were not the norm for Universal....usually they were more limp. Worth seeing...especially for its historical value.

I don't remember much about watching Woody Woodpecker cartoons. I had seen this short online and really enjoyed it; it was quite funny. Of course, I didn't know this cartoon marked Woody Woodpecker's first screen appearance. I didn't realize that Mel Blanc voiced the character; he sounds just like Daffy Duck from his early cartoons!

I love the scene where Mr. Panda tries to shoot Woody. The gun malfunctioned, so Woody tested it, and it worked. He returned it to Mr. Panda, who tried to shoot again, but the gun handle transformed into a boot and hit him in the face. I also love the scene with the exploding decoy.

Inspiration for an artist sometimes comes when least expected. The idea for cartoon's Woody Woodpecker is a story of legends when the bird made his film debut in November 1940 "Knock Knock." Director Walter Lantz found himself in need of a new character for Universal Pictures' animated division. During his honeymoon at a Nevada ranch with bride actress Grace Stafford, the newlyweds heard a persistent woodpecker doing his work on the roof. Grace, knowing Walt was searching for a new cartoon protagonist, suggested he use the irksome bird.

Although Lantz was a bit dubious a bird could successfully carry a cartoon series, he assigned animator Ben Hardaway to draw the pesky avian (Some, including the director, claim drawer Alex Lovy deserves credit for its initial design). Hardaway, who drew the first sketches of Bugs Bunny, promptly outlined a rendition of the Woody Woodpecker seen in "Knock Knock." He showed the drawing of the woodpecker to voice actor Mel Blanc who spoke for Woody in the first three cartoons, only to be replaced by a number of actors, including Lantz's wife Grace in 1950. She's uncredited because she felt kids shouldn't know the pecker's verbal skills were voiced by a woman. Meanwhile, Blanc sued Lantz in 1948 for using his laughter in the Academy Award-nominated "The Woody Woodpecker Song." While a judge ruled Blanc had no standing because he failed to copyright his Woody voice, Lantz paid him an out-of-settlement amount on appeal.

Andy Panda, who appears in "Knock, Knock," was Universal studio's primary character at the time before Woody knocked him off his mantle. Earlier Andy had replaced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (originally a Walt Disney creation) series in 1939. The bear's popularity soared until Woody arrived on the scene. In Woody's debut Andy Panda and his father, Papa Panda, are irritated by the woodpecker's constant drilling on the roof of their house. Woody's first words when he breaks through the roof is "Guess who?" which soon became his trademark phrase. In a series of misdirected attempts to capture the woodpecker, both pandas are frustrated by the crafty Woody. A trick Andy always was successful in using, sprinkling salt on the bird's tail, boomerangs on the bears, resulting in a surprise ending.

At first Bernie Krieser, the distributor for Universal, didn't want to handle the cartoon, telling Lantz, "He's the ugliest thing I've ever seen." Walter replied, "You're not paying for these pictures, all you're doing is distributing them, so release him, because I'm taking a chance." The response to Woody was overwhelmingly off the charts by the enthusiastic paying public. Universal green lit Lantz's new character for further cartoons in the woodpecker's new series, with his solo cartoon, 1941's "Woody Woodpecker," the first to call him that name. Since then, Woody's physical appearance has somewhat been altered with the times. As a mainstay and official mascot for Universal studio, the bird's popularity remains consistent in film and on television. Woody is ranked by TV Guide as the 46th Greatest Cartoon Character of All Time. His image is seen on the nose of William Engineering team's racing cars in the Formula One Grand Prix while his balloon is one of the highlights in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.