International Woodpecker
| International Woodpecker | |
|---|---|
| Woody Woodpecker series | |
 | |
| Directed by | Paul J. Smith |
| Produced by | Walter Lantz |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Voices by |
Grace Stafford Daws Butler June Foray |
| Music by | Clarence Wheeler |
| Animation by |
Robert Bentley Herman Cohen Laverne Harding Gil Turner Art Landy |
| Studio | Walter Lantz Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal International |
| Release date(s) | July 1, 1957 (U.S.) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 6' 11" |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | The Unbearable Salesman |
| Followed by | To Catch a Woodpecker |
International Woodpecker is the 77th animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on July 1, 1957, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal International.
Plot
Knothead and Splinter need help in their history lesson, and Woody digresses to tell them of their illustrious ancestors, starting with the caveman woodpecker who captured his mate. He tells of one family member in ancient Greece who mistook the columns of a temple for trees and caused the present-day picturesque ruins. Woody explains how another ancestor caused the Leaning Tower of Piza to lean; the collapse of the Roman Coliseum's wall; the disappearance of the nose on the Sphinx; an ancestor who was a matador in Spain; Woodpecker Raleigh, who introduced the king-size cigarette; a family member who rode the Mayflower; another who chopped down the cherry tree and didn't tell a lie; a great-granduncle named Wyatt Earp Woodpecker out West; and the story of Apache Woodpecker, who strolled in Gay Paree. When Woody's story ends, the kids want to match their ancestors' adventures, but what a disappointment when he tells them that they'll merely take a trip to the Moon.
References
- Cooke, Jon, Komorowski, Thad, Shakarian, Pietro, and Tatay, Jack. "1957". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia.