Knock Knock (1940 cartoon)
Encyclopedia
Knock Knock is a 1940
animated
short subject
, part of the Andy Panda
series, produced by Walter Lantz
. The cartoon is noted for being the first appearance of Woody Woodpecker
, and was released by Universal Pictures
on November 25, 1940.
(voice of Sara Berner) and his father, Papa Panda (voice of Mel Blanc
), but it is Woody (voice of Blanc) who steals the show. The woodpecker
constantly pesters the two panda
s, apparently just for the fun of it. Andy, meanwhile, tries to sprinkle salt
on Woody's tail in the belief that this will somehow capture the bird
. To Woody's surprise, Andy's attempts prevail (comically, the mound of salt placed on Woody's tail is so heavy that he cannot run away), and in an ending very similar to 1938's Daffy Duck & Egghead, Woody is taken away to the funny farm—where his captors prove to be crazier than he is.
was the actual director. The cartoon features animation by Lovy and Frank Tipper, a story by Ben Hardaway
and Lowell Elliott, and music by Frank Marsales
. Knock Knock was Marsales' final score for Lantz.
As the first appearance of Woody Woodpecker, Knock Knock is also the first cartune to feature Woody's trademark laugh, a gurgling cackle voice artist Mel Blanc had been perfecting since high school. This is also the laugh Blanc used for Happy Rabbit, a predecessor to Bugs Bunny
in the 1939 cartoon Hare-um Scare-um
. This cartune is also notable for featuring a very gruesome Woody design, something that was softened by 1942 and later changed into a much more realistic and more easier to animate woodpecker
by 1944. This gruesome first Woody design featured Woody with red "vest feathers" (instead of white), buck teeth in some shots, thick ringed legs, a green tail, and a big chin which made him look more like a pelican than a woodpecker.
Woody's first words are his trademark "Guess who?" as he pops through the roof of Andy Panda's house, except the voice is normal-sounding instead of sped-up as Woody's voice normally would be.
, the ending containing the several screwball woodpeckers was removed.
1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, part of the Andy Panda
Andy Panda
Andy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947 and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The titular character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a...
series, produced by Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and director, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.-Early years and start in animation:...
. The cartoon is noted for being the first appearance of Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
, and was released by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
on November 25, 1940.
Plot
The cartune ostensibly stars Andy PandaAndy Panda
Andy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947 and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The titular character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a...
(voice of Sara Berner) and his father, Papa Panda (voice of Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
), but it is Woody (voice of Blanc) who steals the show. The woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
constantly pesters the two panda
Panda
Panda or Panda bear most often refers to:*Giant panda, an animal in the Bear familyPanda may also refer to:*Red panda, the only living member in the Ailuridae family-In biology:* Species related to the Giant panda...
s, apparently just for the fun of it. Andy, meanwhile, tries to sprinkle salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
on Woody's tail in the belief that this will somehow capture the bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. To Woody's surprise, Andy's attempts prevail (comically, the mound of salt placed on Woody's tail is so heavy that he cannot run away), and in an ending very similar to 1938's Daffy Duck & Egghead, Woody is taken away to the funny farm—where his captors prove to be crazier than he is.
Production notes
Like most of the early 1940s Lantz "cartunes", Knock Knock carried no director's credit. Lantz himself has claimed to have directed this cartoon, although more recent information has indicated that Alex LovyAlex Lovy
Alex Lovy was an American animator, who spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions, later being a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervising the cartoon unit at Warner Bros...
was the actual director. The cartoon features animation by Lovy and Frank Tipper, a story by Ben Hardaway
Ben Hardaway
Joseph Benson "Ben/Bugs" Hardaway was a storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer, and director for several American animation studios during the The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He was sometimes credited as J.B. Hardaway, Ben Hardaway, Buggsy Hardaway, and B. Hardaway.While...
and Lowell Elliott, and music by Frank Marsales
Frank Marsales
Frank Alfred Marsales was a Canadian-born musician and composer best known for his work scoring many classic Warner Brothers cartoons in the 1930s...
. Knock Knock was Marsales' final score for Lantz.
As the first appearance of Woody Woodpecker, Knock Knock is also the first cartune to feature Woody's trademark laugh, a gurgling cackle voice artist Mel Blanc had been perfecting since high school. This is also the laugh Blanc used for Happy Rabbit, a predecessor to Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
in the 1939 cartoon Hare-um Scare-um
Hare-um Scare-um
Hare-um Scare-um is a 1939 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, and first released on August 12, 1939 by Warner Bros. It marks the third appearance of the Bugs Bunny prototype and the first time he, thanks to a redesign by Charlie Thorson, appears as a grey rabbit...
. This cartune is also notable for featuring a very gruesome Woody design, something that was softened by 1942 and later changed into a much more realistic and more easier to animate woodpecker
by 1944. This gruesome first Woody design featured Woody with red "vest feathers" (instead of white), buck teeth in some shots, thick ringed legs, a green tail, and a big chin which made him look more like a pelican than a woodpecker.
Woody's first words are his trademark "Guess who?" as he pops through the roof of Andy Panda's house, except the voice is normal-sounding instead of sped-up as Woody's voice normally would be.
Censorship
When Knock Knock was first broadcast on The Woody Woodpecker ShowThe Woody Woodpecker Show
The Woody Woodpecker Show is a long-running 30-minute American television series mainly composed of animated cartoon escapades of the world-famous woodpecker and other Walter Lantz characters including Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, and Inspector Willoughby released by Walter Lantz Productions...
, the ending containing the several screwball woodpeckers was removed.