Woody Woodpecker (cartoon)
(Theatrical cartoons since 1940;
Shown on various children's TV series during the early 1950s;
"Fun At Five", ABC (1957 - 1958);
"Woody Woodpecker And His Friends" Syndicated (circa 1963);
"The Woody Woodpecker Show", reruns on NBC (1970 - 1972);
[Created by Walter Lantz who was bothered by a noisy woodpecker
on his honeymoon night, this popular pesky manic bird was an
audience favorite in theatrical shorts for decades; The shorts
were produced by Lantz and released through United Artists;
Woody was also the star of a late 1950s TV cartoon show which
first aired on ABC for a season; The series was a mixture
of some old theatrical cartoons and newer ones which Lantz
produced in a newer style of limited animation (introduced by
Hanna-Barbera and Jay Ward Productions); Lantz kept releasing
new packages of shows for syndication and later on for NBC;
In 1952, a new voice actor was needed for the voice of Woody
Woodpecker, 50 actors were recorded for Lantz to choose from;
The one Lantz chose in this blind audition was his own wife,
the former Grace Stafford, a broadway and early film actress
who became the voice of the cartoon character briefly; but
the ubiquitous Mel Blanc portrayed the wacko character most
often, and director Ben Hardaway himself even did the voice
for awhile...]
Signature Theme: "Woody Woodpecker"
[Above is title on published sheet music in 1948;
aka: "The Woody Woodpecker Song";
aka: "The Woody Wood-pecker Song";
The song was a hit when it was introduced by Kay Kyser and
his band in 1948; other recordings were by Glenn Miller,
The Andrews Sisters, and voice artist Mel Blanc.]
Composers: words & music by George F. Tibbles (ASCAP), and
words & music by Ramey Idriss (ASCAP)
Original Publisher [on orig. sheet music]:
Leeds Music Corporation (ASCAP).
of New York, NY
2001 Publisher: Universal-MCA Music Publishing (ASCAP),
a div. of Universal Studios, Inc.
of Los Angeles, CA
Copyright Dates: 1947 and 1948 (on orig. sheet music)
Unpublished Copyright filed under the title "The Woody Wood-pecker Song":
Copyright Date: Dec. 24, 1947; EU 111 676.
Renewal Date: Jan. 6, 1975; R 595 568.
Published Copyright filed under the title "Woody Woodpecker":
Copyright Date: June 21, 1948; EP 27 918.
Renewal Date: June 23, 1975; R 607 576.
Recordings:
78 rpm by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
Columbia 38197
Theme 2 (circa 1963): "Cartoon Show Time"
[Above is the title as filed for copyright, but it may be
an attempt to correct the spelling of "Cartune" as seen
on cue sheets, etc...
ASCAP title: "Cartune <sic> Show Time (Signature)";
ASCAP title variation...aka: "Cartune Show";
According to Steve Gelfand's book "Television Theme Recordings:
An Illustrated Discography (1951 - 1994)", this composition
was the THEME of the Syndicated TV series known as "Woody
Woodpecker And His Friends" although Gelfand erroneously
identifies the composer as "Bernard Green" instead of the
correct composer whose name was "Walter Greene".
Walter Greene and Judy Zahler also have an ASCAP credit
under the title "The Woody Woodpecker Show", published by
Lantz Music Corporation -- which may have referred to cues,
or an alternate listing for this composition on cue sheets.]
Composers: music by Walter W. Greene (ASCAP) and
lyric by Judy Zahler (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: Lantz Music Corporation (ASCAP)
2001 Publisher: Lantz Music Corporation (ASCAP)
c/o Universal Music Publishing Group
a div. of Univesal Studios, Inc.
of Los Angeles, CA
Copyright Date: Aug. 26, 1963; Eu 786 702.
Renewal Date: Sep. 23, 1991; RE-546-788.
Recordings:
Copyright 1960 - 2018 by The Media
Management Group. All Rights Reserved