Woody Woodpecker questions

[mmv3000]

Just wondering who has the rights to the Woody cartoons, if they're being shown anywhere, and what chance Cartoon Network has of getting them and adding them to shows like Acme Hour.

[Sogturtle]

Universal owns 'em lock, stock and barrel. Not being shown that I know of. Warners can talk to Universal if they want...

[Inkspot]

I have a question. Although i used to watch Woody Woodpecker all the time, i can't remember if there were any blackface gags? Were there any?:confused:

[Matt Yorston]

There *may* have been a scene in 1 Woody cartoon that came close to a blackface. In "Scalp Treatment" (1952), Buzz is trying to get his hands on Woody's scalp to make a feathered headdress for an Indian maid he has eyes on. In one scene, he tries to start an outboard motor on his boat so he can catch up with Woody. The motor is obstinate. It doesn't start so Buzz looks straight ahead at it for a closer look and *BOOM* it backfires in his kisser! The next scene shows his face completely covered in soot until he shakes it all off. However, he didn't exhibit any of the usual stereotypical behavior... at least, not in the version I saw of the cartoon (I have a sinking suspicion the powers that be may have edited it for obvious reasons).

[Larry T]

For the life of me, I can't seem to remember there being any Avery-esque blackface jokes in the Lantz cartoons, and I believe I'm seen most of 'em. One reason may be because a lot of the Swing Symphonies were dedicated solely to stereotypical African-american stereotypes, and they probably put all their jokes into those.

Aside from "Scalp Treatment" (see earlier), I think there's another one where Woody sprays Buzz Buzzard in the face with oil or ink and he sits for a moment with a black face and an accentuated line around his lips.

[Thad Komorowski]

"Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat" was a cartoon from Lantz, that has all black characters, and the infamous watermelon joke.

-Thad:D

[Geezil]

Also, there was "Life Begins for Andy Panda," whose impossible-to-edit-out pygmy tribe guaranteed it an eternal stay in TV limbo. (And yet, I can just dimly remember its running as was in the original "Woody Woodpecker Show" ... how Kellogg's and/or its ad agency overlooked that one at least twice is anybody's guess!)