Rating:  -
This set proves that there is life in that woodpecker yet!! I bought this, originally, for the "FRIENDS", and believe me, I was not disappointed, with extremely funny one shots like "DIG THAT DOG" and wonderful musical offerings like "PIXIE PICNIC", and there is the ever-adorable Sarah Berner voicing the baby Andy Panda, getting a magic wand mailed to him in "100 PYGMIES AND ANDY PANDA" and still more of those jazzy Swing Symphonies. Such cartoons make me hope for a third volume with, perhaps, the best of the later WOODY cartoons (if the chore isn't that excrutiating), reversing the numbers a little and giving us far more of the "FRIENDS" as there is still so much to be restored and issued in this series, especially if one remembers the Columbia House volumes that preceeded these.
Yet, the one thing that I was amazed about was the fact that I enjoyed the 1950's WOODY WOODPECKER output more than i thought i would, with voice work by Dal McKennon and Daws Butler. "HYPNOTIC HICKS", "WRESTLING WRECKS" and "REAL GONE WOODY" being stand-outs and fond memories from my daily viewings of "THE WOODY WOODPECKER SHOW" back in the day. I even liked "TO CATCH A WOODPECKER", a cartoon that is not only included but whose story board is given narration in one of the behind-the-scenes special features.
If there is a third and final set, we could get more of those strange 1930's titles like "SHE DONE HIM RIGHT", "JOLLY LITTLE ELVES" and "CANDYLAND", all of which are included here. They sometimes resemble the experiments that came from Warner Brothers cartoons of this period (maybe it has something to do with the voice work; in one documentary spoof or newsreel spoof, we even hear the familiar narration that we'd also gotten in Warners titles of this type created by Tex Avery). The Lantz toons of the 1930's can't be entirely confused with the SILLY SYMPHONIES or other one shots as they have a spikier edge, even though they can sometimes seem like direct steals from the earliest Disney musical series. I'm just a sucker for any cartoons from the 1930's. It is an era that isn't seen at all anymore, so why not restore what's left of the source material and give it one last go-round! In the '30's, Walter Lantz was still finding his way, but then I think we can say that about practically any studio, except perhaps for Max Fleischer Productions which had established itself and its humor quite prominently at that time, standing out beyond all others!!
Ah, but I digress... It would also be nice to check out more of the earliest ANDY PANDA shorts like "ANDY PANDA GOES FISHING", "MOUSE TRAPPERS" and "CRAZY HOUSE" which gives old grumpy Papa Panda his comeuppance, although baby Andy is at his best when he, alone, is the focal point of the cartoon. The first three make me wish that Lantz had allowed the baby panda to wander off into little adventures with Mr. Whippletree, a Rochester-like turtle, reluctantly by his side to keep him out of the usual trouble he finds himself in. We have the first and third of these earliest cartoons, thankfully!
One other cartoon that I am utterly delighted is here is "FIVE 'N' DIME", an OSWALD cartoon that has a thoroughly wonderful production number around the popular hit "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five 'n' Ten Cent Store)". The music and soundtrack of this title is enough to keep you wishing for more of these, and I know there has to be more!!
Yes, there is life in this studio, and I'm glad that these volumes are around to show it off! These first two volumes are testaments to this, and I'm so glad that we now all have access to them.
Rating:  -
Just wanted to stop by here and say I loved the first woody set and just bought this one. Personally I like some of the more obscure cartoons that aren't woody. On volume one I loved the swing symphonies. And I really love that Oswald short Spooks. It'd be cool if they'd make a universal Oswald set. It would go nice with my Disney Oswald set. Anyway, looking forward to seeing more Woody soon. Heh Heh Heh Heh Heh!
Rating: -
As many have pointed out, this set marks the beginning of the much-maligned Paul J. Smith era of Woody Woodpecker, which begins with Hot Noon (or 12 O'Clock for Sure). This cartoon suffers from having the opening gag repeated at the end (Woody plays piano, Woody gets kissed by his questionably stereotypical Mexican girlfriend, Woody is dazzled) and is thoroughly unremarkable. It is not a good sign.
But Don Patterson's Woody shorts, the remainder of which are on disc 1, are quite good. The set opens with Termites from Mars, one of the better 50's shorts, followed by the excellent Under the Counter Spy and Convict Concerto, Patterson's last Woody short as a director (although he is only credited as an animator for it, and would continue to animate shorts for a while). The latter is a special one; it features Woody playing the Hungarian Rhapsody, which seems to be the only piano-written piece of classical music used in classic cartoons like these. It is probably the last real masterpiece Woody short, as all shorts after this are either decent or mediocre. Case in point...
At the immediate start of disc 2, we are thrown smack-dab into the beginning of the era where Paul J. Smith directed virtually all Woody cartoons (which would eventually morph in the late 60's into ALL Lantz cartoons), with 1955's Helter Shelter. Most of the gags are pointless and absurd. An example: the man of the house in this cartoon sleepwalks and gets up to have a full-fledged meal of turkey and ketchup for no reason other than it's crucial to the gag. I don't want to spoil too much, but Woody ends up imitating a bottle of ketchup by saying "Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle!", and the man ends up eating a clock. This cartoon also uses a ridiculous Chinese stereotype at one point (dog gets bashed in head with cymbal, acts Chinese). I wouldn't have a problem with this if it weren't for the fact that it's been used before to better effect, and the gag literally comes out of nowhere in this cartoon. It's just as abrupt and obnoxious as the final scene of Damien: Omen II (better to pick a mediocre movie to compare it to).
I make this sound awfully harsh for a four-star review, but consider this: the Chilly Willy shorts included here are pretty good, including Half-Baked Alaska, a real gem from the plethora of mediocrity from whence it came (1965, to be specific). Also, not all Paul J. cartoons are mediocre; I found the most recent Woody short on the set, Jittery Jester, to be utterly hysterical. Paul J.'s shorts are also much, much better than the 1990's Fox Kids revival of Woody, which I recall seeing in their original broadcasts here in Canada on YTV. Long story short: every joke landed with a resounding thud.
But that's not in this set, and for that we should be thankful. What is in this set is very, very good for the most part, and the audio and video quality are vastly improved from the first set (so no more hissy sound and scratchy video to worry about). This set comes recommended with the caveat that the cartoons begin to drop in quality as time goes on. It is best regarded as a companion to the first set, and a good one at that.
Rating: -
"If Woody had gone straight to the police, this would NEVER have happened..." (from BUNCO BUSTERS)
I share some fans' viewpoint that the 1940s Woody starring vehicles are the best. But many Woody viewers appreciate the 1950s Woody shorts -- the body of this collection -- for other reasons. These are the Woody shorts from which generations of nostalgia come.
"The story you are about to see is a big fat lie..." "Now I've gotcha, Chief Charlie Horse!" "YAAAAAY!" "Make with them keys, Maestro, and don't stop!" Face it: you remember these beloved Woody cliches even if you no longer recall the specific cartoons (UNDER THE COUNTER SPY, CHIEF CHARLIE HORSE, NIAGARA FOOLS, CONVICT CONCERTO) from which they come. You're getting them. All of them.
And that's not even starting on the supporting features, a mini-anthology of highly inspired choices. Andy Panda's MOUSIE COME HOME envisions codependence in crazed cartoon form; Chilly Willy's HALF-BAKED ALASKA has its unforgettable patter routine ("More butter? More syrup?"); and THE HAMS THAT COULDN'T BE CURED is a hot jazz Three Little Pigs send-up.
Finally there's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the star Walter Lantz inherited from an earlier (1927-28) Walt Disney/Ub Iwerks regime at Universal. Disney reacquired some rights to Oswald in 2006; last year saw a selection released in their Walt Disney Treasures line. But Universal retained rights to its own Oswald material, and Woody Vol. 2 brings us another small, tempting quintet.
The inventive, vital black and white classics are a fascinatingly different viewing experience from anything else on this box, as wannabe hero Oswald is smacked by Tex Avery's earliest gags. A long-lost color Oswald featuring girlfriend Fanny, SPRINGTIME SERENADE, is here too.
With new Oswald dolls and merchandise now available in stores, one can only hope Universal will tie in by taking the next step -- to release a multi-volume disc set on the Woody model, but with Oswald as the main character. From CHILLY CON CARMEN's pre-Betty Boop hooch dance to the cyborg T-Rex of STONE AGE, from the impossible ocean tricks of PERMANENT WAVE to Oswald's surrealist, pre-Wackyland adventures on MARS, there are dozens of these classics crying for a release.
Throw in a few pre-Lantz Oswalds as extras, and we're so there.
Rating: -
This second Woody Woodpecker collection is an improvement over the first set. There is no DVNR as far as I can tell, though the transfers are on the dark side.
The Woody Woodpecker's really hit the skids quality wise on Disc Three, but there is SO much to enjoy elsewhere on the set that you won't mind. Fan favorites "Convict Concerto" (Woody plays the piano to hide a crook), "Bunco Busters" ("If Woody had gone straight to police..."), and "Half Baked Alaska" (Chilly Willy on a pancake binge... "More butter? More syrup?") are included, as are some bizarre 30s shorts like "Puppet Show" (featuring the use of live-action marionettes) and "A Haunting We Will Go". Andy Panda classics, including "Dog Tax Dodgers" with extensive animation by Disney legend Fred Moore, are here too.
And the extras from the Woody TV show, featuring Walter Lantz and his crew explaining to the audience how cartoons are made, are priceless. Pick this thing up ASAP!
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