Ski for Two | |
---|---|
Directed by | James Culhane |
Story by | Ben Hardaway Milt Schaffer |
Produced by | Walt Lantz |
Starring | Jack Mather Ben Hardaway Lee Sweetland |
Music by | Darrell Calker |
Animation by | Don Williams Grim Natwick Dick Lundy (unc.) Emery Hawkins (unc.) Les Kline (unc.) Paul Smith (unc.) Laverne Harding (unc.) Pat Matthews (unc.) [1] |
Layouts by | Art Heinemann |
Backgrounds by | Philip DeGuard |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 6:44 |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Ski for Two is a 1944 Woody Woodpecker "cartune" directed by James Culhane. [2] Released theatrically on November 13, 1944, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. [3]
Woody is sifting through some travel magazines when he spots a tempting ad for the Swiss Chard Lodge. The lodge is situated in Idaho, and offers dining for its guests. Woody is ecstatic, and promptly books a train ticket. After disembarking at the train station at Sunstroke Valley, it becomes apparent that the lodge is still an additional 40 miles, with no adjacent roads or any form of transportation. Woody decides to take matters into his own hands by taking a short cut, skiing and singing his way through the mountains.
Upon Woody's arrival, lodge owner Wally Walrus (Jack Mather) advises that there are no accommodations without a reservation. Woody, of course, did not bother to inquire about such a rule. Drawn by the aroma of the warm food inside the lodge, Woody gains entry by disguising himself as Santa Claus. Wally is so excited at the prospect of Kris Kringle arriving that he quickly adorns the lodge with Christmas decorations. It does not take long, though, for the skeptical walrus to discover that it is, in fact, only October, making Santa's arrival somewhat premature.
Woody manages to stuff his Santa toy sack with food from the lodge, and starts singing and skiing his way down the mountain. However, upon opening the sack, Woody discovers a vengeful Wally Walrus who wrings the little woodpecker's neck in disgust and mocks Woody's trademark laugh.
The title Ski for Two is a pun on the song title "Tea for Two", featured in the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette . [4]
The song Woody performs while skiing to the Swiss Chard Lodge is called "The Sleigh (a la Russe)" (written in 1926 by Richard Kountz and Ivor Tchervanow). According to James Culhane, the composition was used with the belief that it was in the public domain, later to discover that the copyright was still in effect. Lantz sent $50 to the publishing firm for its use in the film. They sent a letter back stating that they would only accept nothing less than a hundred dollars, an amount that Lantz gladly paid. Lee Sweetland, previously the singing voice for Woody in Barber of Seville, supplied his vocals again for the scene. [5] In one of the surviving dialogue sheets, a noted inscription states "have Sweetland sing Woody's laugh", which he performs near the end. [4]
Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio that was active from 1928 to 1949 and then from 1950 to 1972. It was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Pictures.
Woody Woodpecker is a cartoon character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and Universal Animation Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures since 1940. Woody's last theatrical cartoon was produced by Walter Lantz in 1972.
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.
James H. "Shamus" Culhane was an American animator, film director, and film producer. He is best known for his work in the Golden age of American animation.
The Woody Woodpecker Show is an American television series mainly composed of the animated cartoon shorts of Woody Woodpecker and other Walter Lantz characters including Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, The Beary Family and Inspector Willoughby all released by Walter Lantz Productions. The series was revived and reformatted several times, but remained popular for nearly four decades and allowed the studio to continue making theatrical cartoons until 1972 when it shut down. It also kept the Walter Lantz/Universal "cartunes" made during the Golden Age of American animation a part of the American consciousness. The Woody Woodpecker Show was named the 88th best animated series by IGN.
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 title character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a cute panda. Andy became the second star of the Walter Lantz cartoons after Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He achieved considerable popularity until being eventually supplanted by Woody Woodpecker.
The New Woody Woodpecker Show is an American animated comedy television series based on the animated short film series created by cartoonist and animator Walter Lantz. It was co-developed by animators Bob Jaques and Kelly Armstrong, was produced by Universal Cartoon Studios and aired from May 8, 1999 to July 27, 2002 on Fox's Fox Kids programming block.
Pantry Panic is the third animated cartoon short in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on November 24, 1941, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. This is one of the very few cartoons where Woody doesn't say "Guess Who?" in the opening titles, although his trademark laugh in the cartoon itself is still present.
The Barber of Seville is the tenth animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on April 22, 1944, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Wally Walrus is an animated cartoon character created by Walter Lantz and James Culhane. He'd appeared in several films produced by Walter Lantz Productions from the 1940s through the 1960s.
Buzz Buzzard is an animated character who appeared in several Woody Woodpecker films produced by Walter Lantz Productions.
This is a list of Walter Lantz "Cartunes" featuring Wally Walrus. Most are entries in Lantz's Woody Woodpecker, but Wally has also appeared in The Overture to William Tell, Dog Tax Dodgers, Kiddie Koncert, Clash and Carry, and Tricky Trout, which are Musical Miniatures, Andy Panda and Chilly Willy cartunes.
The Beach Nut is the 11th animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on October 16, 1944, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. The title is a play on "beech nut".
Wet Blanket Policy is a 1948 Woody Woodpecker "cartune" directed by Dick Lundy. Released theatrically on August 27, 1948, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film would later be reissued by Universal International, Lantz's former distributor.
The Loose Nut is a Walter Lantz Cartune directed by James Culhane. It was released on December 17, 1945, and features Woody Woodpecker. It was also produced by Walter Lantz Productions and was distributed by Universal Pictures.
The first Space Mouse is a comic book character published from 1953 to around 1956 by Avon Publications. Space Mouse is also the name of a 1959 Universal Studios cartoon featuring two mice and a cat named Hickory, Dickory, and Doc. A second Space Mouse character was published by Dell Comics from 1960 to around 1965. The Dell Comics version was also featured in a 1960 cartoon produced by Walter Lantz, entitled The Secret Weapon.
Homer Pigeon is an animated character created by Walter Lantz, who made his first appearance in the cartoon "Pigeon Patrol" in 1942. His final appearance was in 1964, in The Woody Woodpecker Show episode "Spook-A-Nanny".
Five and Dime is a 1933 cartoon short by Walter Lantz Productions and stars Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It is the 74th Oswald short produced by Lantz and the 125th overall.
Fish Fry is a 1944 Andy Panda cartoon directed by James Culhane and produced by Walter Lantz Productions. The plot centers around a street cat's endless attempts to eat Andy's goldfish after ordering it from a pet shop.