Cartoon a Day: Slingshot 6 7/8
Slingshot 6 7/8
1951
Directed by Walter Lantz
Available on: The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection
It's been awhile since we've done a Woody Woodpecker short. This particular one has a few interesting things to note. First there is not dialogue in the movie except for Woody's signature laugh. Second is that there is no director credited for the film. There is the usual "A Walter Lantz Cartune" credit screen. While Wikipedia credits Lantz for directing (based on his own claim), the Internet Movie Database does not. It's hard to know what to believe.
In this short, Woody is in the old west and ends up participating in a shooting contest. The competitors can choose their weapons, so Woody uses a slingshot while his top rival, Buzz Buzzard as an Indian, uses a bow and arrow.
There's nothing wrong with a silent cartoon comedy, but the animation has to really excel. While this short has some good moments, mostly early in the film, many sequences are lacking that extra punch that is needed. Had Buzz and Woody been given some Tex Avery style reaction shots this could've been a much more memorable film.
A sequence in which Woody struggles with a flight suit and a box of flares is also a highlight of the film. I think what works well with this film is that Woody isn't being a vicious as he often in, but he's just sticking up for himself. This is probably one of the best of the early Woody shorts.
It starts with Woody doing some yard work. He pushes around the lawn mower and sings as he works. We've seen it all before in other cartoons, but then the direction of this short changes. Woody rakes the leaves in the yard and then sets them on fire, remember the days of burning leaves? Anyway, now it is the smoke which is keeping Wally awake and this turns out to be a very original turn for this cartoon.
The smoke, almost a character itself, enters the house through any crack it can find. After boarding up all the cracks, the smoke begins pouring in through a hole in the floor. Wally plugs it with the leg of his bed which leads to the best sequence in the film. Soon the pipes of the bed frame become a pipe organ, with Wally trying to plug more holes than he has limbs to cover. It's a very funny and original sequence.
Another thing that is interesting about this short is that Wally has his revenge on Woody at the end. He puts Woody into a strange machine that subjects him to a lot of the same treatment he gave Wally throughout the rest of the film. That's one of the unique things about Woody Woodpecker, he doesn't always end up on top. Can you imagine that being done to Bugs Bunny, no way!
he short begins with Andy playing for a barnyard crowd. Soon, Woody comes along with a pail of Piano Polish to clean the piano. However, he soon joins in and eventually pulls another piano over to play along with Andy. These are the sequences of the film that work best. There is some great interaction between the two characters. The abrasive (both in character and design) Woody plays off of the cuddly Andy Panda very well.
As the film progresses, however, it gets too caught up in the antics of the members of the audience. Focusing on the two main characters would've been much more interesting. Luckily, one of the audiences members accidentally causes a fire to break out which gives the short a strong finish as Andy and Woody fight off the flames as they try to play.
This is a descent short, but it does have a few strikes against it. First off, it's premise comes from something that audiences today just can't relate to, rationing of gas. But this is one of those shorts where you can't help but wonder how Woody Woodpecker became so popular, because he just isn't that likable here. In this short he's they guy who sees himself as being above everybody else. The rules don't apply to him.
The "villains" in this short are just trying to do their job. Their the honest folk. Woody is really the bad guy here. So while this short has a few chuckles it's hard to get on the side of the so-called hero of the story.
One aspect of this short that I like is that several of the gags involve the audience at the bullfight. They feel the effects of the antics in the arena, it's an angle that you don't see in many other cartoons.
