Puny Express

Puny Express is an American cartoon, and the 33rd animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on January 22, 1951, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal-International.[1]

Puny Express
Directed by	Walter Lantz Dick Lundy
Produced by	Walter Lantz
Starring	Grace Stafford Paul Frees Lionel Stander
Music by	Clarence Wheeler
Animation by	Ray Abrams Don Patterson Laverne Harding Paul J. Smith
Backgrounds by	Fred Brunish
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Walter Lantz Productions
Distributed by	Universal International
Release date	January 22, 1951 (U.S.)
Running time	6' 25"
Language	English

Plot

In the Old West, Cowboy Woody comes to town and notices an ad at a western post office advertising for a new mail delivery rider. He is hired but is warned about the bandit Buzz Buzzard who has been stealing the mail and killing the carriers. Ignoring the warning, Woody sets off.

Eventually, Woody runs into Buzz and they begin battling for Woody's mail pouch and it contents. After they use every trick and move they can against each other, Woody finally is able to both outwit and outlast Buzz, and finishes their long battle by knocking him cold. Then with his pouch in hand, Woody goes to finish delivering the mail.

A new era

Puny Express was the first Woody Woodpecker short made after a one-year hiatus. Several changes took place in the interim. For starters, Woody's top knot was pushed forward (instead of slicked back), and his head became rounder, thanks to a redesign by animator LaVerne Harding. In addition, the diminutive woodpecker became shorter.[2]

Woody was not the only one to get a new look as his main foil Buzz Buzzard has been redesigned as well. In the previous films, Buzz had brown or black feathers on his head; beginning with this film he would now sport a red/crimson head for most of his appearances in the series.

Puny Express also marked the beginning of a more refined trademark laugh, courtesy of Grace Stafford. Stafford eventually provided the voice for Woody regularly in 1953, while just providing his laugh for the 1950-52 releases. This new version of Woody's trademark cackle is heard at the beginning and end of Puny Express. Mel Blanc's more infectious version of Woody's laugh (heard in all previous Woody entries) was utilized during the short as well. Blanc's laugh would be used sporadically moving forward, until Stafford's version became the "official" sound. However, Woody's "Guess Who?", also supplied by Blanc, would be utilized in the opening titles until the end of the series in 1972.

Beginning with this entry, all Woody "cartunes" contained minimal dialogue. Voice artists would instead be called upon to perform vocal effects (shouting, yeowing, gasping, etc.) for characters when needed. Other times, Lantz would use archive recordings for the characters' voices. Woody's only line in Puny Express is his signature line "Guess Who", which is just recycled audio of Mel Blanc from 1941's Woody Woodpecker. It would be similar to other theatrical cartoon series' from other studios like Tom and Jerry (MGM), Road Runner (Warner Bros.), and The Pink Panther (DFE Enterprises). This would continue until 1954.

Puny Express also marked Walter Lantz's return at directing a Woody Woodpecker "cartune" since the early 1940s. Prior to the 1948 layoff, director Dick Lundy had begun production on Puny Express, which along with Sleep Happy was one of two Woody Woodpecker shorts that storymen Ben Hardaway and Heck Allen had storyboarded and scripted. As such, this is Lundy's final effort as director on a Woody short, although he does not have on-screen credit. When the studio reopened in 1949, Hardaway, Allen and Lundy were gone. Lantz finished production on both films as writer (he had written addition material on both) and director. Lantz would then serve as director, and become head writer, for the next nine entries in the Woody Woodpecker film series.

Production notes

Puny Express marks a change in the opening title sequence. The normally light brown-colored wood plank backdrop utilized during the opening theme when Woody bursts through a hole, announcing "Guess who?" (used on the previous three entries), is replaced with a red-colored wood backdrop starting with this entry. This red wooden background would be used until 1954's Convict Concerto when it was replaced with a light balsa-colored wood backdrop. This short also uses new title card animation sequence (replacing the 1944 title sequence) with the 'newer' version of Woody featured, although it remains very similar to the previous versions (Woody head only bursts through then he says his line and laughs); this intro would only be used for this cartoon. The following entry, Sleep Happy, would use the more famous title card animation sequence (Woody completely bursting through and dances around while saying his signature line and laughing), which would be used (with variations) for the rest of the series.

One portion of animation from Wild and Woody! was reused for Puny Express, which was the scene where Woody enters the sheriff's office in need of a new sheriff. Also, the last portion of animation of this short would be recycled for three later entries in the Woody series.

Footage from this cartoon, along with footage from Wild and Woody!, is seen playing on a television set during a scene in the 1986 horror film Psycho III.

The film title is a parody of the "Pony Express," a fast mail service that crossed the North American continent from Saint Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California from April 1860 to October 1861.

References

1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 157–158. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
2. Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in animated cartoons: an ... - Jeff Lenburg - Google Books. ISBN 9781557836717. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

• Cooke, Jon, Komorowski, Thad, Shakarian, Pietro, and Tatay, Jack. "1951". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia.

External links

• Puny Express at IMDb