Knock Knock (1940 cartoon)

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For other uses, see Knock Knock.

IMDb page
Knock Knock
Andy Panda series
Directed by	No credit
Story by	Ben Hardaway L.E. Elliott
Animation by	Alex Lovy Frank Tipper
Voices by	Mel Blanc Sara Berner
Music by	Frank Marsales
Produced by	Walter Lantz
Studio	Walter Lantz Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	November 25, 1940 (USA)
Format	Technicolor, 7 min (one reel)
Language	English
Preceded by	Andy Panda Goes Fishing (1940)
Followed by	Andy Panda's Pop (1941)

Knock Knock is a 1940 animated short subject, part of the Andy Panda series, produced by Walter Lantz. The cartoon is noted for being the first appearance of Woody Woodpecker, and was released by Universal Pictures on November 25, 1940.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The cartoon ostensibly stars Andy Panda (voice of Sara Berner) and his father, Papa Panda (voice of Mel Blanc), but it is Woody (voice of Blanc) who steals the show. The woodpecker constantly pesters the two pandas, apparently just for the fun of it. Andy, meanwhile, tries to sprinkle salt on Woody's tail in the belief that this will somehow capture the bird. To Woody's surprise, Andy's attempts prevail, and Woody is taken away to the funny farm—where his captors prove to be crazier than he is.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Production notes

Like most of the early 1940s Lantz cartoons, Knock Knock carried no director's credit. Lantz himself has claimed to have directed this cartoon, which features animation by Alex Lovy and Frank Tipper, a story by Ben Hardaway and Lowell Elliott, and music by Frank Marsales. Knock Knock was Marsales' final score for Lantz.

As the first appearance of Woody Woodpecker, Knock Knock is also the first cartoon to feature Woody's trademark laugh, a gurgling cackle voice artist Mel Blanc had been perfecting since high school.