The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: Miscellaneous Cartunes
The following is an additional listing of other significant Walter Lantz shorts.
These include lost and unreleased cartoons, films produced specially for the government, made-for-TV shorts, and other additional miscellaneous material.
Early Lantz Work at The Bray Studios
Walter Lantz got his start in animation working for the John R. Bray studios in New York. One of his first jobs at the studio was working as an animator on Bray's animated adaptation of "Jerry on the Job" with George Stallings. "I animated one 250-foot 'Jerry on the Job' every two weeks," Lantz once recalled. "The drawings in those days were black and white on paper. We'd pencil the drawings, then ink them in, and photograph each sheet." Lantz's next task at Bray was animating and co-directing the "Col. Heeza Liar" series. Heeza Liar was a man who wove many interesting tall tales of his many "experiences" (a sort of Baron Munchausen character). The most interesting aspect of these early cartoons is that, much like Fleischer's "Inkwell Imps," they combine live-action with animation.
As time went on, Lantz was finally promoted to director and created Dinky Doodle and his dog, Weakheart. Like the "Heeza Liar" shorts, these cartoons would again place animated characters in a live action surrounding with Lantz in the role of the cartoonist (again, reminiscent to Max Fleischer). To add more of a comical effect, however, Lantz would don a pair of Harold Llyod-esque glasses, which never left much of an impression on the audiences, but still managed to keep them laughing.
The usual Dinky cartoon would usually tap into the storybook realm, revisiting such familiar faces as "Little Red Riding Hood" or the giant of "Jack and the Beanstalk". The cartoon would usually end with Lantz himself taking on the villain in a madcap fist fight. The Dinky Doodle shorts enjoyed a widespread success with audiences and people at restaurants or service stations began to recognize the Lloyd-esque Lantz. When the series had run its course, Lantz introduced two more series, Un-Natural History and Hot Dog Cartoons with Pete the Pup, the latter of which proved to be the most successful with audiences. At the Fox Studios' New York office, Lantz made the first Pete the Pup sound tests for the Bray. Unfortunately, the success of such tests or Bray's transition into sound will never be known. In 1927, the studio went bankrupt, leaving Lantz to seek out new fortune. He left for Hollywood, secured a job with Charles B. Mintz on the "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" series and the rest is history.
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Screen Shots from various Dinky Doodle shorts (click to enlarge):
Screen Shots from various Hot Dog shorts (click to enlarge):
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"King of Jazz"
Release Date: 4/20/30
Animation: Walter Lantz and "Bill" Nolan
Music: Paul Whiteman and His Band
Voices: Paul Whiteman (as Himself) and Bing Crosby (as the Lion)
Notes:
An animated sequence created by Lantz and his staff at the request of Carl Laemmle for the 1930 Universal feature "King of Jazz" featuring Paul Whiteman and his band.
The first color sound cartoon ever produced, predating Disney and Ub Iwerks
Lantz's animated segment as well as the entire film itself was produced in Two-Strip Technicolor
Bing Crosby provides the voice of the lion
Watch for a cameo by Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"Boy Meets Dog!"
Release Date: 1938
Direction: Walter Lantz
Animation: Rudy Zamora, Frank Tipper
Music: Frank Churchill
Musical Director: Nathaniel Shilkret
Based On "Reg'lar Fellers" by: Gene Byrnes
Backgrounds: Charles Conner and Roy Forkum
Notes:
This cartoon, based on the "Reg'lar Fellers" comic strip, was originally made for Ipana Toothpaste and was going to be released theatrically. It never got released to theaters, but was eventually bought by Castle Films and released exclusively to the home movie market (with the plugs for Ipana Toothpaste removed).
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"Take Heed Mr. Tojo"
Release Date: 1943
Produced by: Walt Lantz
Under the Supervision of the Bureau of Aeronautics
With the Cooperation of the Executive Office of the Secretary
Notes:
Production Number: MN-2648
The only known "Hook" cartoon produced by Walter Lantz for the United States Navy during World War II. The other known cartoons in the series were done by Leon Schlesinger Productions (Warner Bros.) and were in black and white. In this cartoon, Hook explains to his young son how war bonds helped win the war.
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"The Enemy Bacteria"
Release Date: 1945
Produced by: Walter Lantz
Directed by: Dick Lundy
Notes:
Production Number: MN-1511
Instructional film made for the United States Navy.
Art Heinemann and Grim Natwick are known to have worked on this cartoon.
Thanks to Andrea Ippoliti for providing these screen shots.
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"Sioux City Sue"
Release Date: 11/21/46
Released by Republic Pictures
Notes:
The Water Lantz Studio (uncredited) provided the very brief animated segment for this Gene Autry film.
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"Destination Moon"
Release Date: 06/27/50
Animation Sequences By: Walter Lantz
Voices (uncredited): Grace Stafford (Woody Woodpecker) and Irving Pichel (Narrator)
Notes:
George Pal, the movie's producer, asked his good friend Walter Lantz to provide a short animated film sequence in which Woody has the the basics of space flight explained to him.
This appearance was the very first time Woody's voice was provided by Grace Stafford.
The film's director, Irving Pichel, provided the voice of the narrator in this segment.
George Pal would insert tributes to Walter Lantz in some of his other films including "The Time Machine" (1960).
The 1951 Woody cartoon "Destination Meatball" spoofed this movie's title.
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"Jungle Medics"
Release Date: 1960
Voices: Dal McKennon
Notes:
Production Number: SS-1
No onscreen credits.
The cartoon was a pilot for a possible TV series.
Released theatrically in 1960 without standard production number or release date.
This cartoon, along with "Space Mouse: The Secret Weapon" (see below), made its television debut as part of the 1964 syndication version of The Woody Woodpecker Show.
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"The Secret Weapon"
Release Date: 1960
Voices: Paul Frees
Notes:
Production Number: SM-1
No onscreen credits.
First animated appearance of Space Mouse, a character who was created for Lantz comic books by Craig Chase. Read more about this character's history in Mark Evanier's in-depth analysis here.
This cartoon may have been released theatrically in 1960 without standard production number or release date (like "Jungle Medics").
This cartoon, along with "Jungle Medics" (see above), made its television debut as part of the 1964 syndication version of The Woody Woodpecker Show.
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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"The Woody Woodpecker Show: Spook-a-Nanny"
Release Date: 1964
Produced by: Walter Lantz
Associate Producer: Norman Gluck
Production Supervision: William Garity
Cartoon Sequences:
Directors: Paul Smith and Sid Marcus
Animation: Ray Abrams, Art Davis, Al Coe, Lester Kline, Joe Voght, and Tom Byrne
Layout and Background: Ray Huffine and Art Landy
Story: Cal Howard
Cartoon Editor: Alfred E. Wahrman
Cartoon Camera: Jack Eckes and Tommy Alcorn
Voices: Grace Stafford, Daws Butler, and Gloria Wood Trio
Live Sequences:
Director: Robert Owan
Camera: Bernard Guffey
Film Editor: F.Y. Smith, A.C.E.
Production Services: Pacific Title
Sound: T.V. Recorders
Notes:
Production Number: TC-3
This was a special Halloween episode of The Woody Woodpecker Show. In-between showings of classic cartoons ("Under the Counter Spy" and "Playful Pelican"), Walter Lantz and an animated Woody prepared for a Halloween party. The special concluded with an all-new 6-minute cartoon, "Spook-a-Nanny" featuring Woody and many other Lantz characters.
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Screen Shots (click to enlarge):
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