Knock Knock

Knock Knock (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Andy Panda wants to know if you can catch a woodpecker simply by putting salt on its tail and he gets his shot of finding out when Woody Woodpecker shows up to drive his father crazy. This isn't the greatest cartoon ever made but it was the first to feature the famous woodpecker so that there makes it rather historic and worth seeing. There are certainly some funny moments here with the majority of them going to Woody so there's no question as to why he ended up becoming a big star. The movie's best moments happen after a fake, sexy woodpecker is used to kiss Woody who then goes on a rampage through the forest. Another funny sequence happens when the father panda thinks he has captured Woody but soon the two go flying. I really didn't find either panda overly interesting here but Woody makes it worth sitting through.

"Knock Knock" is the first cartoon with Woody Woodpecker, though it was considered an Andy Panda movie by Universal Studios. However, Andy really has little to do in the film...it's mostly Andy's dad fighting with this annoying Woodpecker!

The story is very simple. The Panda household is being annoyed by incessant pecking on their house by the woodpecker (his name is never given in the film). So, Papa Panda tries to stop the woodpecker...with expected results.

The quality of this cartoon is nearly as good as a film by Looney Tunes or MGM. This quality of animation and story were not the norm for Universal....usually they were more limp. Worth seeing...especially for its historical value.

I don't remember much about watching Woody Woodpecker cartoons. I had seen this short online and really enjoyed it; it was quite funny. Of course, I didn't know this cartoon marked Woody Woodpecker's first screen appearance. I didn't realize that Mel Blanc voiced the character; he sounds just like Daffy Duck from his early cartoons!

I love the scene where Mr. Panda tries to shoot Woody. The gun malfunctioned, so Woody tested it, and it worked. He returned it to Mr. Panda, who tried to shoot again, but the gun handle transformed into a boot and hit him in the face. I also love the scene with the exploding decoy.

Woody Woodpecker's screen debut, as others have pointed out, was really an "Andy Panda" cartoon but Woody apparently made such a strong impression that he went on to be a animated movie star.

"Can you really catch a bird by putting salt on its tail? That's the question asked, and how we are introduced to WW. Little Andy had asked the question to his dad, who was busy reading the day's Racing Form (which was filled with puns. Take the time to freeze the picture and you'll get some laughs or groans.)

The rest is kind of juvenile but that had to be the intended audience, at least early on. Also, it's 1940 and humor - especially with cartoons, in my opinion - got much better - by the middle of the ''40s. Early Tom & Jerry cartoons, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, etc., all didn't hit their prime until then.

Although it's was an Andy Panda cartoon, it's more noted for the debut of Walter Lantz's greatest creation, and one of the most famous cartoon stars ever, Woody Woodpecker. A Must-See!