Collection 35-M

Walter Lantz Productions Collection of Music for the Woody Woodpecker Cartoons and Other Productions

Lantz was born in New Rochelle, NY, Apr. 27, 1900; at 12 years old he took his first mail-order cartoon drawing course which affected his entire life and career; he began working as a copyboy for the Hearst newspaper, New York American, where he was recommended to Gregory LaCava; from that point he started his career as a cartoonist drawing characters such as the Katzenjammer kids, Happy Hooligan, Krazy Kat, and Mutt and Jeff; produced and directed his first cartoon series, Colonel Heeza Liar, at J.R. Bray Studios in NY, 1922; moved to Hollywood, CA in 1926 and wrote for Max Sennet comedies; started with Universal Studios in 1928 where he produced Oswald Rabbit for 10 years; in 1930, he produced The king of jazz, the first technicolor cartoon and Bing Crosby's first sound recording in a film; married Grace Stafford in 1941 who later became the voice of Woody Woodpecker; Lantz started his own production company in 1935 and served as its president into the 1970s; Lantz who is best remembered for Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Will, and Andy Panda, received an honorary Academy award, 1978; died Mar. 22, 1994, in Burbank, CA.

The bulk of the collection consists of materials related to the music production process at the Lantz Studios from 1951-70. Includes the holographs of scores, parts, and detail sheets for Woody Woodpecker cartoons and various commercials. Also includes music sketches, recording routines, reports, and sorted printed classical and popular sheet music used as source material for various productions. Production scores include the work of Lantz music directors Darrell Calker, Frank Churchill, Walter Greene, James Dietrich, Frank Marsales, Eugene Poddany, and Clarence Wheeler.

For additional information about this collection consult:

Catalog record
Finding aid

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