Smoked Hams

Smoked Hams
Woody Woodpecker series
Directed by	Dick Lundy
Produced by	Walter Lantz
Story by	Ben Hardaway Milt Schaffer
Voices by	Ben Hardaway Jack Mather
Music by	Darrell Calker
Animation by	Fred Brunish Grim Natwick Stanley C. Onaitis
Studio	Walter Lantz Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	April 28, 1947 (U.S.)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	6' 45"
Language	English
Preceded by	Fair Weather Fiends
Followed by	The Coo Coo Bird

Smoked Hams is the 21st animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on April 28, 1947, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures.

Plot

Wally Walrus tries to get some sleep in the day, while Woody Woodpecker continually keeps Wally awake by mowing the lawn and burning leaves which produce a plume of smoke. In revenge, when Woody himself goes to sleep, he falls into a basement where Wally torments him with all kinds of irritating sounds.

Notes

• Smoked Hams was the first entry in the series (and the second "cartune" after Musical Moments from Chopin) that Woody's top knot was seen pushed forward, instead of slicked back (as usually seen during this period), for an extended period in some scenes. This was very similar to how his top knot looked in his upcoming third design; the recurring change would continue with all remaining entries that featured Woody's second design.
• In 1991, Smoked Hams was re-released theatrically as an added short accompaniment to the film Problem Child 2. This was a last-minute decision by Universal Studios as a way of making the PG-13 film look suitable for family audiences.

References

• Cooke, Jon, Komorowski, Thad, Shakarian, Pietro, and Tatay, Jack. "1947". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia.