The Reckless Driver

The Reckless Driver is the 19th animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on August 26, 1946, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures.[1]

The Reckless Driver
Directed byJames Culhane
Produced byWalter Lantz
Story byBen Hardaway
Milt Schaffer
StarringWilliam Wright
Ben Hardaway
Music byDarrell Calker
Animation byGrim Natwick
Emery Hawkins
Lester Kline
LaVerne Harding
Bernard Garbutt
Paul Smith
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • August 26, 1946 (1946-08-26)
Running time
6' 43"
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Woody discovers that his drivers' license is due for renewal, and quickly heads for the nearest Department of Motor Vehicles. Upon arrival, Woody attempts to awaken sleeping Officer Wally Walrus (voiced by William Wright) so he can complete the test.

First up is the eye test, complete with an eye chart whose letters spell out "I CAN'T SEE A THING." Then comes the reflex test, in which Woody violently pecks at Wally's head whenever he gets his knee jabbed. Next, Wally tries to get a fingerprint from Woody, only to have the two stack their hands high into the air.

Finally, Woody must complete the actual driving test. The careless woodpecker accidentally backs up into a wall. A fire extinguisher then falls off the wall and onto the back of Woody's car, providing him with steam propulsion. With this new power, Woody starts zooming in the air, (after lifting his car's body off its drive train) and in and out of the office, driving Wally insane. At the conclusion of the driving test, Woody blurts out, "Say, I've changed my mind. I want a pilot's license".

Notes
  • The normally Swedish Wally Walrus sports a New York accent in The Reckless Driver.
  • Many prints omit the alphabet soup-spitting scene.
  • Woody sings "The Old Gray Mare" while driving through the countryside.
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References
  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 157–158. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
  • Cooke, Jon, Komorowski, Thad, Shakarian, Pietro, and Tatay, Jack. "1946". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia.
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