''Ski for Two'' is the 12th

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

in the ''

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures, Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropom ...

'' series. Released theatrically on November 13, 1944, the film was produced by

Walter Lantz Productions Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios. The studio was originally formed as Universal Cartoon Studios on the initiative ...

and distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

Plot

Woody is sifting through some travel magazines when he spots a tempting ad for the Swiss Chard Lodge. The lodge is situated in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

, and offers dining for its guests. Woody is ecstatic, and promptly books a train ticket. After disembarking at the train station at Sunstroke Valley, it becomes apparent that the lodge is still an additional 40 miles, with no adjacent roads or any form of transportation. Woody decides to take matters into his own hands by taking a short cut, skiing and singing his way through the mountains. Upon Woody's arrival, lodge owner Wally Walrus ( Jack Mather) advises that there are no accommodations without a reservation. Woody, of course, did not bother to inquire about such a rule. Drawn by the aroma of the warm food inside the lodge, Woody gains entry by disguising himself as

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

. Wally is so excited at the prospect of Kris Kringle arriving that he quickly adorns the lodge with Christmas decorations. It does not take long, though, for the skeptical walrus to discover that it is, in fact, only October, making Santa's arrival somewhat premature. Woody manages to stuff his Santa toy sack with food from the lodge, and starts singing and skiing his way down the mountain. However, upon opening the sack, Woody discovers a vengeful Wally Walrus who wrings the little woodpecker's neck in disgust and mocks Woody's trademark laugh.

Voice cast

Ben Hardaway Joseph Benson Hardaway (May 21, 1895 – February 5, 1957) was an American storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer and director for several American animation studios during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He was somet ...

as Woody Woodpecker **Lee Sweetland as Woody Woodpecker (singing voice) **

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...

as Woody Woodpecker (Laugh) * Jack Mather as Wally Walrus

Production notes

The title ''Ski for Two'' is a pun on the song title " Tea for Two," featured in the 1925 musical ''

No, No, Nanette ''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''. The farcical story involves ...

''. The song Woody performs while skiing to the Swiss Chard Lodge is called "The Sleigh (a la Russe)" (written in 1926 by Richard Kountz and Ivor Tchervanow). According to

Shamus Culhane James H. "Shamus" Culhane (November 12, 1908 – February 2, 1996) was an American animator, film director, and film producer. He is best known for his work in the Golden age of American animation. Career Shamus Culhane worked for a number o ...

, the composition was used with the belief that it was in the public domain, later to discover that the copyright was still in effect. Lantz sent $50 to the publishing firm for its use in the film. They sent a letter back stating that they would only accept nothing less than a hundred dollars, an amount that Lantz gladly paid. Lee Sweetland, previously the singing voice for Woody in Barber of Seville, supplied his vocals again for the scene. In one of the surviving dialogue sheets, a noted inscription states "have Sweetland sing Woody’s laugh," which he performs near the end.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0152458
''Ski for Two''
at the

Big Cartoon Database The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts. The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated feat ...

1944 films 1944 animated films American Christmas films American skiing films Walter Lantz Productions shorts Woody Woodpecker films 1940s American animated films Universal Pictures short films Universal Pictures animated short films Animated films about animals Animated films about birds Films directed by James Culhane