Ben Hardaway

Writing

Ben Hardaway

Born 1895-05-21 · Belton, Missouri, USA

Joseph Benson 'Ben' (a.k.a. 'Bugs') 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. While at the Leon Schlesinger / Warner Bros. studio during the late 1930s, Hardaway, in 1938, co-directed Porky's Hare Hunt, the first film to feature a rabbit. When this unnamed, embryonic rabbit was given a new model sheet for a later short, since, according to Chuck Jones, Hardaway "didn't draw it very well", designer Charlie Thorson inadvertently offered a permanent name by titling the model sheet "Bugs' Bunny" since it was meant for Hardaway's unit. By the time the rabbit was redesigned and refined for the film A Wild Hare, the name was already being used in relation to the character in studio publicity materials. In 1940, Hardaway joined the staff of Walter Lantz Productions, where he helped Walter Lantz in creating the studio's most famous character, Woody Woodpecker. Hardaway wrote or co-wrote most of the stories for the 1940–1950 Woody Woodpecker shorts, as well as supplying Woody's voice between 1944 and 1949. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]

Acting credits

Wacky-Bye Baby poster
6.8

After Woody Woodpecker is thrown out of a city park for being a vagrant, he decides he needs to advance his living conditions. He reads in the newspaper that millionaire Wally Walrus is looking to adopt a baby boy, so dresses himself as a baby and leaves himself on Wally's doorstep.

Wacky-Bye Baby

1948

Chew-Chew Baby poster
6.6

Boarding house proprietor Wally Walrus takes out an ad in the local paper looking for a sweetheart. Woody Woodpecker reads this and decides he might be able to trick Wally out of some cooking if he dresses up like a girl and answers the ad.

Chew-Chew Baby

1945

The Reckless Driver poster
7.2

Driving down a U.S. highway, Woody Woodpecker passes a billboard which reminds him that he should renew his driver's license. He heads to the Department of Motor Vehicles and asks Officer Wally Walrus, who takes an immediate dislike to Woody, to give him the test. He puts Woody through the eye test, the reflex test, and the fingerprint test...with Woody constantly making short work of the walrus' patience.

The Reckless Driver

1946

Woody Woodpecker and Friends poster
7.3

A compilation of ten classic Walter Lantz cartoons: Knock Knock (1940), The Bandmaster (1947), Ski for Two (1944), Hot Noon or 12 O'Clock for Surf (1953), The Legend of Rockabye Point (1955), Wet Blanket Policy (1948), To Catch a Woodpecker (1957), Musical Moments from Chopin (1946), Bats in the Belfry (1960), and Crazy Mixed Up Pup (1955). Also includes the interesting documentary short on Walter Lantz's career "Walter, Woody and the World of Animation". Note: This is NOT the 2007 and 2008 DVD collections titled "The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection" shown as the cover image.

Woody Woodpecker and Friends

1982

Who's Cookin Who? poster
7.7

Woody Woodpecker is sleeping. He awakens, under a blanket of snow, to find that both Winter and a hungry wolf are knocking at his door. The wolf has intentions of eating Woody...but Woody has the same thoughts regarding the wolf.

Who's Cookin Who?

1946

Wild and Woody! poster
6.6

Woody Woodpecker gallops into a wild western town, which can't keep a sheriff very long due to the notorious outlaw (and sheriff-killer) Buzz Buzzard. Woody volunteers for the position but barely has time to shine up his badge before Buzz rides in with intent to do harm to Sheriff Woody. But Woody has no intentions of allowing Buzz to follow through on his intents.

Wild and Woody!

1948

The Coo Coo Bird poster
7.8

Woody Woodpecker reads in his newspaper that quail hunting season begins the next morning at 5a.m. Not wanting to pass up quail hunting, he determines to get a good night's sleep. There are challenges.

The Coo Coo Bird

1947

Ace in the Hole poster
6.1

Woody Woodpecker is a stable boy. The stables are located right in an airfield, and the sound of airplanes droning around only fuels his lust to fly. "I want to fly like the birds!" declares the woodpecker. But the only thing the bulldog sergeant on the airfield feels Woody is competent for is clipping the horses with an electric clipper. And considering that Woody accidentally allows the clipper to clip off the sarge's shirt buttons and a long strip of hair off his chin, he may be giving Woody too much credit. Nevertheless, Woody spends his time reading "How to Fly a Plane from the Ground Up." And eventually, he sneaks onto a PU-2.

Ace in the Hole

1942

Fair Weather Fiends poster
7.3

After a storm strands them on a deserted island, Woody Woodpecker and his wolf friend end up battling themselves in a quest to find food.

Fair Weather Fiends

1946

Woody Dines Out poster
6.2

Woody Woodpecker goes out to dine and accidentally stumbles into a taxidermist's shop, thinking it is a restaurant. The taxidermist, wanting a woodpecker to stuff, doesn't inform Woody otherwise.

Woody Dines Out

1945

It's an Ill Wind poster
6.7

Porky and his friend Dizzy Duck go fishing, but their trip is cut short by a thunderstorm. They take refuge in an old building that appears haunted, though the biggest hazards are an old bearskin that lands on a swivel chair, a dog that gets tangled up in chains and a diving helmet, and their own clumsiness generally.

It's an Ill Wind

1939

Pantry Panic poster
6.1

Woody's friends warn him that the groundhog has predicted a blizzard. Unconcerned, Woody decides not to go South with his pals. Soon enough, the blizzard sweeps in and destroys the loony woodpecker's stash of food. Facing starvation, a glimmer of hope arrives in the form of a cat. The cat is also starving and it turns into a match of brawn and wits to see who eats who.

Pantry Panic

1941

The Loose Nut poster
6.9

Woody Woodpecker goes to the park for a game of golf, and quickly gets at odds with some workers who are laying a cement walk.

The Loose Nut

1945

The Barber of Seville poster
6.4

Woody is standing outside the Seville Barber Shop looking at the ads. Wanting a "victory haircut", he decides to enter the shop only to find the owner has stepped out for a physical. Woody decides to cut his own hair ("I cut my own teeth") but unfortunately is mistaken for the owner when two other customers enter, one an Indian who wants a quick shampoo and the other, a construction worker who wants "the whole works" and, unfortunately, gets it.

The Barber of Seville

1944

The Hollywood Matador poster
6.7

The bull is watching through a knothole as the great bullfighter, Woody Woodpecker, is showing off for the spectators. Unable to take it no longer the bull dashes into the arena and charges Woody so hard that he makes a shambles of the stadium. Woody, as always, equal to the task at hand is soon serving bull-burgers to the crowd.

The Hollywood Matador

1942

The Dippy Diplomat poster
6.2

A newspaper announces that Ivan Awfulitch, the famous ambassador, is due to have a barbecue with local resident Wally Walrus. Unfortunately, while Wally is preparing the barbecue, the scent of the steaks he is cooking attracts an unwelcome guest in the form of Woody Woodpecker. He steals some of the food through a knothole in the fence then uses a bow and arrow to get the rest.

The Dippy Diplomat

1945

Woody the Giant Killer poster
7.0

Out of work, Woody complains about his not having any living quarters. A slick talking con man convinces him to buy some "magic beans" promising they will guarantee him a home. Sure enough, Woody climbs the resulting beanstalk and finds a huge castle at the top. Unfortunately, the castle is already occupied by a sleeping giant who Woody eventually outwits, turning his castle into a series of apartments with the giant as a bellboy and Woody as his manager.

Woody the Giant Killer

1947

The Beach Nut poster
6.9

A crowd gathers at the beach to witness vacationer Wally Walrus thrashing Woody Woodpecker. Wally explains, in flashback, why he is trying to rid himself of Woody.

The Beach Nut

1944

Wet Blanket Policy poster
7.0

Woody Woodpecker buys life insurance with the beneficiary being Buzz Buzzard who wants to collect early.

Wet Blanket Policy

1948

Smoked Hams poster
7.4

Wally Walrus is a day sleeper and requires daily rest while his neighbor in the adjacent apartment, Woody Woodpecker, is a night sleeper who does his chores during the day. Needless to say, Woody's noisy chores tend to keep the hapless Wally from getting any slumber particularly when he burns his leaves in the backyard, the smoke from the burning pile travelling into Wally's room eventually turning the pipes in his bed into a musical organ! But Wally gets the last laugh...

Smoked Hams

1947

Ski for Two poster
6.4

Planning a vacation, Woody reads in the newspaper about Swiss Chard Lodge which promises lots of good food (which, as Woody says, is his "favorite dish"). He heads over to said lodge but, upon arriving, is told by owner Wally Walrus that he must make reservations ahead of time... which he has not. Wally throws the pest out but Woody is able to re-enter the premises disguised as none other than Santa Claus. He robs Wally of his food but, once alone with his sack, discovers quite a surprise inside.

Ski for Two

1944

Behind the camera

Apple Andy poster
6.8

Andy Panda is very fond of apples and he eats a bushel of green apples, falls asleep and has a nightmare in which the devil is trying to entice him into Hades and stuffs him full of apple juice, applesauce and more apples. (In Andy's defense, since Andy was taught not to eat green apples, the devil had spray-painted the green apples red.)

Apple Andy

1946

Hare-um Scare-um poster
6.8

Facing high meat prices, a man decides to take his dog and go hunt for his own. Unfortunately, the crazy rabbit they are after is cleverer than they are.

Hare-um Scare-um

1939

Sioux Me poster
7.3

When there is a drought on an Indian reservation, everyone is in desperate need of water so that they can quench their thirst, their crops can grow, the animals will provide them food, etc. But rather than having to wait for the rain to come the old-fashioned way, a weather pill pertaining to that is used to bring instant showers.

Sioux Me

1939

Who's Cookin Who? poster
7.7

Woody Woodpecker is sleeping. He awakens, under a blanket of snow, to find that both Winter and a hungry wolf are knocking at his door. The wolf has intentions of eating Woody...but Woody has the same thoughts regarding the wolf.

Who's Cookin Who?

1946

Wild and Woody! poster
6.6

Woody Woodpecker gallops into a wild western town, which can't keep a sheriff very long due to the notorious outlaw (and sheriff-killer) Buzz Buzzard. Woody volunteers for the position but barely has time to shine up his badge before Buzz rides in with intent to do harm to Sheriff Woody. But Woody has no intentions of allowing Buzz to follow through on his intents.

Wild and Woody!

1948

Porky's Hare Hunt poster
6.6

Porky Pig goes after a rogue rabbit who manages to frustrate him at every turn.

Porky's Hare Hunt

1938

Buddy of the Legion poster
3.9

Buddy gets a new job in a book shop, but spends his work hours daydreaming about leading the Foreign Legion and fighting Amazons.

Buddy of the Legion

1935

Buddy's Adventures poster
4.7

In this one, Buddy and girlfriend Cookie are in a hot air balloon but they get forced to come down by some angry clouds with one of them being a rattlesnake.

Buddy's Adventures

1934

Fagin's Freshman poster
6.7

Blackie, a tough little kitten, dreams he runs away from home and falls afoul of Fagin and his school of gangsters.

Fagin's Freshman

1939

Ace in the Hole poster
6.1

Woody Woodpecker is a stable boy. The stables are located right in an airfield, and the sound of airplanes droning around only fuels his lust to fly. "I want to fly like the birds!" declares the woodpecker. But the only thing the bulldog sergeant on the airfield feels Woody is competent for is clipping the horses with an electric clipper. And considering that Woody accidentally allows the clipper to clip off the sarge's shirt buttons and a long strip of hair off his chin, he may be giving Woody too much credit. Nevertheless, Woody spends his time reading "How to Fly a Plane from the Ground Up." And eventually, he sneaks onto a PU-2.

Ace in the Hole

1942

Scrappy Birthday poster
6.0

For her birthday, Andy presents his sweetheart, Miranda, with her usual present, candy and flowers. Miranda complains she wants something decent for her birthday like a fur coat...which Andy can't afford. A con man tells him he doesn't need money. He sells him a tracking hound and tells him he can hunt for the fox himself. Unfortunately, the fox Andy and his hound find has no intentions of being caught. Eventually, Andy does capture an animal to make a fur stole with. It's not the fox but, rather, something that's more of a surprise.

Scrappy Birthday

1949

No artwork available
7.0

Andy Panda is swabbing the deck of his ship when he comes across a stubborn pelican who refuses to move. When Andy finally does rid himself of the pesky bird, it turns out that particular pelican was an expecting mother whose offspring has now hatched. Feeling bad, Andy does his best to care for the young hatchling.

Playful Pelican

1948

Buddy of the Apes poster
3.8

Buddy encounters black cannibals. He and his animal friends beat up near-naked natives (with rings in their noses)..

Buddy of the Apes

1934

Breakdowns of 1939 poster
6.5

Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1939.

Breakdowns of 1939

1939

It's an Ill Wind poster
6.7

Porky and his friend Dizzy Duck go fishing, but their trip is cut short by a thunderstorm. They take refuge in an old building that appears haunted, though the biggest hazards are an old bearskin that lands on a swivel chair, a dog that gets tangled up in chains and a diving helmet, and their own clumsiness generally.

It's an Ill Wind

1939

Dog Tax Dodgers poster
7.0

Andy reads in the newspaper that dog catcher Wally Walrus is coming to collect $3.00 worth of dog tax from every dog owner. Being kind of a cheapskate, he hides his dog in the closet from Wally's presence but, upon entering Andy's house, Wally still suspects something is amiss. He uses a trained flea to reveal the dog who gets chased by Wally into a pond in the backyard. After "fishing" the dog out, Wally demands Andy pay his $3.00 but both are in for a surprise: the dog has an entire litter of puppies each worth an additional $3.00!

Dog Tax Dodgers

1948

The Barber of Seville poster
6.4

Woody is standing outside the Seville Barber Shop looking at the ads. Wanting a "victory haircut", he decides to enter the shop only to find the owner has stepped out for a physical. Woody decides to cut his own hair ("I cut my own teeth") but unfortunately is mistaken for the owner when two other customers enter, one an Indian who wants a quick shampoo and the other, a construction worker who wants "the whole works" and, unfortunately, gets it.

The Barber of Seville

1944

Count Me Out poster
6.9

Egghead decides his road to riches is through a boxing correspondence course. When he graduates, he takes on champion Biff Stew. Biff pummels him mercilessly (the correspondence course record continues to coach him during the match), but by accident, he knocks Biff out until we see it was all in Egghead's head, after being knocked out by the practice equipment.

Count Me Out

1938

Porky and Teabiscuit poster
6.4

Porky Pig is sent out by his father with $11.00 spending money for help on the farm, unfortunately, he accidentally spends it on an auction, for a sickly, broken-down race horse known as Tea Biscuit. Porky shapes him up for a race, although Tea Biscuit's attention is diverted to a trombone. However, a balloon pop assures that Porky wins with Tea Biscuit and gets the reward...

Porky and Teabiscuit

1939

The Egg Cracker Suite poster
6.5

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, in his last animated short, conducts a symphony with a whole gaggle of hens (and one ostrich) to lay eggs for Easter.

The Egg Cracker Suite

1943

Woody the Giant Killer poster
7.0

Out of work, Woody complains about his not having any living quarters. A slick talking con man convinces him to buy some "magic beans" promising they will guarantee him a home. Sure enough, Woody climbs the resulting beanstalk and finds a huge castle at the top. Unfortunately, the castle is already occupied by a sleeping giant who Woody eventually outwits, turning his castle into a series of apartments with the giant as a bellboy and Woody as his manager.

Woody the Giant Killer

1947

Porky the Giant Killer poster
6.1

Porky Pig is tapped for a giant-killing expedition. When the expedition reaches the giant's castle (which is normal sized, requiring the giant to stoop), everyone but Porky runs at the first sign of trouble, leaving Porky alone to awaken the giant's sleeping baby. Porky then must soothe the baby back to sleep and attempt his escape.

Porky the Giant Killer

1939

The Beach Nut poster
6.9

A crowd gathers at the beach to witness vacationer Wally Walrus thrashing Woody Woodpecker. Wally explains, in flashback, why he is trying to rid himself of Woody.

The Beach Nut

1944

Busy Bakers poster
5.8

Struggling Swenson the baker is down to just a single donut remaining in his shop. He gives it to a blind beggar who stops in. Later, while Swenson sleeps, the kindness is rewarded.

Busy Bakers

1940