Summary
Inspector Willoughby is a cartoon character created by Walter Lantz, named after the Hollywood avenue which runs alongside the building where Lantz's office was housed (at 861 Seward Street). 12 cartoons were produced between 1960 and 1965.[1] His cartoons were often shown on The Woody Woodpecker Show alongside Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy and Andy Panda.[2]
| Inspector Willoughby | |
|---|---|
| Woody Woodpecker character | |
| First appearance | Salmon Yeggs (1958) (as Willoughby) Rough and Tumbleweed (1961) (as Inspector Willoughby) |
| Last appearance | The Case of the Elephant's Trunk (1965) |
| Created by | Walter Lantz |
| Voiced by | Daws Butler (1958–1960) Dallas McKennon (1959–1965) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Inspector Seward Willoughby |
| Nickname | Secret Agent 6 7/8 |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Secret Agent |
Bio edit
Inspector Willoughby (AKA Secret Agent 6 7/8) was a secret agent with droopy eyes, a bushy mustache, and laconic voice. He solved mysteries and fought crime.[2] He was very similar to Tex Avery's Droopy in voice and stature. When on the job, he always goes after any villains which ends with them behind bars. Despite his diminutive height, he is able to physically restrain and use impressive judo moves on men twice his size. It was established in the cartoon short "Mississippi Slow Boat" that his first name is Seward.
Inspector Willoughby also had other jobs outside of his secret agent work, such as a truant officer, male nurse, and park ranger. It has been speculated that he has relatives in those jobs. The first appearance of a Willoughby character was a cannery security guard in Salmon Yeggs (1958). Although small bald men have also been seen in Tomcat Combat, Kiddie League, Billion Dollar Boner and Hunger Strife, they were not "true" Willoughbies.
Episodes edit
- "Rough and Tumbleweed" (Mar 27, 1961)[3]
- "Mississippi Slow Boat" (July 31, 1961)
- "The Case of the Red-Eyed Ruby" (Dec 11, 1961)
- "Phoney Express" (May 14, 1962)
- "Hyde and Sneak" (July 23, 1962)
- "Coming Out Party" (Jan 25, 1963)
- "Case of the Cold Storage Yegg" (Mar 15, 1963)
- "Hi-Seas Hi-Jacker" (Aug 9, 1963)
- "The Case of the Maltese Chicken" (Feb 14, 1964)
- "The Case of the Elephant's Trunk" (Jan 30, 1965)
References edit
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 95. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ a b Lehman, Christopher P. (9 October 2006). American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961–1973. McFarland. ISBN 9780786451425. Retrieved 17 August 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ McCall, Douglas L. (31 October 2005). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. McFarland. ISBN 9781476609669. Retrieved 18 August 2017 – via Google Books.
External links edit
- Inspector Willoughby at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015.