Musical Moments from Chopin

This short starts with Andy Panda performing a Chopin polonaise on stage. As he does so, Woody Woodpecker wanders out and starts polishing the piano, and seems impressed by Andy's playing. Woody then plays along with Andy on the following pieces, either on the same or another grand piano, with increasing cut-aways to the animal audience and their own antics. At some point, a horse who was trying to light his cigar tried to use a ceiling lamp to light it, but accidentally causes it to fall and spread a fire onto the stage. Andy manages to finish his piano performance while Woody extinguishes the flames.

The short would be the first Musical Miniature cartoon produced by Walter Lantz Productions, and is the only cartoon in the series to be nominated for an Academy Award for best short subject in 1946. Lundy previously tested the concept in the 1946 Andy Panda cartoon, The Poet & Peasant. It was proven to be a success as it was also nominated for an Academy Award. Lundy would direct all of the remaining Musical Miniature cartoons until the studios brief closure.[2]

The short features music by Frédéric Chopin played by Woody and Andy, which includes:

• Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1
• Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53
• Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66
• Ecossaise in D major, Op.72/3
• Mazurka in B-flat major, Op. 7/1
• Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31

In 1958, the television show The Woody Woodpecker Show premiered, and continued on the air in various forms for the next four decades. Episode 18 of its first season included Musical Moments from Chopin along with other Lantz cartoons, and a making-of involving Walter Lantz and storyboarding.[3]

• Musical Moments from Chopin at IMDb