Under the Counter Spy (1954)

Under the Counter Spy Review

Under the Counter Spy is a 1954 animated short film from the Woody Woodpecker series. It is a solid, but familiar flick.

Woody must comprehend a bat criminal using the superpowered tonic. Apparently, this movie parodied the then highly popular detective television show called Dragnet. Woody Woodpecker is one of the many animated short series that parodied this particular show, so this movie ended up being very uninspired and similar to all the other cartoons dealing with the same subject.

With that being said, it somewhat worked due to a memorable Woody, who gets to be a hero here for once, a superhero in a way even. The animation is very strong, the bat villain is so well designed and menacing, and the movie had a very good atmosphere to it. The noirish tone and the cool, broody detectives made fun of the moody detective trend of the era effectively.

Under the Counter Spy has a familiar premise, but solid execution. The atmosphere and narration are quite good here.

My Rating – 3.7