''Red Hot Riding Hood'' is an
animated cartoon
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
short subject
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, directed by
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
and released with the movie ''
Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case
''Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case'' is a 1943 film in the Dr. Kildare series. Based on characters created by Max Brand. The third of MGM's Dr. Gillespie series (6 in all) to dispense with the services of Dr. Kildare (Lew Ayres) (8 in all) after '' ...
'' on May 8, 1943, by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
. In 1994, it was voted number 7 of
The 50 Greatest Cartoons
''The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals'' is a 1994 book by animation historian Jerry Beck.
Criteria
It consists of articles about 50 highly regarded animated short films made in North America and other notable ca ...
of all time by members of the animation field, making it the highest ranked MGM cartoon on the list. It is one of Avery's most popular cartoons, inspiring several of his own "sequel" shorts as well as influencing other cartoons and feature films for years afterward.
Plot
The story begins with a standard, narrated version of ''
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...
'' (with the wolf from ''
Dumb-Hounded
''Dumb-Hounded'' is a 1943 American animated short film directed by Tex Avery and written by Rich Hogan. It was the first cartoon to feature Droopy. The film was released on March 20, 1943 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Plot
A wolf escapes from Swing Sw ...
'', the cartoon which saw the debut of Avery's
Droopy
Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro- ...
). Little Red Riding Hood, the
Big Bad Wolf
The Big Bad Wolf is a fictional wolf appearing in several cautionary tales that include some of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales.'' Versions of this character have appeared in numerous works, and it has become a generic archetype of a menacing predatory a ...
, and Little Red Riding Hood's grandma
rebel
A rebel is a participant in a rebellion.
Rebel or rebels may also refer to:
People
* Rebel (given name)
* Rebel (surname)
* Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution
* American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...
at this stale and derivative staging of the story and demand a fresh approach. The annoyed narrator accedes to their demands and starts the story again in a dramatically different arrangement.
The story begins again, now told in a
contemporary
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
setting. The narrator explains that
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...
(now portrayed as an adult) is an attractive performer in a
Hollywood nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
under the
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
"Red Hot Riding Hood", and the
Big Bad Wolf
The Big Bad Wolf is a fictional wolf appearing in several cautionary tales that include some of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales.'' Versions of this character have appeared in numerous works, and it has become a generic archetype of a menacing predatory a ...
, now a Hollywood swinger, follows Red to the club where she is performing. Red performs onstage (a rendition of the 1941 classic hit song "
Daddy
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
" by
Bobby Troup
Robert William Troup Jr. (October 18, 1918 – February 7, 1999) was an American actor, jazz pianist, singer, and songwriter. He wrote the song " Route 66" and acted in the role of Dr. Joe Early with his wife Julie London in the television prog ...
) and the wolf goes mad with desire. He brings her to his table and tries wooing her, but she wants nothing to do with him. Red escapes the Wolf, saying she is going to her
Grandma's place, but nevertheless the Wolf manages to get there first. Grandma's place is a penthouse at the top of a skyscraper. Red's grandma is an
oversexed man-chaser who falls head over heels for the Wolf.
The Wolf tries to escape, but Grandma blocks the exit and comes onto him. She locks the door, drops the key down the front of her
evening gown
An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long dress usually worn at formal occasions. The drop ranges from ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankles), tea (above the ankles), to full-length. Such gowns are typically worn with evening ...
, and poses provocatively for him. She dons a bright red shade of
lipstick
Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back to ...
and a chase scene ensues. Whenever the Wolf attempts an exit, Grandma waits behind the door with puckered lips. He finally makes his escape by jumping out a window, severely injuring himself on the pavement many floors below.
He makes his way back to the nightclub, covered with bandages and bruises, swearing he is done with women and would kill himself before looking at another woman. Immediately, Red takes the stage and begins another performance. The Wolf pulls out two guns and commits
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
, but his ghost rises from his dead body and
howls and whistles at
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
as he did earlier.
Voice cast
*
Frank Graham as Narrator, Wolf, Showroom Announcer
*
Kent Rogers
Kent Byron Rogers (July 31, 1923 – July 9, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in several live-action features and shorts, and a voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons and Walter Lantz Productions.
Career
For Warner Bros. Cartoons, R ...
as Wolf (three lines - "What's your answer to that, babe?", "Hey, follow that cab" and "Grandma, control yourself.")
*
Sara Berner
Sara Berner (born Lillian Ann Herdan; January 12, 1912 – December 19, 1969) was an American actress. Known for her expertise in dialect and characterization, she began her career as a performer in vaudeville before becoming a voice actress for r ...
as
Red Hot Riding Hood
''Red Hot Riding Hood'' is an animated cartoon short subject, directed by Tex Avery and released with the movie '' Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case'' on May 8, 1943, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1994, it was voted number 7 of The 50 Greatest Cartoo ...
and Cigarette Girls
*
Elvia Allman
Elvia Beatrice Allman (September 19, 1904 – March 6, 1992) was an American actress in Hollywood films and television programs for over 50 years. She is best remembered for her semi-regular roles on ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' and ''Petticoat J ...
as Grandma
*
Connie Russell
Connie Russell (May 9, 1923 – December 18, 1990) was an American singer and movie actress. Born in New York City, she appeared in seven films from the 1930s through the 1950s. She was far better known as a singer than as an actress, as h ...
as Red Hot Riding Hood (singing voice)
*
Pinto Colvig
Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...
as Wolf howls
Crew
*Directed by: Tex Avery
*Story: Rich Hogan
*Animation: Preston Blair, Ray Abrams, Ed Love, Irven Spence
*Character Design: Claude Smith
*Layout and Backgrounds: John Didrik Johnsen
*Camera: Gene Moore
*Film Editor: Fred McAlpin
*Sound Editor: Fred McAlpin
*Music: Scott Bradley
*Co-Producer: William Hanna
*Produced by: Fred Quimby
Censorship
The element is the musical scene where Red performs and "Wolfie", as she calls him, reacts in a highly lustful fashion. Those reactions were considered so energetic that the
censors
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
at the time demanded cuts in this scene and others. Avery claimed that a censor made him edit out footage of the Wolf getting sexually aroused at the sight of Red performing. However, an army officer at
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, then heard about the censored prints and asked
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...
for uncut ones. The print was shown to military audiences overseas and went over great with them.
[Cohen (2004), p. 37] Preston Blair
Preston Erwin Blair (October 24, 1908 – April 19, 1995) was an American character animator, best remembered for his work at Walt Disney Productions and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio.
A native of Redlands, California, Blair began his a ...
on the other hand, who animated Red, did not recall any cuts to the film. He did recall, however, that the military went nuts over it.
[Cohen (2004), p. 38]
The film's original conclusion had Grandma marrying the wolf at a
shotgun wedding (with a caricature of
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
as the Justice of the Peace who marries them), and having the unhappy couple and their half-human half-wolf children attend Red's show.
[Cohen (2004), p. 38] The chase scene with Grannie and the Wolf ends in the completed film with him jumping out of a window. In the early script, the Wolf crawls back inside and explains that he is about to commit suicide. The chase continues and Red joins the two other characters. The Wolf is tied up and Grannie instructs Red to get a preacher. She then kisses the Wolf. The two get married at a shotgun wedding. The Wolf says "I do" with Red aiming an anti-aircraft gun at his back. The final scene takes place at a nightclub. Grannie and the Wolf attend a performance of Red. Three baby wolves at their table go wild over Red.
[Cohen (2004), p. 38] This ending was indeed animated and stills of the wedding scene are included in the MGM photo library. The images were fully inked and painted.
[Cohen (2004), p. 38]
Blair had his own censorship tale. According to him, the censor was dirty minded and thought the film promoted bestiality between a woman and a wolf. Blair was instructed to animate a new ending, where the wolf's face is torn off as a mask and he is revealed to be a man. He completed the additional footage, though disgusted with the unnecessary censorship. At the end the studio never used this ending and Blair was unaware if the print survived.
[Cohen (2004), p. 38]
This ending, deleted for reasons of implied
bestiality and how it made light of marriage (something that was considered taboo by the
Hays Office
The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...
's Production Code), was replaced with one (that has also been edited, but only on television) where The Wolf is back at the nightclub and tells the audience he is through with chasing women, and if he ever even looks at a woman again, he will kill himself. When Red soon appears onstage to perform again, the Wolf takes out two pistols and blasts himself in the head. The Wolf then drops dead, but his ghost appears and begins to howl and whistle at Red same as before.
A rumor surfaced at the 1992 Conference of the
Society for Animation Studies, that there was another alternate ending. According to this rumor, Wolf married Red and had a baby with her. Blair declared there was no such sequence. Mark Kausler provided a copy of a continuity script that clarified that Wolf married Grandma and not Red.
[Cohen (2004), p. 38]
Follow-ups
* Avery made several follow-ups to the film, including ''
Swing Shift Cinderella'' (1945), ''
The Shooting of Dan McGoo
''The Shooting of Dan McGoo'' is a cartoon directed by Tex Avery and starring Frank Graham as the Wolf. Both Bill Thompson and Avery himself voiced the lead character Droopy. Sara Berner did the speaking voice of Lou, while her singing was provid ...
'' and ''
Wild and Woolfy
''Wild and Woolfy'' is a 1945 animated cartoon short, one of six cartoons in which Droopy was paired with a wolf as his acting partner. It is one of a very few cartoons in the series where Bill Thompson did not voice Droopy, instead Tex Avery hims ...
'' (both 1945 and starring
Droopy
Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro- ...
), ''
Uncle Tom's Cabaña'' (1947), and ''
Little Rural Riding Hood
''Little Rural Riding Hood'' is a 1949 MGM animated cartoon short subject directed by Tex Avery, conceived as a follow-up to his 1943 cartoon ''Red Hot Riding Hood''.
In 1994, the cartoon was ranked in 23rd place of The 50 Greatest Cartoons. It ...
'' (1949) and ''The Hick Chick'' (1946, cameo as a nurse at the end of the cartoon). Red's voice actresses included
Sara Berner
Sara Berner (born Lillian Ann Herdan; January 12, 1912 – December 19, 1969) was an American actress. Known for her expertise in dialect and characterization, she began her career as a performer in vaudeville before becoming a voice actress for r ...
,
Imogene Lynn
Imogene Lynn (1922 – 2003) was a 20th-century American jazz and pop singer.
Biography
Lynn was born September 9, 1922 in Trenton, Missouri. She began singing professionally in 1940, singing with Emerson Gill and other bands on a national tou ...
, and Ann Pickard.
* Red made a comeback in the
Saturday morning cartoon
"Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a br ...
series ''
Tom & Jerry Kids
''Tom & Jerry Kids'' (formerly known as ''Tom & Jerry Kids Show'' in the first season) is an American animated comedy television series co-produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment Co., and starring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry a ...
'' and ''
Droopy, Master Detective
''Droopy, Master Detective'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons in association with Turner Entertainment, and a spin-off of '' Tom & Jerry Kids''. It debuted on Fox's Saturday morning block Fox Kids and ...
'' (voiced by
Teresa Ganzel
Teresa Ganzel is an American actress and comedian.
Career
Ganzel was a recurring cast member of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' as the Matinee Lady in the "Tea Time Movie" skits. She has often played stereotypical ditzy blonde bimb ...
), given the name "Miss Vavoom" in the ''Droopy and Dripple'' shorts and "Mystery Lady" in ''Calaboose Cal''. As in the original MGM cartoons, Red plays the "
damsel in distress
The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...
" while the Wolf (here known as "McWolf") and Droopy compete for her affections.
* Red appeared in the ''
Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
''
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
movies like ''
Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes
This is a list of feature length films of the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise.
Theatrical films
Direct-to-video films
All direct-to-video films are produced by Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation.
''Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring' ...
'', ''
Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse'', and ''
Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure
''Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure'' is a 2013 animated fantasy comedy direct-to-video film starring Tom and Jerry, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Tom and Jerry are the faithful servants of Jack, son of the founder of a struggling storybook a ...
'' (voiced by
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
), where she was a primary character to the films' plots; the Wolf also made a few appearances, even becoming her groom in ''Meet Sherlock Holmes''.
*The chase sequence through a Toontown hi-rise in the 1988 film ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 1 ...
'' is heavily inspired by the Wolf/Grandma chase sequence in ''Red Hot Riding Hood'', including several gags (ex: the door that opens to the outside of the building) directly lifted from the short. The Wolf from the short was planned to have a cameo in the film, but was later dropped for unknown reasons.
* Red made a cameo appearance in the 1998
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
animated film, ''
Quest for Camelot
''Quest for Camelot'' (released internationally as ''The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot'') is a 1998 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Frederik Du Chau and very loosely based on t ...
'', where she appeared briefly during the third verse of "If I Didn't Have You" with Cornwall, before she turned into Devon's head.
* The Coco Bongo scene in the 1994 film ''
The Mask'', was based on the cartoon, with the Mask, completely acting and sometimes looking like the wolf. The Mask was banging himself in the head with a mallet, and ends up dancing with Tina. Stanley Ipkiss also has a tape of this cartoon and watches it in his room.
Distribution
* ''
Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1''
lu-Ray(restored)
References
Sources
*
External links
*
*
*
{{Little Red Riding Hood
1943 films
1943 animated films
1943 short films
1940s American animated films
American parody films
Fairy tale parody films
1940s animated short films
American sex comedy films
Animated films about wolves
Censored films
Films scored by Scott Bradley
Films based on Little Red Riding Hood
Films directed by Tex Avery
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films
Self-reflexive films
Tex Avery's Big Bad Wolf films
Films produced by Fred Quimby
Films set in Los Angeles
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio short films
Red (animated character) films
Film controversies
Obscenity controversies in animation
Obscenity controversies in film