Little Red Riding Rabbit
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''Little Red Riding Rabbit'' is a 1944 Warner Bros. ''
Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...
'' cartoon, directed by
Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
, and starring Bugs Bunny. It is a sendup of the Little Red Riding Hood story, and is the first time in which
Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...
receives a voice credit. In 1994, ''Little Red Riding Rabbit'' was voted #39 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 car ...
of all time by members of the animation field.


Plot

Little Red Riding Hood is depicted as a typical 1940s teen-aged girl, a " bobby soxer" with an extremely loud and grating voice (inspired by screen and radio comedian Cass Daley, provided by
Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that ...
). After she sings the first verse of
Five O'Clock Whistle
in the opening to establish this fact, Bugs pops out of her basket to ask where she is going. She replies that she is going to "bring a little bunny rabbit to ergrandma ta HAVE." With this part of the story set up, the wolf is now introduced. The wolf switches a "Shortcut to Grandma's" sign, so that Red has to take an unnecessarily long mountain path, while the wolf uses the genuine shortcut – literally a few short steps to the house. Seeing a note pinned on the door that Grandma is not home (apparently, Grandma is a " Rosie the Riveter" type who is working the "swing shift" at Lockheed), the wolf sneaks inside and dresses like Grandma, only to find that three other wolves are similarly dressed and all waiting in the bed for Red. The wolf (voiced by Billy Bletcher) growls for the others to "COME ON! COME ON! Take a powder – this is ''MY''
racket Racket may refer to: * Racket (crime), a systematised element of organized crime ** Protection racket, a scheme whereby a group provides protection to businesses or other groups through violence outside the sanction of the law * Racket (sports equ ...
!" The other wolves leave, grumbling to themselves, and a small wolf, who was hiding under the pillow, sheepishly follows suit, too. Once in bed, the wolf waits for Red to arrive. But in a twist, the wolf is not interested in eating Red, but rather the rabbit she is bringing to Grandma. Red arrives and begins the "Grandma, what big eyes you have" routine, but is impatiently interrupted by the wolf, who quickly shuffles her out the door and tries looking for Bugs in the basket. Bugs, of course, quickly gets the better of the wolf and runs around the house, with the wolf in hot pursuit. Along the way, Bugs subjects the wolf to the famous lots-of-doors in-and-out routine (which will be repeated in '' Buccaneer Bunny''). The wolf, however, is constantly interrupted by Red, who continues her lines from the actual story. The wolf begins to flirt with her in a faux French accent, then suddenly yells at her to get out. When cornered by the wolf, Bugs mimics the wolf's speech and gestures, irritating him and eventually tricking him into singing ''
Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet Percy Wenrich (January 23, 1880 – March 17, 1952) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music. Personal life and career Born in Joplin, Missouri to Daniel Wenrich and Mary Ray, he left for Chicago in 1901 where he attended classe ...
'' (to which Bugs holds up a sign saying "Silly, isn't he?"). The wolf gets distracted by Red again, and after disposing of her, resumes singing until he notices that Bugs ran off. While the wolf is sneaking, Bugs manages to get into the gown the wolf is wearing and get a glowing coal from the fireplace and sends the wolf screaming in pain to the ceiling by scorching his backside. When the wolf comes down, Bugs has a large shovelful of hot coals waiting for him. However, the wolf manages to catch his feet on the ends of two benches just in time, doing the "splits". Instead of simply kicking one of the benches away, Bugs proceeds to dump various objects into the wolf's arms. After clearing out just about everything in the house, Bugs is about to apply the coup de grâce on the wolf – by placing ''
the last straw ''The last straw'' is an idiom referring to the Straw that broke the camel's back The idiom "the straw that broke the camel's back" describes the minor or routine action that causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumu ...
'' on top of the mass of junk and furniture the wolf is holding – when Red reappears, bellowing "Hey, GRANDMA!" (By now, Red has managed to comment on the wolf's big eyes, big nose, big ears and sharp teeth, and one wonders what she was planning to say next.) By this time, even Bugs has had enough of Red's interruptions, prompting him to say, "I'll do it, but I'll probably hate myself in the morning." He descends the ladder, and out of frame, there is a shuffling noise, and now ''Red'' is the one trying to avoid getting her bottom scorched, holding the weights and assorted junk, while Bugs and the wolf, arms around each other's shoulders, share a carrot and self-satisfied looks, and await the inevitable.


Analysis

Little Red Riding Hood is depicted as a spindly-legged, obnoxious and loudmouthed teenage bobbysoxer.Beckett (2008), p. 209Zipes (2011), p.141 Granny is working the swing shift at the factory, and the Wolf is more interested in eating Bugs rather than eating Red.Zipes (2011), p.141 The Wolf in fact kicks Red out of Grandma's house. He and Bugs are engaged in games of chasing and toying with each other. Their games are constantly interrupted by Red, who knocks on the door to ask the wolf the appropriate questions of the standard storyline. The Wolf and eventually Bugs are sufficiently irritated to keep her suspended over burning hot coals.Zipes (2011), p.141 She is punished for her "crime" of being obnoxious and exasperating.Zipes (2011), p.64 Warner Brothers often parodied Disney cartoons. Billy Bletcher parodied his own Disney performance in this cartoon, voicing Big Bad Wolf, just as he did in Walt Disney's Academy Award-winning classic, Three Little Pigs and its later spinoff,
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 ...
, the latter of which also incorporated the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Like other Bugs Bunny shorts released during World War II, this film features "a more violent rabbit with a more sadistic and mocking agenda".Sandler (1998), p.7 Cartoon Art Museum curator Andrew Farago writes, "What makes this cartoon stand head and shoulders above the 300-plus others Freleng directed is the music. Carl Stalling kicks things off with " The Lady in Red" playing over the opening credits, which is fun and all, but when Red first appears onscreen, belting out her unforgettable rendition of
Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...
's "The Five o'Clock Whistle", you know you're in for something special. Bea Benadaret nails her performance, and within a few ear-splitting notes, you know everything you'll ever need to know about Red."


Home media

This cartoon is found on the 1989
MGM Home Video Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC (d/b/a MGM Home Entertainment and formerly known as MGM Home Video, MGM/CBS Home Video and MGM/UA Home Video) is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. History 1 ...
release " Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons", the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 and Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3.


Connections

This was not the only depiction of Little Red Riding Hood in an animated short. Others include '' Little Red Riding Hood'' (1922) 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 ...
'' (1934) by Walt Disney, and '' Little Red Walking Hood'' (1937), ''
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 Cartoons ...
'' (1943), and '' Little Rural Riding Hood'' (1949) by Tex Avery.Beckett, Haase (2008), p. 587
Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
had already directed four fairy-tale films: '' Beauty and the Beast'' (1934), '' The Miller's Daughter'' (1934), ''The Trial of Mister Wolf'' (1941), and ''
Jack-Wabbit and the Beanstalk ''Jack-Wabbit and the Beanstalk'' is a 1943 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series, directed by Friz Freleng and starring Bugs Bunny, with all of the voices provided by Mel Blanc. It is a parody of the fairy tale "Jack and the Beans ...
'' (1943). He would go on to direct ''
Red Riding Hoodwinked ''Red Riding Hoodwinked'' is a "Looney Tunes" cartoon animated short starring Tweety and Sylvester. Released October 29, 1955, the cartoon is directed by Friz Freleng. The voices are performed by Mel Blanc and June Foray. The cartoon was Warner B ...
'' (1955).Zipes (2011), p. 402


Sources

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See also

*
List of Bugs Bunny cartoons This is a list of the various animated cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny. He starred in over 160 theatrical animated short films of the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and distributed by Warner Bros. P ...


References


External links


Little Red Riding Rabbit at the Big Cartoon Database
*
''Little Red Riding Rabbit'' on the Internet Archive
{{Little Red Riding Hood 1944 films 1944 short films 1944 animated films 1940s animated short films Merrie Melodies short films Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films American parody films Fairy tale parody films Short films directed by Friz Freleng Films based on Little Red Riding Hood Bugs Bunny films Animated films about wolves Films scored by Carl Stalling Films produced by Leon Schlesinger Big Bad Wolf 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese