Year: 1949
Runtime: 6 mins
Language: English
Director: Tex Avery
The final Tex Avery take on his 1943 Red Hot Riding Hood cartoon follows a country wolf who visits his more refined city cousin. The cousin tries to teach the wolf basic manners while he watches nightclub performers, but his efforts at civilizing the wolf prove largely unsuccessful.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Little Rural Riding Hood (1949), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
The film opens with a hillbilly take on Little Red Riding Hood, centering on Country Red Colleen Collins as she explains she’s bringing nourishment to her grandma on a country farm, proudly clutching a moonshine bottle. At the farmhouse, the Country Wolf Pinto Colvig steps into frame and reveals himself, but he isn’t there to eat Red—he’s fallen in love and longs to kiss her.
A playful chase erupts around the farmhouse, and the mood lightens as the two flirt. Just as they lean toward a kiss, a telegram arrives for the wolf from his city cousin, City Wolf Daws Butler, who imitates George Sanders and invites him to meet the city’s equivalent of Red. On seeing her photograph, the city Wolf is instantly taken, and he heads to the metropolis.
In the city, the city Wolf is swept into a club scene where the city’s version of Red, City Red Imogene Lynn (archive sound), performs a seductive song-and-dance routine titled “Oh Wolfie,” a playful riff that nods to classic showmanship. The rural visitor watches with growing ardor, whistling and leering throughout the performance while his city cousin subtly keeps him in check.
During the show, the crowd-pleasing number features a flirtatious mood, and the city Wolf finds himself drawn toward the stage. The performance is partly borrowed from earlier animation traditions, with elements that nod to Swing Shift Cinderella (the 1945 Avery cartoon). When the routine ends, the city cousin seizes control by grabbing the suspenders and placing a hammer in them, then letting go to snap the hammer and knock him out, pulling him away from the stage and back toward the country.
Back at the farmhouse, the two wolves—country and city—return to find Country Red waiting. The city Wolf, now encountering country Red, becomes instantly attracted to her again and dashes toward her, only to be stopped once more by his city cousin in the same clever fashion as before. Sensing a chance to see the city Red again, the country Wolf decides the city life might suit him after all: he leads his city cousin back toward the urban world, insisting the country life is not for him and driving off into the distance.
Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!
In the end, the dynamic between the two Red figures and their rival wolves resolves with a playful note: the country life proves fickle for the city wolf, while the city’s glamour echoes the temptations of the modern urban landscape. The story keeps its brisk, humorous pace throughout, offering a lighthearted parody of Red Riding Hood through comic misadventure, flirtation, and a cheeky wink at classic animation traditions.
Last Updated: October 10, 2025 at 16:03
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