The eighth Talkertoons animated short, Barnacle Bill, featuring the second appearance of who would later become Betty Boop, sees Fleischer Studio's lead star of the time, the cartoon dog who would later become Bimbo, as the rough and tough sailor who drinks his whisky from an old tin cup, Barnacle Bill.
The film is inspired by and features a clean version of an otherwise dirty and highly offensive drinking song about a fictional character referred to as Barnacle Bill the Sailor and his tryst with a fair young maiden. It seems to me an obvious attempt at a more adult version of Disney's Steamboat Willie (1928). I couldn't help noticing that Bimbo and the captain antagonist in Barnacle Bill have a similar dynamic to Mickey Mouse and Pete.
Barnacle Bill (Bimbo) slips away from his moored ship after a slapstick incident allows him to evade his captain. Once free, the sailor consults his little black book before deciding to pay Nancy Lee (canine Betty, voiced by Ann Little) a visit. Bimbo and Betty communicate operatically in a duet before a sexual tryst between the two is comically implied off screen by gossiping cat neighbors. The song recommences as Bimbo refuses Betty's suggestion of the two being wed, by showing off his tattoos of his various girlfriends whom he courts at every port. Bimbo abandons Betty before running into his angry captain and slapstick hi-jinks ensue until the conclusion.
It's meant to be played for gags, but it's actually quite offensive in that Betty was just practically courted for sex and subsequently left behind, which is completely not cool of Betty's future boyfriend Bimbo, but the narrative is nonetheless following the story of the source theme song.
Although there really is no continuity between animated shorts in the Talkartoons and Betty Boop series, Betty and Bimbo are more intimately acquainted in Barnacle Bill than their previous brief meeting in Betty's debut cartoon Dizzy Dishes (1930). It's distasteful, but it rather unprecedentedly pushes the boundaries of risque material in a cartoon. Betty is a lot more goofily animated at this point than the much more prestigious and graceful animation she would be given later, although the animation here is still technically impressive, especially a 3-D sequence where Bimbo ascends a stairway.
Barnacle Bill is a most peculiar time capsule in cartoon history but is still capable of arresting viewers today. It's weird, disturbing, bizarre, and delightful. It does contain the usual Fleischer head scratching conclusion scene that generally leaves you with little sense of resolve (this particular one being one of my favorites) that sees Bimbo dancing with mermaids at the bottom of the sea over a catchy song and a choir that includes Betty's distinctive high pitched voice. Oh and be prepared to have Barnacle Bill the Sailor stuck in your head every time you think of this cartoon.
