Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party (1933)

I haven't been to a Halloween party since 2007. I guess I just eventually reached an age when I decided to always be a homebody on Halloween and hand out candy... Actually it was grad school; I blame grad school for turning me in to a hermit. But I do know that I sure would be excited to go to Betty Boop's Halloween party if she invited me. Judging from her Halloween cartoon, Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party, which was released November 3rd, 1933 (nearly 83 years ago), it would be a rather trippy experience, with me and Betty being the only humans among a boat-load of Jack-o'-lanterns, anthropomorphic animals, phantoms, and a mean old gorilla antagonist who would eventually crash the party. It doesn't look like there would be any alcohol, with the entertainment consisting of such traditional party activities as singing, dancing (Betty would personally provide the music), and bobbing for apples.

Did you know that apple bobbing used to be a pre-marriage custom, where girls would find their future husbands by secretly marking apples? And the boy that would successfully catch the marked apple with his teeth would be the lucky soon-to-be husband? I wonder if Betty marked any of those apples.

I kind of feel like apples might have lost there place in Halloween nowadays, having been replaced by candy bars and corn syrup.  

This is a pretty standard cartoon with lots of traditional Halloween iconography, which I have to admit I never seem to get tired of. There's a popular GIF that goes around online at Halloween time showing Betty dancing and lighting three Jack-o'-lanterns that came from this cartoon. Oddly Bimbo and Koko the Clown aren't here, but that's not a huge problem, because this time Betty doesn't need Bimbo to save her. 

I personally prefer Mysterious Mose (1930) over Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party, but the two cartoons do make a great pairing on Halloween, as does Red Hot Mama (1934), Minnie the Moocher (1932), and another Fleischer Studios short Swing You Sinners (1930). Fans of Betty Boop and Fleischer Studios would do well to visit the aforementioned shorts on Halloween; they are easy to find on YouTube nowadays.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Dynamite Comics: Betty Boop - Issue#1

With all the comic book reboots of classic franchises and icons occurring lately, one can only wonder why it took so long for someone to finally get around to Betty Boop.

The first issue of the long awaited Betty Boop comic series finally arrived this month from Dynamite comics, and it turned out to be well worth the wait. There are eleven cover variants, and as you can see from the above image, I couldn't help picking up a few.

After reading through issue#1 for the first time, I felt suitably pleased by the appropriate noirish feel (Betty just belongs on stage in the smoke-filled 1930s nightclub) combined with the charm of the original Fleischer Studios cartoons. There's also something both fresh and classic to Giselle Lagace's art style, and I'm very happy with the look and feel she brings to the pages. Betty does look a little taller, which is totally cool with me. 

It is a lot of fun to read, with a surreal and lighthearted horror story, by Roger Langridge, called Enter the Lizard that introduces several funny antagonists, such as Lenny Lizardlips and Dolly, a sinister Gothic ghost witch from Hell. Fans of the original cartoons will be pleased to see Betty's Pre-code pals Bimbo and Koko the Clown, as well as Grampy and Pudgy and even the lesser known Sally Swing from the later days of the original cartoon series. I wouldn't be surprised if Little Jimmy or Betty's boyfriend for a time Freddy eventually make appearances. Lookout for Mister Natwick, an obvious tribute to Betty's original animator Grim Natwick.

I'm super pleased by the first issue, and I seriously doubt I will be let down by the coming releases. May Betty Boop reign supreme in this new comic form, and may the future hold many Boop-Oop-A-Doop surprises. Let the era of Betty begin.

Snow White (1933)

Fleischer Studios adapted to animation several classic fairy tales where they substituted Betty Boop in the leading role, such as Little Red Riding Hood (Dizzy Red Riding Hood 1931), Alice in Wonderland (Betty in Blunderland 1934), Cinderella (Poor Cinderella 1934), and Snow White, in what I believe is the first animated adaptation of the famed Brothers Grimm classic.

Betty Boop (voiced by Mae Questel), looking as vivacious as ever, visits her wicked step-mama, The Queen, only to be ordered to be taken away and executed by her guards, Bimbo and Koko the Clown in knight armor, after the magic looking glass proclaimed Betty the fairest in the land. Bimbo and Koko have always been in love with Betty, so of course things don't go as the Queen would like.

I like the way Betty's signature leg garter, in a way, substitutes the wild boar's heart from the original fairy tale, a remainder of Snow White to prove to the queen she was dead. Yes, in the book the wicked queen demands Snow White's heart after her execution. She ends up salting, cooking, and eating a boar's heart all the while thinking it is Snow White's. It's pretty messed up for a children's tale, so I grinned with glee when I read it.

Snow White is a fun and memorable musical cartoon adaptation, but I think most viewers stop caring about the plot when the movie climaxes into another smokin' Cab Calloway performance, a la Minnie the Moocher, during which the evil step mother turned witch transforms Koko into a moon-walking roto-scoped specter while singing a rendition of Saint James Infirmary Blues and dancing over a scrolling macabre background. Shortly after, the cartoon wraps things up with a chase scene before a hastened but joyful closeout.

The original Snow White fairy tale serves as the inspiration for the framework of the cartoon, but it is the music, visuals, and Betty's cute numbers that make this one of the best Betty Boop cartoons. It's definitely more of a multifaceted music video that is best viewed after a couple drinks.

Betty Boop Pen Holder

I didn't necessarily need a pen holder, but it was Betty's long trail white dress that sold it for me. This combined with her long pearl necklace that hangs down to her waist and pearl earrings is as classy as they come.

People are still surprised whenever they see that I write with my left hand, although when it comes to penmanship, I've never had the greatest handwriting. When I would frantically scribble notes during class sometimes even I wouldn't be able to read my own writing. I still remember when I would hand-write reports and then type them up afterwards. Nowadays, I've found much more comfort in typing, but when preparing for movie reviews I still hand-write notes. In fact, when I'm in movie review mode, what I usually like to call "writing mode," I carry a notebook and pen around with me, in case an idea or inspiration happens to hit me.

I've also never been great at drawing. There was a time when I was around twelve or thirteen when I aspired to be a comic artist. I was mostly interested in drawing superhero babes. I had crushes on Rogue, Psylocke, Witchblade, and even Veronica Lodge from Archie Comics. I would attempt to draw them but never thought they would look as beautiful as they were supposed to be. Even recently I attempted to draw Betty Boop, and let me tell you she is not as easy to draw as you'd think.

Morning, Noon and Night (1933)

Morning, Noon and Night was the first of two Betty Boop cartoons to feature music performed by  violinist David Rubinoff and his Orchestra, the other cartoon being Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (1933). Here the orchestra is performing Ein Morgen, ein Mittag und ein Abend in Vienna, an overture by nineteenth century Austrian composer Franz von Suppe, who's classical pieces, owing to their operatic nature, would be used quite extensively in cartoons, a lot of times uncredited.

This is probably one of the more age-appropriate pre-code Betty cartoons and would probably fit in nicely alongside Loony Toons. As there isn't much of a story, the symphonic music juxtaposed with the cartoon visuals is where most of the entertainment value comes from. There is a clear cut conflict that arises after the peace loving chickens living in a utopia are disturbed by the arrival of the tomcat antagonists. This story conflict reminds me of how my mom liked to attract birds to her yard with bird feeders and how it frequently had the unfortunate consequence of attracting cats as well, and sadly a number of birds would fall prey to the skilled felines.

The cartoon does manage to take place over the course of morning, night, and day, as the title suggests, and is set on a chicken farm/haven run by Betty. All is well until the villains, traveling in a pack known as Tom Kats Social Club, arrive in their jalopy looking for chickens to prey on. Tomcat also means to pursue women promiscuously for sex, and this is kind of an in-joke that is figured into the conflict, in that the anthropomorphic cats are not just looking for chickens to eat but also a woman to have a good time with. This kind of puts Betty Boop in the same boat as the chickens. The situation is humorously exemplified in a sequence where Betty's head pops up over the fence in a line of chicken heads popping up to survey the onslaught from the feline invaders (I think this part is so cute and is the main reason I wanted to review this cartoon; it's also hilarious).

Morning, Noon and Night may not stand out as one of the most classic Betty Boop cartoons, but I do have a soft spot for it. It is a little disappointing in that I feel there is a wasted opportunity for Betty to be the hero of the story. Just when you think she's about to kick some ass, she is relegated to damsel-in-distress momentarily. Betty responds to the arrival of the cats as if she be saving the day, marching into battle as her theme song plays, but she is unfortunately overpowered and has to be saved, something I'll admit happens a little too often in Betty's cartoons. It's still a lot of fun when the fighting rooster shows those mean ol' cats who's boss.     

Barnacle Bill (1930)

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.      

Betty Boop Flask and Betty Boop's First Emoji

A charming little Betty Boop flask is a novelty I can't turn away from. I've only drank from it twice, just for the experience, otherwise I envision the cheap sticker adhesion eventually peeling off due to the liquid seeping into it. I already damaged it a little when I rinsed it out.

I don't actually carry a flask with me in public though. I'm more of a dry red wine at home with a Paul Naschy movie kind of person.

Sadly, I am allergic to beer. It causes a delayed allergic reaction where my nose turns into a runny faucet, my chest itches, and my airways tighten. Not fun... (Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, I'm allergic to white wine but not red wine, hmmm) 

I only drink spirits on special occasions like on holidays or as a celebratory drink, or two. I mostly enjoy sipping J&B Scotch straight or a smooth vodka like Sloop Betty, which has no affiliation with Betty Boop, but the bottle (right side of the image) still reminded me of her. After finishing up a new review to post on my other site, At the Mansion of Madness, I like to celebrate with a Tangueray and tonic. During outdoor barbecues for some reason I like whisky with Pepsi.

Speaking of Pepsi, the first Betty Boop emoji was created in time for World Emoji Day (today, July 17th) and is available on the #PepsiMoji smart phone app. I don't know if this is an issue with the Android app, but currently the emoji can only be used as a shared image, which I find disappointing. I love the image, but I really would like to use it in text messages and in social media text (not just as a sticker, but a text character). I hope the folks at #PepsiMoji eventually make that possible. That or I just don't know how to use the #PepsiMoji Keyboard right.