all things betty boop
Betty Boops Biography
Born: 8 August 1930
Birthplace: The Movies
Best Known As: The coy and sexy cartoon dame from the 1930s
Betty Boop was the cartoon cutie developed by Max Fleischer for Paramount Studio's Talkartoons cartoon series. Oddly, Betty Boop began life as a dog, but by 1930 she had evolved into a coy flapper whose innocent skirt-lifting and trademark line "boop-boop-a-doop" were sweetly suggestive of more than just singing and dancing. She made her debut on 8 August 1930 in "Dizzy Dishes," the sixth installment of the Talkartoon series. Boop was a big hit right away, and starred in over 100 cartoons from 1931 to 1939. Her design was altered several times in response to critics of her hubba-hubba look, and over the years she became increasingly less saucy (and less popular). Thanks to a Boop Renaissance in the 1990s, with her smiling image showing up on everything from jewelry to slot machines, Betty Boop has continued to have strong merchandising power into the 21st century.
Mae Questal, the voice of Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoon series, also did Betty's.
Betty today
Betty Boop's films found a new audience when Paramount sold them for syndication in 1955. U.M.&M. and National Telefilm Associates were required to remove the original Paramount logo from the opening and closing as well as any references to Paramount in the copyright line on the main titles. However, the mountain motif remains on some television prints, usually with a U.M.&M. copyright line, while recent versions have circulated with the Paramount-Publix reference in cartoons from 1931.
A display of Betty Boop collectibles.The original "Betty Boop" cartoons were in black and white. And as newer product made for television began to appear, her cartoons were soon retired, particularly with the arrival of color television in the 1960s. But Betty's film career saw a major revival in the release of "The Betty Boop Scandals of 1974", and became a part of the post 1960s counterculture movement. NTA attempted to capitalize on this with a new syndication package, but there was no market for cartoons in black and white. As an answer, they had them remade cheaply in Korea, but were unable to sell them due largely to sloppy production that belied the quality of the originals. Unable to sell them to television, they assembled a number of the color cartoons in compilation feature titled, Betty Boop for President to capitalize on the 1976 election. But it saw no major theatrical release, and resurfaced in 1981 on HBO under the title, Hurray for Betty Boop.
It was the advent of Home Video that created an appreciation for films in their original versions, and Betty was rediscovered again in Beta and VHS versions. The ever expanding cable television industry saw the creation of American Movie Classics, which showcased a selection of the original black and white "Betty Boop" cartoons in the 1990s, which led to an eight volume VHS set, "Betty Boop, the Definitive Collection." To date, no official DVD releases have been made in spite of the tremendous interest. In spite of this, there are currently 22 public domain Betty Boop cartoons available at the Internet Archive.
Filmography (Betty Boop series)
Note: see the Talkartoons filmography for Betty Boop's earlier appearances, and see the Screen Songs filmography for additional Betty Boop's appearances.
1932
Film Original release date
Stopping the Show 12 August
Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee 19 August
Betty Boop, M.D. 2 September
Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle 23 September
Betty Boop's Ups and Downs 14 October
Betty Boop for President 4 November
I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You 25 November
Betty Boop's Museum 16 December
1933
Film Original release date
Betty Boop's Ker-Choo 6 January
Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions 27 January
Is My Palm Read? 17 February
Betty Boop's Penthouse 10 March
Snow White 31 March
Betty Boop's Birthday Party 21 April
Betty Boop's May Party 12 May
Betty Boop's Big Boss 2 June
Mother Goose Land 23 June
Popeye the Sailor# 14 July
The Old Man of the Mountain 4 August
I Heard 1 September
Morning, Noon and Night 6 October
Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party 3 November
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers 1 December
1934
Film Original release date
She Wronged Him Right 5 January
Red Hot Mamma 2 February
Ha! Ha! Ha! 2 March
Betty in Blunderland 6 April
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame 18 May
Betty Boop's Trial 15 June
Betty Boop's Life Guard 13 July
Poor Cinderella 3 August
There's Something About a Soldier 17 August
Betty Boop's Little Pal 21 September
Betty Boop's Prize Show 19 October
Keep in Style 16 November
When My Ship Comes In 21 December
1935
Film Original release date
Baby Be Good 18 January
Taking the Blame 15 February
Stop That Noise 15 March
Swat the Fly 19 April
No! No! A Thousand Times No!! 24 May
A Little Soap and Water 21 June
A Language All My Own 19 July
Betty Boop and Grampy 16 August
Judge for a Day 20 September
Making Stars 18 October
Henry, the Funniest Living American 22 November
Little Nobody 18 December
1936
Film Original release date
Betty Boop and the Little King 31 January
Not Now 28 February
Betty Boop and Little Jimmy 27 March
We Did It 24 April
A Song A Day! 22 May
More Pep 19 June
You're Not Built That Way 17 July
Happy You and Merry Me 21 August
Training Pigeons 18 September
Grampy's Indoor Outing 16 October
Be Human 20 November
Making Friends 18 December
1937
Film Original release date
House Cleaning Blues 15 January
Whoops! I'm a Cowboy 12 February
The Hot Air Salesman 12 March
Pudgy Takes a Bow-Wow 9 April
Pudgy Picks a Fight! 14 May
The Impractical Joker 18 June
Ding Dong Doggie 23 July
The Candid Candidate 27 August
Service with a Smile 23 September
The New Deal Show 22 October
The Foxy Hunter 26 November
Zula Hula 24 December
1938
Film Original release date
Riding the Rails 28 January
Be Up to Date 25 February
Honest Love and True 25 March
Out of the Inkwell 22 April
The Swing School 27 May
The Lost Kitten 24 June
Buzzy Boop 29 July
Pudgy the Watchman 12 August
Buzzy Boop at the Concert 16 September
Sally Swing 14 October
On With the New 2 December
Thrills and Chills 23 December
1939
Film Original release date
My Friend the Monkey 28 January
So Does an Automobile 31 March
Musical Mountaineers 12 May
The Scared Crows 9 June
Rhythm on the Reservation 7 July
Birthplace: The Movies
Best Known As: The coy and sexy cartoon dame from the 1930s
Betty Boop was the cartoon cutie developed by Max Fleischer for Paramount Studio's Talkartoons cartoon series. Oddly, Betty Boop began life as a dog, but by 1930 she had evolved into a coy flapper whose innocent skirt-lifting and trademark line "boop-boop-a-doop" were sweetly suggestive of more than just singing and dancing. She made her debut on 8 August 1930 in "Dizzy Dishes," the sixth installment of the Talkartoon series. Boop was a big hit right away, and starred in over 100 cartoons from 1931 to 1939. Her design was altered several times in response to critics of her hubba-hubba look, and over the years she became increasingly less saucy (and less popular). Thanks to a Boop Renaissance in the 1990s, with her smiling image showing up on everything from jewelry to slot machines, Betty Boop has continued to have strong merchandising power into the 21st century.
Mae Questal, the voice of Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoon series, also did Betty's.
Betty today
Betty Boop's films found a new audience when Paramount sold them for syndication in 1955. U.M.&M. and National Telefilm Associates were required to remove the original Paramount logo from the opening and closing as well as any references to Paramount in the copyright line on the main titles. However, the mountain motif remains on some television prints, usually with a U.M.&M. copyright line, while recent versions have circulated with the Paramount-Publix reference in cartoons from 1931.
A display of Betty Boop collectibles.The original "Betty Boop" cartoons were in black and white. And as newer product made for television began to appear, her cartoons were soon retired, particularly with the arrival of color television in the 1960s. But Betty's film career saw a major revival in the release of "The Betty Boop Scandals of 1974", and became a part of the post 1960s counterculture movement. NTA attempted to capitalize on this with a new syndication package, but there was no market for cartoons in black and white. As an answer, they had them remade cheaply in Korea, but were unable to sell them due largely to sloppy production that belied the quality of the originals. Unable to sell them to television, they assembled a number of the color cartoons in compilation feature titled, Betty Boop for President to capitalize on the 1976 election. But it saw no major theatrical release, and resurfaced in 1981 on HBO under the title, Hurray for Betty Boop.
It was the advent of Home Video that created an appreciation for films in their original versions, and Betty was rediscovered again in Beta and VHS versions. The ever expanding cable television industry saw the creation of American Movie Classics, which showcased a selection of the original black and white "Betty Boop" cartoons in the 1990s, which led to an eight volume VHS set, "Betty Boop, the Definitive Collection." To date, no official DVD releases have been made in spite of the tremendous interest. In spite of this, there are currently 22 public domain Betty Boop cartoons available at the Internet Archive.
Filmography (Betty Boop series)
Note: see the Talkartoons filmography for Betty Boop's earlier appearances, and see the Screen Songs filmography for additional Betty Boop's appearances.
1932
Film Original release date
Stopping the Show 12 August
Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee 19 August
Betty Boop, M.D. 2 September
Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle 23 September
Betty Boop's Ups and Downs 14 October
Betty Boop for President 4 November
I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You 25 November
Betty Boop's Museum 16 December
1933
Film Original release date
Betty Boop's Ker-Choo 6 January
Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions 27 January
Is My Palm Read? 17 February
Betty Boop's Penthouse 10 March
Snow White 31 March
Betty Boop's Birthday Party 21 April
Betty Boop's May Party 12 May
Betty Boop's Big Boss 2 June
Mother Goose Land 23 June
Popeye the Sailor# 14 July
The Old Man of the Mountain 4 August
I Heard 1 September
Morning, Noon and Night 6 October
Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party 3 November
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers 1 December
1934
Film Original release date
She Wronged Him Right 5 January
Red Hot Mamma 2 February
Ha! Ha! Ha! 2 March
Betty in Blunderland 6 April
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame 18 May
Betty Boop's Trial 15 June
Betty Boop's Life Guard 13 July
Poor Cinderella 3 August
There's Something About a Soldier 17 August
Betty Boop's Little Pal 21 September
Betty Boop's Prize Show 19 October
Keep in Style 16 November
When My Ship Comes In 21 December
1935
Film Original release date
Baby Be Good 18 January
Taking the Blame 15 February
Stop That Noise 15 March
Swat the Fly 19 April
No! No! A Thousand Times No!! 24 May
A Little Soap and Water 21 June
A Language All My Own 19 July
Betty Boop and Grampy 16 August
Judge for a Day 20 September
Making Stars 18 October
Henry, the Funniest Living American 22 November
Little Nobody 18 December
1936
Film Original release date
Betty Boop and the Little King 31 January
Not Now 28 February
Betty Boop and Little Jimmy 27 March
We Did It 24 April
A Song A Day! 22 May
More Pep 19 June
You're Not Built That Way 17 July
Happy You and Merry Me 21 August
Training Pigeons 18 September
Grampy's Indoor Outing 16 October
Be Human 20 November
Making Friends 18 December
1937
Film Original release date
House Cleaning Blues 15 January
Whoops! I'm a Cowboy 12 February
The Hot Air Salesman 12 March
Pudgy Takes a Bow-Wow 9 April
Pudgy Picks a Fight! 14 May
The Impractical Joker 18 June
Ding Dong Doggie 23 July
The Candid Candidate 27 August
Service with a Smile 23 September
The New Deal Show 22 October
The Foxy Hunter 26 November
Zula Hula 24 December
1938
Film Original release date
Riding the Rails 28 January
Be Up to Date 25 February
Honest Love and True 25 March
Out of the Inkwell 22 April
The Swing School 27 May
The Lost Kitten 24 June
Buzzy Boop 29 July
Pudgy the Watchman 12 August
Buzzy Boop at the Concert 16 September
Sally Swing 14 October
On With the New 2 December
Thrills and Chills 23 December
1939
Film Original release date
My Friend the Monkey 28 January
So Does an Automobile 31 March
Musical Mountaineers 12 May
The Scared Crows 9 June
Rhythm on the Reservation 7 July
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