Betty boop inspiration12/18/2023 ![]() ![]() Via/ NYPLīaby Esther, AKA Esther Jones, AKA Gertrude Saunders, was quite popular in 1920s Harlem and even went on to become a showstopper in Paris, dubbed the next Josephine Baker! However, she faded from prominence and little is known about her life overall. It’s here that a young sensation named Baby Esther (not to be confused with Little Esther decades later) made her debut, using the Boop style that made risqué lyrics suddenly acceptable, years before Kane was recorded doing so. The name harkened back to the cotton fields of the South and sadly the entertainment was intended only for white audiences. But, many now believe that Kane’s character, with baby talk and signature lines, was actually based on another performer.īack at the Cotton Club, which opened in 1922, the performers on stage were to become some of the most well-known African American musicians of the era. Helen Kane went on to perform in her famed Boop style, as well as a more universally appreciated standard style. Helen Kane depicted alongside Betty Boop at the start of the trial. His council had argued that Betty Boop had started out as a dog and was never even intended to be a likeness (or even a regular character) – and they had won the case. In a lawsuit that lasted from 1932-1934 Kane was given no compensation or acknowledgement for Max Fleischer’s Betty Boop character. The nightclub performer would go on to have tumultuous careeron Broadway, radio, TV, and film, but would never win the official title of having been Fleishcer’s inspiration. ![]() Often depicting scandalous situations, some have argued that Betty Boop was never meant to become children’s entertainment, but was strictly for the adults.Ĭartoonist, Max Fleischer, was thought to have based the character on another famous performer of the era: Helen Kane. Via/ Wiki Commonsīy 1932, Betty Boop had become human and she also was doing a fantastic job of lifting people’s spirits in the midst of the Great Depression. The night club resembles the famed Cotton Club in New York and this fact comes into play later on in this fascinating story. In Dizzy Dishes she’s shown performing in a nightclub amongst a bevy of oddball characters and anthropomorphic objects. But, even in her first cartoon, Betty Boop has her signature black curls and baby talk voice. This fact was rectified after the Hays Code of 1934 prohibited the romantic pairing of a human and an animal in film. This explains why in later cartoons her boyfriend, Bimbo, is a dog despite the fact that she is depicted as a human, her long ears transformed into earrings. Betty Boop appears here as a dog, with a canine nose and long, droopy ears. The character began her long career in the short Dizzy Dishes released in 1930 from Fleischer Studios. ![]() But, the ditzy cartoon character actually has quite a murky and fascinating past. She went from salacious Depression era settings to the more light hearted image she has today and has won the hearts of millions. From her first appearance in the heyday of jazz to her beloved place in modern entertainment, Betty Boop has been a favorite of both children and adults for decades. Jazz studies scholar Robert O’Meally, referenced by the Harlem World Magazine, even referred to Saunders as Betty Boop’s “black grandmother.” But somewhere between 19, a white Broadway actress and singer, Helen Kane, caught one of Esther’s performances and almost immediately began using the “boops” in her songs.Īn article at Messy Nessy Chic tells the story of Esther Jones, Helen Kane, and Betty Boop, but only after running down the fascinating history of the Cotton Club itself.Betty Boop has been the subject of many an animation. Tipped to be the next Josephine Baker, her real name was Gertrude Saunders and African American historians believe that she “coined” the famous words “Boop-Boop-a-Doop”, first uttering them on stage at the Cotton Club. But karma intervened, as it turned out that Kane did not originate the "boop-boop-a-doop" act, but appropriated it from a Cotton Club headliner named Esther Jones, also known as Baby Esther. Kane was so upset that Fleischer stole her act for the cartoon character that she sued. Kane had made a career with her high voice, big eyes, and the "boop-boop-a-doop" she would insert into songs. When Grim Natwick first drew the character that became Betty Boop for Fleischer Studios, a song made popular by Helen Kane was the direct inspiration.
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