boop-oop-a-doop

Esther Lee Jones, Helen Kane and the real story of Betty Boop

Betty Boop first appeared in Fleischer cartoons as a girlfriend or sidekick (image via Picryl)

Betty Boop always found herself in the weirdest, scariest, most bizarre situations. As her animator Max Fleischer told his team, “If you can do it in real life, why animate it?” And so between 1930 and 1939, Betty Boop, originally dreamed up as a caricature of 1920s flappers, appeared in 100-plus cartoons. She traveled with the circus, outwitted mad scientists and even ran for president — almost always while being pursued by some lecherous, lip-licking villains. 

But despite Betty’s instant ubiquity, not everyone was a fan of the curvaceous cartoon. The Hays Code demanded Fleischer Studios strip Betty of her garter and paint more clothes to cover up her otherwise skimpy ensemble. Other animators also criticized the cartoon’s over-the-top sexuality, adult themes and dark storylines. And in 1932, Helen Kane, the iconic singer behind the 1928 hit “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” filed suit against Max Fleischer and Paramount Studios, claiming the team behind Betty Boop ripped off Kane’s high-pitched scatting and baby-voiced singing — and, most damningly, her signature catchphrase. Boop-oop-a-doop. 

PhotoPlay magazine, the uber-popular celebrity tabloid, published this comparison between Kane and Boop (image via Wikimedia Commons)

Over the next few days, I’ll be profiling the women brought into the celebrity trial that Kane vs. Fleischer became, including Esther Lee Jones, a Black comedienne of the Jazz Age; Mae Questel, the pin-curled voice actress; and of course Helen Kane herself, a singer who bet big on taking down Betty Boop. 

More on 💋: 

• The Evolution of Betty Boop, Smithsonian Magazine

• Betty Boop’s Shifting Design, JSTOR

• The Real Betty Boop was Whitewashed Out of History, Bust Magazine

• The People v. Betty Boop, History

• Finding Her Voice, Fleischer Studios

More from me: 

• Last week’s subscriber-only edition was adapted from my recent piece in Maisonneuve Magazine. Read more about depictions of girlhood in contemporary art, featuring appearances from Anna Weyant, Jeanine Brito, and, of course, Marie. And if you’re in Quebec any time soon, pick up a copy of the phenomenal print issue! 

• I’m featured on the WSJ Your Money Briefing, talking about how election fatigue can link to overspending. Listen here!

• Do you remember the Dear America series? Follow me on TikTok — I’m reviewing them  as I reread them!

@juliaccarpenterThis one was a doozy #booknostalgia #booktok #yabooks #dearamericabookseries #newyorkcity #royaldiaries

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