Being especially lazy today, it's a good day for cartoon watchin', and this week I can focus on two greats in the cartoon world.
First Betty Boop. August 9th (yesterdays date) was Betty Boop's theatrical debut back in 1930. It was a Fleischer Bros. Talkartoon starring Bimbo, called "Dizzy Dishes". Bimbo had gone through many transformations over his career in the 20's and 30's and his design in this cartoon is pretty atypical, not at all what we're used to seeing him look or act like. He plays the waiter/chef/busboy of a night-club here and Betty makes her entrance as the night-club's featured musical attraction who is the apple of Bimbo's eye. You'll note the differences in Betty's appearance as well. In addition to having a little more meat on her (nothing wrong with that in Jeffy's book) she's also an anthropomorphic DOG. Check out her doggie nose and ears.
Enough yammering...enjoy the cartoon.
This is pretty loose animation as well, and very off from the Fleischer work that almost immediately followed and which I find endlessly appealing.
Another birthday that makes this an apropos way to spending my final free day is, next Sunday August 16th, marks the birth of Grim Natwick in 1890. Grim was the animator who designed Betty. He also was a lead animator at Disney for "Snow White" and one of the key people for bringing the heroine to such striking life. Grim passed away in October of 1990...a full 100 years old.
Cartoonists don't die young. There must be something to that. I should have paid attention to that before I got a real job.
Oh well...no real job today. :) Boop-Oop-A-Doop!
Thanks Stinky!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has carried Betty around on his shoulder for 30 years, I like the Jeffy nod on her birthday. Which of course I celebrate every year with dancing pancakes and eggs.
There is nothing like the Fleischer style, and even Mickey was much more entertaining when he was a New York style cartoon... before he became the polished worldwide marketing machine.