Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee - Toonstalgia

Toonstalgia: Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee

A Fleischer Studio Cartoon

Directed by Dave Fleischer
Animated by Seymour Kneitel and Bernard Wolf
Betty Boop, Voiced by Little Ann Little

Rating: Don't eat the food.

"Made of pen and ink. She can win you with a wink. 

Ain't she cute? Boop-boop-be-doop. Sweet Betty."

-Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee

You could watch the short and skip this

Betty Boop is a chef at a lunch wagon where everyone goes to get fill up on her wheat cakes. Bimbo and Koko visit her lunch counter. Everyone overindulges. Even the moon needs to take a break to recover from Betty's cuisine while a lamp fills in.

Details noticed after a dozen views

The orchestra used easily recognizable music melodies like "Singing in the Bathtub" when the plates are bathing and "A Bicycle Built for Two" when a little chef is riding an egg beater in a bowl. This is part of the style of the cartoons at the time. The orchestra used these common songs as shorthand like animators used visual symbols. Koko's soup is shown to be cold by the flies skating on it, a joke that has been repeated a thousand times.

The man with big round ears could be a reference to Mickey Mouse who debuted four years earlier or possibly a common image used to indicate a mouse in the same way the the big oval jaw with two clearly defined nostrils. He just looks a lot like Mickey.

Little Ann Little, the voice of Betty Boop

Betty is voiced by Little Ann Little. She had the look of Betty and won the role through a contest by Paramount. According to her dance teachers, she was a precocious kid. They would let her into class even when her parents couldn't pay because they "found themselves enjoying a free vaudeville show whenever Ann was around" (The Winnipeg Evening Tribune, June 13, 1930).

Sources

Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee. Dir. Dave Fleischer. Perf. Little Ann Little. Paramount Pictures, 1932.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Boop%27s_Bizzy_Bee

(1930, June 13). Stage. The Winnipeg Tribune, pp. 6.

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: A Salute to Minutiae (In Progress) #Bippy

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

An In-Progress List of More than You've Ever Wanted To Know 

(18/140 episodes)

I started this list because I was trying to remember which episode they did a salute to pills and I could not find the information online. There are so many episodes and gags that I'm going to keep updating this list of interesting details as I watch my way through the series. It's long but not comprehensive. Every episode of Laugh-In is manic and gag filled.

I don't understand all the references so I'll describe them as well as I can. I'll beef up the entries to tell you more than you ever wanted to know about Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.

The list includes singing numbers, the Celebrity guest featured in the door introductions and anything that makes me stop and go, "What?"

This is all because I was trying to find the picture of an interesting costume. I'm not normal.

"Here come the judge."

• Season 1
• Episode 3 
• Song and Dance
• Gimme, Gimme, Gimme Money - Cher and the Ladies of Laugh-In in fur coats
• Celebrity in the Doors: Cher
• Episode 10
• Song and Dance
• Falling in Love with Someone - Ruth Buzzi falls off a ledge
• Undiscovered Stars of Tomorrow Today - Dancing Dromedary
• Corrected the next week, actually a Dancing Bactrian
• Undiscovered Stars of Tomorrow Today - International Opera Star, Snookie Lanson
• News Across the Nation - the Ladies of Laugh-In as clowns in black and white dresses.
• "There are fairies in the bottom of my garden." - Joanne Worley
• Mod, Mod World - Looks at Communication - The Cast of Laugh-In, Barbara Feldon and Flip Wilson
• Celebrity in the Doors: Barbara Feldon, The Bee Gees(Album) and Flip Wilson
• Sock it to Me - Judy hides in a tank and still gets drenched.
• Details: Flies "Your man is open.", Wind-up Lady
• Marijuana sketch - Acapulco Gold and Panama Red
• Episode 11
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - the Ladies of Laugh-In as Italian Dancers
• Googled and it seemed to be the closest. They were wearing dresses, flowers in their hair and holding tambourines with ribbons. If I am wrong, please correct.
• The Ladies of Laugh-In as the Ladies of the USO at Fort Dix New Jersey
• Mod, Mod World - The adventure of being a woman in the world and getting sexually harassed - The Ladies of Laugh-In
• Shudder, shudder
• Potpurri - "It's a quarter to 3..." Joanne Worley
• Celebrity in the Doors: Pamela Austin, Flip Wilson
• Morgul as the Friendly Grelve
• Party Scene Joke of Note - "For my birthday Boris gave me a Polish goldfish. It drowned." Joanne Worley
• Remember Polish jokes? I do with my Polish great-grandparents and all. This is a weird one. It's a variation on the submarine joke.
• Undiscovered Stars of Tomorrow Today - Lucky Pierre - The ventriloquist and the dying dummy
• Undiscovered Stars of Tomorrow Today - The dog act
• Sock it to Me with a Judy getting beheaded by a guillotine, a magician saws her in half, and knives thrown at her.
• The Doors - "What happens if cross a chicken with a dalmatian?" "A spotted chicken that chases fire trucks."
• Episode 12
• Song and Dance
• Judy Carne tap dancing in roller skates and singing "I found in my mother's eyes"
• The Pansies - "Sock it to Me Sunshine"
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In in pink gown in a "Sweet Charity" Pastiche?
• Kaye Ballard - "I Just Kissed My Nose Good Night"
• Here Come the Judge with the Guys of Laugh-In
• "The Law is on her Side" with the Ladies of Laugh-In
• Celebrity in the Doors: Kaye Ballard, the Curtain Calls
• Morgul as the Friendly Grelve
• Hung Jury (really dark joke)
• Episode 14
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - Barbara Feldon and the Ladies of Laugh-In wearing blue and white striped outfits
• "Pays to Advertise" with the Cast of Laugh-In and Barbara Feldon
• Celebrity in the Doors: Barbara Feldon, Tim Conway
• Morgul as the Friendly Drelb (seriously, how do you spell that?)
• Episode 15
• Song and Dance
• "God Bless You Tiny Tim" Ode to Tiny Tim
• News Across the Nation - Offensive stereotype Native American costumes
• Season 2
• Episode 1
• Song and Dance
• Up with Higher Education - Barbara Feldon and the Ladies of Laugh-In in college gowns
• News Across the Nation - the Ladies of Laugh-In as Tiny Tim
• Details: Richard Nixon
• Episode 12
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - the Ladies of Laugh-In as wind-up dolls in pastel dresses
• Toys of Self Destruction - The Cast of Laugh-In as Elves
• The 12 Weapons of Christmas - The Cast of Laugh-In as Elves
• Celebrity in the Doors: Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
• Details: Judy Carne wears a beautiful striped dress in the Party scene
• Flying Fickle Finger of Fate: Toy manufacturers of America
• Episode 13
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - the Guys of Laugh-In dressed up as the New Year's Baby
• Celebrity in the Doors: Kate Smith, Vincent Price, Rich Little
• Eerie Presidential primary debate
• Episode 18
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - the Ladies of Laugh-In and Don Rickles in pink leotards
• Celebrity in the Doors: Don Rickles
• Episode 19
• Song and Dance
• Hello Love and Marriage - Davy Jones, the Cast of Laugh-in at a wedding
• Celebrity in the Doors: Davy Jones
• Episode 20
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In in Valentine's costumes and Tiny Tim in a white suit, top hat and tails
• Celebrity in the Doors: Tiny Tim
• Details: Morgul the Friendly Grelb played by Gary Owens
• Season 3
• Episode 12
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In in Green Pilgrim minidresses
• Privacy - The Ladies of Laugh-In and Dick in yellow gowns with orange feathers
• Celebrity in the Doors: None
• Details: Appearance of Supercreep Mickey Mouse. Oh, the nightmares!, The Frog Quickie
• Episode 14
• Song and Dance
• And Everybody Laughed it Off - The Cast of Laugh-in and Greer Garson telling bad jokes in boater hats and suits
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In and Greer as Mae West
• Celebrity in the Doors: Greer Garson
• Details: Most horrifying Mickey Mouse ever!, Farkle
• Episode 15
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In and Nancy Sinatra as drunk New Year's revelers
• Nancy Sinatra and the Cast of Laugh-In - "A Whoopee Party"
• Nancy Sinatra and the Ladies of Laugh-In - "Made it through the Sixties"
• Celebrity in the Doors: Nancy Sinatra
• Details: Farkle family...I just got the joke
• Episode 21
• Song and Dance
• Quickies - Theresa Grave
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In as the Ladies of Russian Laugh-In
• Do The Farkle - The Cast of Laugh-In
• Celebrity in the Doors: Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show)
• Episode 23
• Songs and Dance
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In as possibly Middle Eastern? They're ululating and wearing a traditional costume.
• Celebrity in the Doors: Ringo Starr
• Details: Farkle
• Episode 24
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - The Ladies of Laugh-In as Marionettes
• Celebrity in the Doors: Danny Kaye
• Details: Farkle
• Season 4
• Episode 12
• Song and Dance
• News Across the Nation - Dinah Shore in a red gown and the Cast of Laugh-in Suits and Bowlers
• You Gotta Smile Through Everything - Dinah Shore and the Ladies of Laugh-in as Clowns
• High Joke 
• Mod, Mod World - Dinah Shore Sings about the working girl then the ladies of Laugh-In continue the song as show girls
• Celebrity in the Doors: Dinah Shore
• Character on a skateboard, can't identify.
• Mime

For More Information

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In entry on Wikipedia

Betty Boop-Stopping the Show - Toonstalgia

Stopping the Show - A Betty Boop Cartoon

Toonstalgia

A 1932 Fleischer Studios Cartoon

Directed by Dave Fleischer

Animated by Roland Crandall, Rudolph Eggeman, Al Eugster

Mae Questel, voiced by Bonnie Poe

Rating: Boop-boop-be-do

Fleischer Studios

In 1931, Chicago Tribune published an article by Tom Pettey. He visited Fleischer Studios. He had the same fun with the cartoons that I do.

"Betty Boop is the sort of a girl who goes to parties and loses her head and sometimes both legs. She flies, swims, crawls and grows or reduces to fit the occasion."

-Tom Pettey, Chicago Tribune, August 24, 1931

According to his article, it took 8000 drawings to create a single short and employed about 200 people. The 200 people included everyone involved in the production including the orchestra. 

He said this "destroys a lot of 'illusions'". It doesn't for me. The sheer scope of effort and work that went into the cartoons makes them more impressive.

It's worth noting, the reporter refers to Bimbo as a dog and Betty's "boy friend". Bimbo's status as Betty's boyfriend was controversial for canine reasons. I don't know if he meant the grade school "boy that is her friend" boy friend but I doubt it. It's one piece of evidence that Betty and Bimbo were an item.

"Stopping the Show"

The first Betty Boop cartoon (not the first appearance of Betty Boop) was "Stopping the Show" and it's a work of meta goodness. The cartoon is set in a theater. A Koko and Bimbo cartoon plays before Betty's live show of imitations. 

The first imitation is Helen Kane and Betty sings "He's my weakness" but she doesn't reference Kane. She doesn't need to change her appearance because Betty was based on Kane. Helen Kane was cut out of later prints due to litigation she was involved in over the studio using her likeness when designing Betty.

Second is an imitation of Fanny Brice who sang "I'm an Indian" in the 1928 lost film "My Man". It's a cringy sequence to those with modern sensibilities. The images are stereotypical symbols people thought of at the time when they thought Native Americans like her dress and a teepee. The animators wanted to quickly and easily communicate the theme of the song.

She also imitates Maurice Chevalier when she sings "50 Million French Men can't be Wrong". He was also the singer of the "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" and as I hate that song. I didn't know he sang it until I looked him up for this.

The cartoon has the usual gags but most of the attention is on Betty's act as it should be.

Sources

Stopping the Show. Dir. Dave Fleischer. Perf. Mae Questel, Gus Wickie. Paramount Publix Corporation, 1932.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_the_Show

Pettey, Tom (1931, August 24). Gotham's Goofiest Place Spotted. Chicago Tribune, pp. 5.