But the truth is the Fleischers had no idea who Esther Jones was until Helen Kane sued them, so they were not thinking of "Esther Jones" when they created Betty Boop, they were more or less thinking of Helen Kane, who was emulating Clara Bow, Kane was Bow's protégé. To claim that Betty Boop had originally debuted as "Black" would be a fabrication and lie, because Betty did not. Singer Tina Turner also recorded a " Ooh Poo Pah Doo" song, in reminiscent to Betty Boop's " Boop-Oop-a-Doop".īig Freedia has a music video "Betty Bussit" dedicated to both Betty Boop and Esther Jones.Ī majority of "African-Americans" assume that Betty Boop is Black because Baby Esther Jones was a Black girl. Indicating that Betty's scat-singing routine has "Black" roots and Betty's "hot licks" and or catchphrase that she uses "indirectly" links to Harlem nightclubs and cabarets. So when Betty Boop was emulating Helen Kane, the character was in fact emulating all these scat-singing sensations that came before her. Being as Helen Kane "allegedly" saw Baby Esther do a "Florence Mills" impersonation and copied, Kane was actually emulating Mills and or Gertrude Saunders without knowing. Betty Boop's " Boop-Oop-a-Doop" technique originates from African-American performers of the 1920s. She did more or a "Tweet" and alternative scatting, but paved the way for Florence Mills and Cab Calloway's sister Blanche Calloway. She was an African-American singer, dancer and actress who was quoted as being a "Boop" girl by the Afro-American newspapers during the 1930s. Gertrude Saunders was often cited as the original "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" girl. There was an actual "Boop" girl who was Black. Up until one day long after Betty Boop series had ended, Questel was told by a producer that she would probably not get any work in Hollywood if she didn't "drop" the "Betty Boop" persona. Especially Mae Questel, who lived as "Betty Boop" for a few years, some of her mannerisms were merged into Betty's persona. The women who voiced Betty Boop, Little Ann Little, Bonnie Poe, Margie Hines and Questel also inspired Betty's image, and they served as models for the animators, and also appeared as Betty in person at events. This included Mae West, Louise Brooks, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. After Natwick left the studio, the Fleischers not only used Kane, but a multitude of women of the 1920s to develop Betty. And that is why Clara Bow is often also thought of as the model for Betty Boop because she also played a great influence on the character's image and risqué behavior. However Helen Kane " who was not so original" never told anyone that she herself, was originally emulating or trying to emulate Clara Bow earlier on in her career. But Grim Natwick throughout his life, told the actual story of the creation of Betty Boop and who they had used to create Betty, which was Helen Kane. But because Helen Kane sued and lost, the Fleischers after winning would never own up to it. Had Kane not sued them, they may have revealed this. Helen Kane was the initial base for Betty Boop, though this has been discredited and debated due to the Fleischers not telling the truth. Though Betty Boop was often portrayed in person and voiced by Mae Questel a known "Helen Kane" impersonator who did the voice-over and singing in the cartoons, when Betty was initially created Grim Natwick had used a photograph of Helen Kane to create Betty Boop for the 1930 short Dizzy Dishes. They acknowledge Betty Boop's "appropriation" of Black culture.Īnother example would be when Betty is singing " How'm I Doin'?" she sings her " Tweet-Tweet-Tweet" song in a stereotypical Black voice. The Fleischers went on to say, a diverse range of individuals, including many Black people, contributed to the formation of the culture. The character was influenced by "culture" rather than a specific individual, and that "no one" was the model for Betty Boop. The Fleischers admitted in a late 2023 interview that when their ancestors created Betty Boop. The Blacktober event is strictly for Black and Mixed Black creators.Įven though Betty made her animated cartoon debut in the 1930s as a "white Jew," she was originally a canine and not a human, so her race shouldn't be a problem. Blacktober features cosplay, fan-fiction, visual art, redraws and streaming. #Blacktober is an event during October in which Black and Mixed Black creators regardless of their pigment are celebrated and uplift one another with their creativity of choice. Black Betty Boop often appears throughout Blacktober. Black Betty Boop is an alternative version of Betty Boop, she was originally known as " Bootleg Betty Boop".
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