Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons

There is much more to the story of how Betty Boop was created then as presented by the producers of that program. While I'm going to have a full review of the show, I just want to note a few things here.

1. The impression was given that Max and Dave were the only creative forces at the studio. This is a gross disservice.

2. Grim Natwick who created the first version of Betty was not credited at all.

The animators who took over and re-designed the character were never mentioned. Myron Waldman was interviewed, but the producers never identified Myron was having been the head animator on more Betty Boops than anyone else.

3. The footage of the women who did the Boop voice was framed as though it was some sort of audition footage. It was not. It was taken from a Paramount newsreel celebrating the collapse of Helen Kane's lawsuit against the Fleischers for having used an imitation of her voice.

Mae Questel's name was mis-pronounced throughout the show.

4. Max Fleischer invented many things, but he did not invent Cinecolor as stated in the production. Max, like other producers, used Cinecolor because Disney had an exclusive contract with the much superior Technicolor process.

5. There was no effort to placing the Boop cartoons into their proper context in the history of the Fleischer studio...we don't hear about the features, Popeye or Superman or the end of the studio.

6. There was no mention of Betty's highly successful cameo in Who Framed Roger Rabbit or the delightful special produced by Collosal Pictures.

The show made the audience believe that Betty, aside from licensing, has been a dead character since 1939.

This entertaining and enlightening documentary from the A&E Network takes a close-up look at the creation (by American animator, Max Fleischer) of the animated cartoon character known as "Betty Boop", who quickly became a bona-fide celebrity in her own right.

Triumphantly reigning as the "Queen of Cartoons" throughout the 1930s - Betty Boop's overall appeal and popularity still continues to endure well into present-day pop culture where references to her character can often be sighted in several contemporary television presentations.