On this date in 1930 Betty Boop premièred in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes, the seventh instalment in Fleischer's Talkartoon series. 10 facts about her:
The first time Betty Boop appeared on screen she wasn’t a woman, but rather a character with the body of a woman and the head of a French poodle. She soon evolved into a fully human character, though, and her floppy poodle ears became hoop earrings.
She was designed by Grim Natwick at the request of studio owner Max Fleischer.
She could have been based on one of three different real life performers. Some say she was based on actress Clara Bow; others say she was based on a nightclub singer called Esther Jones, who was well known for performing the song I want to be loved by you, which includes the line Boop-oop-ba-doop, which became Betty’s catchphrase. However, Fleischer is said to have told his artists he wanted a caricature of a singer called Helen Kane. Kane presumably was known for I want to be loved by you, too, since she sued Fleischer over the use of the line.
Betty’s voice has been provided by numerous people over the years. The first person to lend her voice was Margie Hines. Others include Kate Wright, Bonnie Poe, Ann Rothschild, and perhaps the best known, Mae Questel, who was also the voice of Olive Oyl in Popeye. Today, Betty is voiced by Cindy Robinson.
Because Mae Questel and Max Fleischer were both Jewish, some fans looked for signs that Betty was Jewish, too. They cite the one appearance of Betty’s parents on screen when they are shown to be strict, European immigrants who get upset because she doesn’t like their traditional foods. However, the foods in question aren’t kosher foods and their accent is German. So there’s no real evidence to make Betty Jewish.
Most of her appearances were in black and white, with only one appearance in colour. This was in a cartoon called Poor Cinderella. Betty’s hair usually appeared to be black, but in this film she was a redhead.
Even her best known modern day appearance is in black and white. In fact, she’s the only character in Who Framed Roger Rabbit who is not in colour. She is shown as a waitress who says that work had been slow since cartoons were now in colour.
She wears strapless short-skirted dresses and on her left thigh a fancy garter. She was probably the first animated female character to be portrayed as sexy. Many of her plot lines involved her fending off unwanted male attention. Hence she was probably the first cartoon character to be censored. The Production Code introduced in 1934 meant Betty had to be tamed, which didn’t go down so well with audiences. Her popularity declined and her series was cancelled.
Like many real life celebrities today, Betty had a signature lipstick in partnership with MAC Cosmetics. So, incidentally, did Cinderella and Barbie. Betty’s Lipstick was described as “a universal shade that complimented warm and cool skin tones."
In March 2009, a UK newspaper voted Betty Boop the second sexiest cartoon character of all time, with Jessica Rabbit in first place and the Cadbury's Caramel Bunny in third.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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