Unfortunately there isn’t any footage of Esther Jones performing, but this information became public knowledge in Helen Kane’s own lawsuit.
Only one problem, Helen Kane’s based most of her persona on a Black woman. An animation studio fronted by a powerful man reaping the spoils of a woman’s hard work? Everybody should’ve been in Helen Kane’s corner. Fleischer Studios even produced a cartoon of Betty performing “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” the song Helen Kane made famous. On paper, this could’ve been an open and shut case: there are dozens of videos of Helen Kane doing the “Boop Boop a Doop” shtick Betty is known for. As the cartoons got popular, Helen Kane felt entitled to a piece of the pie, suing Max Fleischer and Paramount Studios for $250,000. When Betty Boop first went into production, animator Grim Natwick admitted to finding inspiration in Kane whilst designing the character, admiring her baby voice and nasal singing. She was Paramount’s breadwinner from 1929-1931, making at least seven films under the company at a salary of $8000 a week.
#BETTY BOOP BLACK PEOPLE CODE#
Before The Hays Code however, was a case of legal controversy surrounding the origins and influence of the character.Įnter: Helen Kane. Thankfully, her run from 1932 to 1939 was seminal enough to establish her as a cultural icon of sorts.
Subject to controversy because American society in the 1930s couldn’t fathom a woman being flirtatious, adventurous, and self-determined in any capacity, Betty Boop’s momentum couldn’t make it to the 40s as Fleischer Studios tried to adapt to the standards brought forth by The Hays Code.
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