Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle

Last updated

Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Shamus Culhane (uncredited)
Produced by Max Fleischer (producer)
StarringThe Royal Samoans & Miri
Margie Hines [1]
Music byThe Royal Samoans
Animation by Shamus Culhane (uncredited)
Seymour Kneitel
Bernard Wolf
Color process Black-and-white
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • September 23, 1932 (1932-09-23)
Running time
8 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle is a 1932 Fleischer Studios Betty Boop animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer. [2]

Contents

Plot

The cartoon opens with Bimbo as a sailor playing a ukulele and riding in a motorboat. His motorboat goes faster and faster, until it crashes into a tropical island shore. Bimbo is thrown from the wreckage and lands in another boat owned by Betty Boop, portrayed as a dark-skinned, topless (except for a strategically placed lei) island princess.

Bimbo introduces himself and sings to Betty before they go over a waterfall, and are flung from the boat into a clearing surrounded by spirited tree that sing an eerie song. A group native warriors approach, so Bimbo disguises himself by painting his face black with dirt and sticking a bone in his hair. The natives are ready to attack Bimbo at first, but treat him as an honored guest after hearing him sing. Bimbo is entertained by Betty who does a hula dance, after which a sudden rainstorm washes off his disguise. The natives immediately turn on Bimbo, and he and Betty are chased from the village. They run until they reach Bimbo's motorboat to make a narrow escape. When it seems that they are alone, the two proceed to kiss in private behind an umbrella, with a convenient hole.

Production

Betty's hula dance was a visual high point of this episode and appears to be closely modeled on the hula dancer that appeared in the opening live action sequence (though the dancer was not "topless" as Betty is). This is one of the more apparent examples of the rotoscope technique which the Fleisher Studio used for realistic animation. The hula sequence was later reused for Betty's cameo in 1933's Popeye the Sailor and in 1934's Betty Boop's Rise to Fame .

Related Research Articles

<i>Snow-White</i> (1933 film) 1933 film

Snow-White is a 1933 American animated short in the Betty Boop series from Max Fleischer's Fleischer Studios. Dave Fleischer was credited as director, although virtually all the animation was done by Roland Crandall, who received the opportunity to make Snow-White on his own as a reward for his several years of devotion to the Fleischer studio. The resulting film, which took six months to complete, is considered both Crandall's masterwork and an important milestone of the Golden age of American animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleischer Studios</span> American animation studio

Fleischer Studios was an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of its films. In its prime, Fleischer Studios was a premier producer of animated cartoons for theaters, with Walt Disney Productions being its chief competitor in the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Boop</span> Animated cartoon character

Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Dave Fleischer. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She was featured in 90 theatrical cartoons between 1930 and 1939. She has also been featured in comic strips and mass merchandising.

<i>Talkartoons</i> Series of animated cartoons

Talkartoons is a series of 42 animated cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures from 1929 to 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bimbo (Fleischer Studios)</span> 1930s cartoon dog, companion of Betty Boop

Bimbo is a fat, black and white cartoon pup created by Fleischer Studios. He is most well known for his role in the Betty Boop cartoon series, where he featured as Betty's main love interest. A precursor design of Bimbo, originally named Fitz, first appeared in the Out of the Inkwell series.

<i>Popeye the Sailor</i> (film) 1933 American film

Popeye the Sailor is a 1933 animated short produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Publix Corporation. While billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, it was produced as a vehicle for Popeye in his debut animated appearance.

Betty Boop's Rise to Fame is a 1934 Fleischer Studios animated short film, starring Betty Boop.

Betty Boop, M.D. is a 1932 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Koko the Clown and Bimbo. The animated short is certainly one of the more surreal entries in the Betty Boop filmography.

Betty Boop's Ker-Choo is a 1932 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Koko the Clown and Bimbo.

Is My Palm Read is a 1933 Pre-Code Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Koko the Clown and Bimbo.

Betty Boop's Penthouse is a 1933 Fleischer Studios animated short film featuring Betty Boop assisted by Koko the Clown and Bimbo.

I Heard is a 1933 Pre-Code Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Koko the Clown and Bimbo. The cartoon features music by and a special guest appearance from jazz musician Don Redman and his Orchestra.

Barnacle Bill is a 1930 Fleischer Studios animated short film. It is part of the Talkartoons series, and featured Betty Boop and Bimbo.

Zula Hula is a 1937 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Grampy.

Betty Boop's May Party is a 1933 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Koko the Clown and Bimbo.

<i>Bimbos Initiation</i> 1931 film

Bimbo's Initiation is a 1931 Fleischer Studios Talkartoon animated short film starring Bimbo and featuring an early version of Betty Boop with a dog's ears and nose. It was the final Betty Boop cartoon to be animated by the character's co-creator, Grim Natwick, prior to his departure for Ub Iwerks' studio.

Dizzy Dishes is an animated cartoon created by Fleischer Studios in 1930, as part of the Talkartoon series. It is noted for being the first cartoon in which Betty Boop appears. Under current United States copyright law, the short will enter into the public domain in 2026.

The Bum Bandit is an animated short film created by the Fleischer Studios in 1931 as part of the Talkartoons series. Betty Boop is voiced by Harriet Lee.

Dizzy Red Riding Hood is a 1931 Pre-Code Fleischer Studios Talkartoon animated short film starring Betty Boop.

<i>Minnie the Moocher</i> (film) 1932 Betty Boop cartoon

Minnie the Moocher is a 1932 Betty Boop cartoon produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures.

References

  1. ↑ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices from the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 333. ISBN   979-8-88771-010-5.
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 54–56. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.