Hubert Prior Vallée, known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, saxophonist, bandleader, actor, and entertainer. He was the first male singer to rise from local radio broadcasts in New York City to national popularity as a "crooner".
Max Fleischer was a Polish-American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków, Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios, which he co-founded with his younger brother Dave. He brought such comic characters as Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman to the movie screen, and was responsible for several technological innovations, including the rotoscope, the "follow the bouncing ball" technique pioneered in the Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes films, and the "stereoptical process". Film director Richard Fleischer was his son.
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.
Talkartoons is a series of 42 animated cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures from 1929 to 1932.
Mae Questel was an American actress. She was best known for providing the voices for the animated characters Betty Boop and Olive Oyl.
The bouncing ball is a virtual device used in motion picture films and video recordings to visually indicate the rhythm of a song, helping audiences to sing along with live or prerecorded music. As the song's lyrics are displayed on the screen in a lower third of projected or character-generated text, an animated ball bounces across the top of the words, landing on each syllable when it is to be sung.
The Old Man of the Mountain is a 1933 American pre-Code live-action/animated short in the Betty Boop series, produced by Fleischer Studios. Featuring music by Cab Calloway and his Orchestra, the short was originally released to theaters on August 4, 1933, by Paramount Pictures. Calloway voices all of the characters in the cartoon save for Betty herself. Calloway and his orchestra also perform all of the music in the cartoon, including two songs Calloway co-wrote.
Betty in Blunderland is a Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, which was released on the 6th of April in 1934. Also known as Betty in Flunkerland.
Poor Cinderella is a 1934 Fleischer Studios-animated short film featuring Betty Boop. Poor Cinderella was Fleischer Studios' first color film, and the only appearance of Betty Boop in color during the Fleischer era. It was the first Paramount Pictures animated short in color.
Betty Boop and Little Jimmy is a 1936 Fleischer Studio animated short film, starring Betty Boop and featuring newspaper comic strip character Little Jimmy.
"You’re Driving Me Crazy" is an American popular song composed by Walter Donaldson in 1930 and recorded the same year by Lee Morse, Rudy Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees and Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians.
"Kitty from Kansas City" is a "comedy fox trot song" with lyrics by Harry Rose and music by Jesse Greer, popularized in 1930 by the singer, Rudy Vallée.
The Vagabond Lover is a 1929 American pre-Code black-and-white musical comedy-drama film about a small-town boy who finds fame and romance when he joins a dance band. The film was directed by Marshall Neilan and is based on the novel of the same name written by James Ashmore Creelman, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Rudy Vallee, in his first feature film, along with Sally Blane, Marie Dressler and Charles Sellon.
Esther Lee Jones, known by her stage names "Baby Esther", "Little Esther", and other similar variations, was an American singer and child entertainer of the late 1920s, known for interpreting popular songs with a "mixture of seriousness and childish mischief". After gaining attention in her hometown of Chicago, she became an international celebrity before leaving the public spotlight as a teenager.
Minnie the Moocher is a 1932 Betty Boop cartoon produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures.
Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee is a 1932 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Rudolf Ising. The short was released on March 19, 1932. It lampoons the popularity of crooners among young women, with popular crooners Bing Crosby, Russ Columbo, and Rudy Vallée being the namesake of the film.
Chinatown, My Chinatown is a 1929 animated short film which was presented by Max Fleischer and directed by Dave Fleischer. The film, which was originally released by Paramount, features a sing-along version of the song "Chinatown, My Chinatown", a song that was originally published in 1910.
I'm Afraid to Go Home in the Dark is a 1930 animated short film which is presented by Max Fleischer and was directed by Dave Fleischer. The film, which was originally released by the film company Paramount Pictures, features a sing-along version of the song "I'm Afraid to Come Home in the Dark", which was written by Egbert Van Alstyne and Harry Williams and was originally published in 1907.
The Stein Song is a 1930 animated short film which is presented by Max Fleischer and was directed by Dave Fleischer. The film, which was animated by Rudy Zamora and Jimmie Culhane, features a sing-along version to "The Stein Song", which was written by Lincoln Colcord and was originally published in 1910. The song is also the school song for the University of Maine.
Kitty from Kansas City is a 1931 animated short film which is presented by Max Fleischer and was originally released by Paramount Pictures. The film, with features Betty Boop as she attempts to comically get to Rudy Valley, features a sing-along of the song "Kitty From Kansas City", a song that Vallee released on vinyl via the Victor record label.
