The Romance of Betty Boop | |
---|---|
Written by | Ron Friedman |
Directed by | Bill Melendez |
Starring | Desirée Goyette Frank W. Buxton |
Music by | Harry Ruby Harry Warren Desirée Goyette and Ed Bogas (music and lyrics) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers | Bill Melendez Lee Mendelson |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production company | Mendelson/Melendez Productions |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | March 20, 1985 |
The Romance of Betty Boop is a CBS animated television special featuring Betty Boop that aired on March 20, 1985. [1] The half-hour special was rebroadcast on CBS in December 1987. [2]
The story is set in New York City in 1939, during the Great Depression. The film opens with a New York montage, as a voiceover in mock period style introduces the story of "a romantic hardworking New Yorker, an independent girl who wants nothing more than to put her feet up and marry a handsome millionaire." Desirée Goyette sings "Just Give 'Em Your Boop-Oop-a-Doop" over the opening credits. Scraps of popular songs, especially "I Only Have Eyes for You", appear throughout the film.
Betty Boop is a girl who is adored by her neighborhood and courted by Freddie the iceman, but who dreams of moving in high society and achieving "personal greatness". Betty sells shoes by day and performs at Club Bubbles by night. Uncle Mischa Bubble, the Russian owner of the club, is threatened by mob boss Johnny Throat and his two henchmen because he cannot pay his debts. Seeing Betty perform on the stage, Throat decides to take over the club to force Betty to go out with him.
Betty sings "I Wanna Be Loved By You" to attract the attention of Waldo Van Lavish, a millionaire playboy. Betty goes on a date with Waldo, during which he says he wants Betty to meet his parents, so she believes he wants to marry her. Later, on her way to meet him, Betty is kidnapped by Throat's henchmen and taken to his apartment. Uncle Mischa calls Freddie to rescue Betty, but Betty escapes on her own. She meets Waldo's aged parents and discovers that Waldo merely wants her to be a maid in his parents' house. At the end, Betty apologizes to Freddie for ignoring him and gives him a kiss. To Freddie's dismay, however, she then gets a call from Hollywood to do a screen test.
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.
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Edgar Noel "Ed" Bogas, sometimes credited as Edward Bogas, is an American musician and composer whose work has been featured in films, animations, and video games.
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"Button Up Your Overcoat" is a popular song. The music was written by Ray Henderson, the lyrics by B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown. The song was published in 1928, and was first performed later that same year by vocalist Ruth Etting. However, the most famous rendition of this song was recorded early the following year by singer Helen Kane, who was at the peak of her popularity at the time. Kane's childlike voice and Bronx dialect eventually became the inspiration for the voice of cartoon character Betty Boop.
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