Some of the information is Boop-Oop-a-Dooping full of SPOILERS. Boop-Oop-a-Doop! Bonnie Poe (Clara Rothbart)
Bonnie Poe (236 West 70th Street), called as a witness in behalf of the defendant Paramount Publix Corporation.
Miss Poe, pardon me if I ask you how old you are?
Bonnie Poe: "19."
What is your business or occupation?
Bonnie Poe: "Stage."
How long have you been on the stage?
Bonnie Poe: "Four or five years."
Do you recall your first appearance on the stage?
Bonnie Poe: "At the Fordham Theatre in an opportunity contest."
Do you remember about when that was?
Bonnie Poe: "About four or five years ago."
When you refer to an opportunity contest, you mean by that a Helen Kane contest?
Bonnie Poe: "No."
Were you also in the Helen Kane contest, were you not?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
And preceding that you say that you were in an opportunity contest?
Bonnie Poe: "That is right."
Can you fix the time of that opportunity contest?
Bonnie Poe: "I don't remember, but I think it was the latter part of 1929, or the early part of 1930. I am not sure."
It was at the Fordham Theatre, where?
Bonnie Poe: "Fordham Theatre in the Bronx."
Will you describe what this opportunity contest was?
Bonnie Poe: "Well, it is a sort of an amateur contest, where the neighborhood is invited in to perform or whatever they do on the stage, and they try for the first, second or third prize."
You were in that contest that you have described?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Was that opportunity contest given in conjunction with the regular performance at the theatre.
Bonnie Poe: "After the show was over, after the vaudeville was over they had an opportunity contest."
Do you know whether Miss Helen Kane was on the bill at the theatre preceding the opportunity contest?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, she was."
Did you have occasion to see Miss Kane after the opportunity.
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, I did."
Will you tell his Honor the circumstances under which you met Miss Kane?
Did you see and speak to Miss Kane?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, I did."
When?
Bonnie Poe: "After the opportunity contest was over, back stage."
Of the Fordham Theatre?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Will you state what the conversation was?
Bonnie Poe: "Miss Kane told me about the Helen Kane contest that was going to be held at the Riverside the following week and told me that she thought that it would be a very good idea if I joined the contest."
In the opportunity contest what did you do on the stage?
Bonnie Poe: "I sang."
What did you sing?
Bonnie Poe: "I sang a song called 'Do Something'."
You sang a song called "Do Something"? Prior to the time that you sang this song "Do Something" in this opportunity contest, did you see Helen Kane perform publicly?
Bonnie Poe: "No."
Did you ever see her perform prior to that time?
Bonnie Poe: "No."
Where did you get the song "Do Something"? Did you after that opportunity contest appear in the Helen Kane contest?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, I did."
When and at what theatre?
Bonnie Poe: "I think it was the following week, or maybe two weeks later, at the Riverside Theatre."
Were you the winner at that contest?
Bonnie Poe: "There was a tie between Mae Questel and myself.
What did you receive as prize?
Bonnie Poe: "$100."
Did you receive any other prize, any other Helen Kane contest prize prior to that time?
Bonnie Poe: "There was a contest at the Riverside but that was not the final contest, and I received a prize of $25, preliminary contest."
That $25 prize was in a Helen Kane contest that preceded the final one?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
That was an elimination contest, was it?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
And you were chosen to go into the final competition.
Bonnie Poe: "That is right."
Or the final contest?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Will you describe to his Honor how you sang "Do Something" at the Fordham Theatre at this opportunity contest?
Bonnie Poe: "I sang in my natural voice, the way I always sang."
Will you describe that voice so that we will know how that sounded?
Mr. Weltz: Objected to. (Sustained. Exception.)
How old were you at that time?
Mr. Weltz: "Objected to. The young lady has given us her age."
After you were awarded the prize in the Helen Kane contest, did you appear publicly at any theatre or night club?
Bonnie Poe: "I appeared at the Everglades Night Club."
When?
Bonnie Poe: "Well, it was some time that year, maybe a month or two after the contest, I don't remember the exact date."
For how long did you appear there?
Bonnie Poe: "A couple of weeks."
Where did you go from there?
Bonnie Poe: "After that I went to the Paramount unity."
At what theatre?
Bonnie Poe: "I opened at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago."
What did you sing at the Paramount unity?
Bonnie Poe: "I sang a song called 'He's So Unusual' and 'Aintcha'."
How long did you work in this Paramount unity?
Bonnie Poe: "Oh, about 12 or 14 weeks."
Did you have any professional engagements after you left the Paramount unity?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Where was that?"
Bonnie Poe: "I went to work in a vaudeville team and we worked on the R.K.O. Circuit.
Do you remember what theatres you worked at?
Bonnie Poe: "We worked all theatres around New York and all theatres through the Middle West and down South."
Covering what period of time did you work for the R.K.O.?
Bonnie Poe: "In 1932."
Will you tell me what your act consisted of on the R.K.O. Circuit?
Bonnie Poe: "I went as a comedienne and I played straight form, that is, the young man told the jokes and I answered them."
Did you sing any songs?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, and sang."
What?
Bonnie Poe: "First I gave my impersonation of Helen Kane."
Then what did you do?
Bonnie Poe: "Then I sang a straight song."
You have been employed by the Fleischer Studios, haven't you, in recording the voice for some of these Betty Boop cartoons?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, I have."
Do you remember the pictures in which your voice was so recorded?"
Bonnie Poe: "I cannot remember all of them."
When did you first go to work for Fleischer Studios, Inc.?
Bonnie Poe: "In February, 1933."
Who was it that engaged you for Fleischer Studios, Inc.?
Bonnie Poe: "Mr. Diamond."
Where did you see him?
Bonnie Poe: "At the Paramount Building, in his office.
Would you relate the conversation that you had with Mr. Diamond at the time?
Mr. Weltz: Objected to. (Sustained. Exception.)
Was the name Helen Kane mentioned in any way in your talk with Mr. Diamond at the time he employed you?
Miss Poe, when you gave these impersonations of Helen Kane, who introduced that fact, you or your partner?
Bonnie Poe: "He did."
Your partner's name was Ed Stanley?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
When you sang your impersonations of Helen Kane, this was in the vaudeville acts?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
When did you start the vaudeville act wherein you were announced by your partner as an impersonation of Helen Kane in songs?
Bonnie Poe: "We were working together through the year 1932, and maybe the latter part of 1931, but I don't remember, but around that time."
This was all before you were hired by the Fleischer Studios, or Mr. Diamond, is that correct?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, sir."
Which song did you sing in impersonation of Helen Kane?
Bonnie Poe: "'He's So Unusual'."
You know that that was Helen Kane's famous song?
The question is asked several times and is objected to by Mr. Phillips.
You knew that Helen Kane had sung that song in the moving picture "Sweetie"; isn't that so?
Bonnie Poe: "I did not see the picture, but I heard the song."
In order to impersonate Helen Kane you had to hear her sing, isn't that so?
Bonnie Poe: "I did hear her sing."
You heard her sing that song "He's So Unusual"?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, at the theatre."
When you went into this opportunity contest in 1929, where was the first one that you entered?
Bonnie Poe: "At the Fordham Theatre."
You sang what song, please?
Bonnie Poe: "'Do Something'."
You knew the moving picture "Nothing but the Truth" in which Richard Dix appeared?
Bonnie Poe: "I never saw the picture."
Did you know that "Do Something" was sung by Helen Kane in "Nothing but the Truth"?
Bonnie Poe: "I heard it over the radio and heard a lot of people sing it."
You heard Helen Kane sing it, too?
Bonnie Poe: "Surely."
That was before you entered this contest in 1929; isn't that so?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
You were only a young girl at that time and that was the first time that you appeared publicly at the Fordham?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Then you spoke to Miss Kane?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Then Miss Kane invited you to one of her contests, is that correct?
Bonnie Poe: "That is right."
You had heard of Miss Kane by that time, hadn't you, as quite a well known actress.
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
And you had heard her sing and you knew of her particular style of singing?
Bonnie Poe: "I had never seen her work, but I heard her sing from records and things."
Which records did you hear, Miss Poe? You say that you heard, we will say, a dozen of the records?
Bonnie Poe: "Probably."
When you appeared at the Riverside on the first occasion, which song did you sing?
Bonnie Poe: "'Do Something'."
You sang that in as good an imitation of Helen Kane as you could, is that right?
Bonnie Poe: "At the opportunity contest at the Fordham I just sang a song, and I went into the Helen Kane imitation contest."
Then you tried to imitate her?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
You sang "Do Something" in imitation of Helen Kane?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
And you had heard her sing that before, so that you could imitate her, isn't that so?
Bonnie Poe: "No, that is not true."
In order for you to imitate her you had to know the way she sang?
Bonnie Poe: "I picked the song 'Do Something' not for that purpose..."
Where did you get the song "Do Something"?
Bonnie Poe: "I got it in a music store."
Have you that copy with you yet?
Bonnie Poe: "No."
You have saved the picture of Miss Kane that she gave you, were you the young lady who saved the picture?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes. I gave the picture of Miss Kane, but I would not keep the song."
You were anxious to win that contest weren't you?
Bonnie Poe: "Surely."
And you knew that whoever imitated Helen Kane best would win the contest?
Bonnie Poe: "Sure."
So that you did your best to imitate Miss Kane, is that right?
Bonnie Poe: "That is right."
After singing "Do Something" in the first Helen Kane contest, did you sing in the second Helen Kane contest?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, ' Do Something'."
Again you tried your best to imitate Miss Kane?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Who was the young lady who won the first prize?
Bonnie Poe: "There wasn't any first prize, the first prize was divided between Mae Questel and myself."
What did Mae Questel sing?
Bonnie Poe: "I don't remember."
Did you see her perform?
Bonnie Poe: "I probably did, but I was interested in myself."
I am not criticizing you for that, but do you remember what Miss Questel sang?
Bonnie Poe: "No, I don't."
You haven't any idea?
Bonnie Poe: "No."
What was your first appearance after these contests?
Bonnie Poe: "At the Everglades."
Did you sing there in impersonation of Miss Kane, too?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, I did my own songs and then I gave an impersonation of Miss Kane."
Then you sang a song in your own style?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
And then you sang in impersonation of Miss Kane?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
And when you impersonated her, you said that you were going to impersonate Miss Kane?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Miss Poe, you testified before that you sang in your natural voice. Was that a baby voice?
Mr. Weltz: "Objected to."
The Court: "Sustained."
Where you present at the projection room of Paramount Public in connection with this trial when cartoons were exhibited?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes."
Do you recall whether there were projected any cartoons for which you recorded?
Bonnie Poe: "Yes, sir."