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Stopping the Show
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Stopping the Show |
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Stopping the Show (1932) |
Stopping the Show is a 1932 Fleischer Studios animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer. While it is not the first appearance of Betty Boop, it is the first short to be credited as a "Betty Boop" cartoon. Betty Boop appears onstage in a vaudeville theatre. Her "Betty Boop's Imitations" act consists mimicking real-life singers, this includes stars such as Fanny Brice and Maurice Chevalier. The cartoon audience enthusiastically cheers and applauds. Betty Boop's impressions in this episode is a play on Mae Questel's real life impersonations.
Quotes
- Billy Boop: "Hey... Mister, ya hat!"
- Fanny Brice: "Allo Betty, maybe you could giving out a little imitation from me no?"
- Betty Boop: "Okay, Fanny!"
- Maurice Chevalier: "Can you imitate me Betty Boop? Yes? Then do it and do it right now!"
- Betty Boop: "Bup-Bup-Boopy!"
- Betty Boop: "Thank you, thank you, aha!"
- Betty Boop: "Why I think you're so nice!"
- Betty Boop: "You're so sweet to me, thank you!"
Characters
- Betty Boop
- Bimbo
- Koko the Clown
- Billy Boop
- Orchestra
- Maurice Chevalier
- Fanny Brice
- Helen Kane (Removed from the episode due to $250,000 Infringement Lawsuit)
- Mayor of Hicktown
- Lady
- Elephant
- Durty Duzen
Cast & Crew
- Mae Questel as Betty Boop, Fanny Brice
- Margie Hines as Billy Boop
- Claude Reese as Bimbo, Koko the Clown
- Gus Wickie
- Maurice Chevalier as himself
- Max Fleischer (Producer)
- Adolph Zukor (Executive Producer)
- Dave Fleischer (Director)
- Rolland Crandall (Animator)
- Rudolph Eggeman (Animator)
- Al Eugster (Animator)
Music
- "Sweet Betty"
- "Paramount on Parade"
- "That's My Weakness Now"[2]
- "It's A Great Life (If You Don't Weaken)"
- "Happy Days Are Here Again"
- "I'm An Indian"
- "The Stars And Stripes Forever"
- "Hello Beautiful"
- "Just A Melody For A Memory"
- "Sobre las olas (Over the Waves)"
- "Rock-a-Bye Baby"
Mae Questel performs three imitations of popular songs from 1930s artists, though some of the songs debuted in the late 1920s. "Sweet Betty" is performed by Gus Wickie.
Helen Kane Scene
When the short was originally released, it contained a scene where Helen Kane would have originally asked Betty to "imitate" her, but due to the lawsuit between Kane and Fleischer Studios, this was removed and the scene cuts to Betty performing "That's My Weakness Now" on stage. According to historians Leslie Cabarga, Michael Dobbs and Jerry Beck, the reference was "attempted" to be removed, yet you can see an indication to Helen Kane's likeness on the easel in the background in two scenes. Kane did not make mention of providing the voice in the Betty Boop cartoons, during the lawsuit. Indicating that in Kane's easel scene, she was voiced by a mimic.
Gallery
Trivia
- Was released on the 12th of August in 1932.
- In Stopping the Show, Betty Boop's vaudeville act is based on Mae Questel, who used to mimic and impersonate people (most notably Helen Kane), before she became the voice of Betty Boop.
- This is the first episode in the "Betty Boop" series and is credited as "A Betty Boop Cartoon". Before the release of Stopping the Show, Betty had originally appeared in the Talkartoons series.
- Clips from this cartoon were later reused in Betty Boop's Rise to Fame.
- While Betty is performing "That's My Weakness Now", her baby brother Billy Boop watches her from the crowd.
- Betty Boop was officially sixteen according to Max Fleischer and was born on the 1st of April in 1915.[3]