Thespian Mae Questel was born on this day in 1908 (she died in 1998.) If you don't recognize the name, you at least may recognize the iconic cartoon character to whom she lent her voice:
When Betty Boop made her animation debut in 1930, she was a dog. I don't mean that unkindly, that she was a homely human woman. No, I mean that literally. She was neither homely nor human but a member of the species Canis familiaris. Allow me to explain. At the time another anthropomorphic pooch named Bimbo was animation studio head Max Fleischer's most popular character. Fleischer came up with a story for a cartoon short that had Bimbo as a dishwasher in a nightclub in love with a sexy canine singer, and asked his leading animator Grim Natwick, to come up with a design. Natwick's Betty was similar to the later human version, except that she had droopy ears and a little black nose. The subsequent short, "Dizzy Dishes", did well, and Betty remained both a supporting player and a sexy dog (she's seen in a lacy bra in one pre-Code cartoon) for the next ten or so shorts (sources vary.) Theater operators made it clear to Fleischer that they wanted to see more Betty and less Bimbo. And that it wouldn't hurt to remove any urge towards bestiality on moviegoers' parts if they were given an actual member of the species Homosapiens to drool over. And so Betty was humanized, her droopy ears replaced by earrings, and the dark nose transformed into a pert dash. As for Bimbo, he stuck around for a while as a supporting player, remaining a canine. Needless to say, the relationship between him and Betty from that point on was strictly platonic. Around this time (sources again vary), Mae Questel took over vocal duties from Betty's original portrayer Margie Hines and enacted the squeaky-voice flapper for eight years, longer than any other actor. However, that wasn't Questel's only acting achievement, as you'll find out in this interview from the 1980s:
Still sounds like Betty, doesn't she? Probably the reason Questel was asked to do the character one more time in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit?:
Recently, a musical based on Betty Boop opened and very shortly thereafter closed on Broadway. Perhaps if the show's producers had found some psychic who could have channeled Mae Questel's vocal talents, it would still be running today.
I knew of Betty Boop, but I never took much notice. I recall a court case, but my memories are mixed with a court case by pop star Betty Boo. I wonder what accent Betty Boop had.
Though Max Fleischer never admitted this, 1920s singer and actress Helen Kane was thought to be the model for Betty Boop. Her signature song "I Want to Be Loved By You" contains the lyric "boop-boop-de-boop." Kane herself thought it no coincident and sued. The judge ruled against her, citing "insufficient evidence."
Incidentally, this all proved problematical when looking for a 1930s photo of Mae Questel to place at the top of this post, as there are Questel websites that erroneously have Helen Kane's photo and vice-versa. I'm pretty sure the picture I have here is indeed Mae Questel as it came from a publicity still that has her side-by-side with Betty Boop (I cropped out Betty so I could keep readers guessing for a moment about what famous character she voiced.)
Oh, I wouldn't be surprised by that at all, David. George Lucas used all kind of computer wizardry to insert the deceased Peter Cushing into the second Star Wars trilogy.
Ananka, the black-and-white Popeyes made by Max Fleischer before Paramount called in a loan and took his studio away from him are the ones most likely to feature Mae as Olive.
Hi Kirk, In the early 1930's there were a number of "baby voiced" singers, including Helen Kane (often considered the original inspiration for Betty, Mae Questel, and the incredible Annette Hanshaw, who only did the "Betty" voice some of the time. All of their recordings are abundantly available on Youtube.
The early Betty cartoons were lots of fun. If you pay attention there are many surreal elements as well as pre-code shenanigans. Some of them you practically have to pause on the right frame to see the hidden joke, such as the ham marked Kosher in Hebrew letters, as it is flying through the air. --Jim
Oh, yes, Jim, I agree! Classic cartoons have been kind of an escape hatch for me ever since you-know-who got back into the Oval Office, and many of them have been those old, wildly surrealistic Betty Boop shorts. I love 'em, absolutely love 'em. Max Fleischer was every bit a giant of animation as the better known and more celebrated (at least nowadays) Walt Disney. Fleischer, incidentally, was Jewish, so I'm sure those hidden jokes you mentioned weren't antisemitic in nature.
In order to keep the hucksters, humbugs, scoundrels, psychos, morons, and last but not least, artificial intelligentsia at bay, I have decided to turn on comment moderation. On the plus side, I've gotten rid of the word verification.
I always loved her characters and her voice. She also always seemed so perky.
ReplyDeleteMitchell, judging by that interview, her perkiness extended to real life.
DeleteI knew of Betty Boop, but I never took much notice. I recall a court case, but my memories are mixed with a court case by pop star Betty Boo. I wonder what accent Betty Boop had.
ReplyDeleteThough Max Fleischer never admitted this, 1920s singer and actress Helen Kane was thought to be the model for Betty Boop. Her signature song "I Want to Be Loved By You" contains the lyric "boop-boop-de-boop." Kane herself thought it no coincident and sued. The judge ruled against her, citing "insufficient evidence."
DeleteIncidentally, this all proved problematical when looking for a 1930s photo of Mae Questel to place at the top of this post, as there are Questel websites that erroneously have Helen Kane's photo and vice-versa. I'm pretty sure the picture I have here is indeed Mae Questel as it came from a publicity still that has her side-by-side with Betty Boop (I cropped out Betty so I could keep readers guessing for a moment about what famous character she voiced.)
I live and learn! I wonder if we are destined to hearAI voiceovers on cartoon characters of the future.
ReplyDeleteOh, I wouldn't be surprised by that at all, David. George Lucas used all kind of computer wizardry to insert the deceased Peter Cushing into the second Star Wars trilogy.
DeleteI don't know Mae but I sure know her voice! Betty Boop and Olive Oil. Only the other day I was watching a few Popeye cartoons with my daughter! :-D
ReplyDeleteAnanka, the black-and-white Popeyes made by Max Fleischer before Paramount called in a loan and took his studio away from him are the ones most likely to feature Mae as Olive.
DeleteHi Kirk, In the early 1930's there were a number of "baby voiced" singers, including Helen Kane (often considered the original inspiration for Betty, Mae Questel, and the incredible Annette Hanshaw, who only did the "Betty" voice some of the time. All of their recordings are abundantly available on Youtube.
ReplyDeleteThe early Betty cartoons were lots of fun. If you pay attention there are many surreal elements as well as pre-code shenanigans. Some of them you practically have to pause on the right frame to see the hidden joke, such as the ham marked Kosher in Hebrew letters, as it is flying through the air.
--Jim
Oh, yes, Jim, I agree! Classic cartoons have been kind of an escape hatch for me ever since you-know-who got back into the Oval Office, and many of them have been those old, wildly surrealistic Betty Boop shorts. I love 'em, absolutely love 'em. Max Fleischer was every bit a giant of animation as the better known and more celebrated (at least nowadays) Walt Disney. Fleischer, incidentally, was Jewish, so I'm sure those hidden jokes you mentioned weren't antisemitic in nature.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time since I've seen a BB cartoon. I'm sure they are on Youtube by now? I checked. Yes they are.
ReplyDeleteOh, there's plenty of Betty on YouTube, Mike.
Delete