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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Helen Kane: America's "Boop-Boop-A-Doop" Girl


Helen Kane is, if known at all, is best known for her influence in the creation of an international animation superstar. Caricaturing her likeness, along with Clara Bow, Fleischer animator Grim Natwick created Betty Boop. However, she was an incredible singer and entertainer during the heyday of the flappers. She was on top of the world until the Great Depression. After that, she was relegated to playing in nightclubs until her death in 1966. During the early thirties, Helen Kane sued the Fleischer's for the unfair competition, and I believe copyright infringement, but the judge ruled against her, saying Kane couldn't prove she invented her style of singing. Enjoy.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Helen kane Brought the Boop Boop a Dooping populer but she couldnt claim she invented the word mainly becuse

Betty Boop was Fully designed on her by grim natwick who had used a photograph of helen kane

little known african american singer baby esther had booped before her & thats what helped the fleischers also helen kane was at the nightclub where baby esther preformed & baby esthers manager tesified against kane

out of the total of helen kanes songs betty boop only sang 4 so helen kane didnt have enough evidence

the judge asked all the voices of betty boop to sing , Mae Questel, Margie hines, Bonnie poe, Kate wright,little ann little

& then he asked helen sing

then he watched alot of the betty boop cartoons & compaired them to the movies where helen kane had appeared in but he claimed it wasnt alike... but helen kane didnt actually own the rights to the songs she only sang them & everyone was singing them at the time

which it was its just he had SHIT in his eye :D

yes betty boop was slimmer than helen kane & all from the cartoon (Mysterious mose)but she still had the style of singing & hairstyle and rosebud shaped face

also in barnacle bill the sailor & dizzy dishes she looked like helen kanes style

Accordition joe (1929) is a lost cartoon , Betty Boop Appears as a indian princess also she is proberly helen kane like its just the cartoon is rare & unseen

1929 is when grim natwick did the first sketches of betty boop for max fleischer 1929 - 1930


i wouldnt class clara bow as the Caricaturie for betty boop, she was only brought up in the case so that they could win

mabey her body or the lips for the transformation but the hairstyle was the same as which betty boop was designed on

neverless Helen kane lost the lawsuit becuse she didnt have enough eveidence & also the judge saw nothing wrong in a little...... simularity ....

after the loss max fleischer recorded a victory newsreel with all the voices of betty boop singing (DONT TAKE MY BOOP OOP A DOOP AWAY) which was proberly a message to helen kane saying YOU LOST!


anyway its great that helen kane lost in a way becuse she cant live forever & betty Boop can


helen kane made some later comebacks in 1954 - 1956 and also appeared on a few tv shows and recorded a few of her old songs then soon after like you typed... she died


grim natwick later confessed in one of his books that betty boop was in fact modeled on helen kane

proberly becuse he lost his own lawsuit when he claimed that he created the character betty boop

which was true he in fact did, but he made the character for max fleischer so it only classes him as drawing her first.

max fleischer & his team perfected betty boop


Grims betty boop is totally diffrent, after grim natwick being inspired by helen kane in the early 20s

Grim natwicks Betty boop made a comeback in ( The Romance of betty boop) where she also preformed one of helen kanes signature songs I wanna be loved by you!

but helen kane had passed on far before the 80s