Description: Boop it up with the silver screen's original sultry siren in this classic collection from the famed Fleischer Studios. Released just in time for Mother's Day giving, the collection contains more than 13 hours of original Betty Boop cartoon shorts--115 in all--on 8 videocassettes. The deluxe "Collector's Edition Library Case" packaging is designed to be displayed with the spines creating the unforgettable face of this curvaceous cartoon queen. The collection also includes the exclusive Betty Boop "Boopliography," a booklet containing intriguing inside information on this popular cartoon and a special tribute from Richard Fleischer, son of modern animation pioneer and Betty Boop creator Max Fleischer.
Volume 1: The Birth of Betty (54 min.) Beginning with her 1930 debut in Dizzy Dishes as a canine cabaret singer, the wide-eyed wonder winks and wiggles her way to stardom in one hilarious adventure after another. These early films show her evolution into the vivacious vamp she would become, and also feature a special introduction from Max Fleischer's son, Richard.
Volume 2: Pre-Code (108 min.) Betty turns up her megawatt star power in a racy round of pre-Hays Code adventures, from her oh-so-hot hula with the Royal Samoans to her daring bareback escapades under the big top. The curvaceous cutie then brings down the house in a jazzy collage of cartoon classics featuring a cavalcade of performances by Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Rudy Vallee, and Ethel Merman.
Volume 3: Surrealism (110 min.) Take a surrealistic journey into the wonderfully weird world of the Fleischer Studios, where everyday objects take on a loopy life of their own. Then the antics continue when the saucy siren of the silver screen embarks on adventures ranging from a Booped-up birthday party to a supernaturally silly visit with a psyched-out psychic.
Volume 4: Musical Madness (106 min.) The madcap musical merriment continues with a treasure trove of toe-tapping tunes starring America's spit-curled sweetheart. Then join cartoondom's resident vamp for a rollicking romp through a cornucopia of classic fairy tales, from a close encounter with Mother Goose to a nasty scrape with a very big, very bad wolf.
Volume 5: Curtain Call (110 min.) It's showtime once again as America's sassiest scene stealer shines in merry musical tributes to Fanny Brice, Jimmy Durante, Maurice Chevalier, and more. She then teams up with the lovable, lighthearted professor known as "Grampy" for some most mechanical misadventures, from one goofy gaggle of gadgets to the next.
Volume 6: Betty's Boys (108 min.) You can be sure that wherever the boys are, Betty's sure to follow. Prepare to meet a new bushel of Betty's best buddies, including Little Jimmy, Henry, the funniest living American, and the Big Boss himself. From perilous predicament to flat-out flirtation, Betty always gets her man.
Volume 7: Betty's Travels (100 min.) Pack your bags and fasten your seat belts as Betty sets out on a whirlwind series of jaunts by plane, train, and automobile. Also prepare to meet Betty Boop's precious pet pooch, Pudgy. Cuddly, enthusiastic and loyal to the core, Pudgy became Betty's constant companion and was at her side for more than three years.
Volume 8: Betty & Pudgy (94 min.) The canine comedy continues in this chronicle of the adventures of Betty Boop and her cuddly companion, Pudgy the pup. Whether experiencing the first blush of true love or cutting loose with a classroom of funky barnyard pals for some swingin' scat in music school, Pudgy's always ready for an adventure. Also features closing comments from Max Fleischer's son, Richard.
Good hard laughs I don't know why it took me ten years to buy this collection. I don't remember enjoying these shorts as much when Amc was showing them in the late 1980's on the weekends. They're almost as funny as the cartoons produced at the whitehouse, the creativity and intellect was certainly superior. I highly recommend this set, even being that the format is vhs. I decided not to wait for the more user friendly dvd version to be released, as there is nothing to guarantee that it will be as complete, or as well made, or even if they will be offered at all. One thing is certain about this collection ; a lot of time and research went into this project, it shows in the the presentation and packaging. As mentioned in other reveiws, I too would have prefered them to be in chronological order instead of arranged by theme, and a companion booklet would have been nice also. Don't wait, if you're anything like me, and see what's on the television, you probably need good hard laughs as soon as possible.
Excellent but not perfect... This VHS collection, is the only "official" release of Betty Boop cartoons from Republic. It has all the cartoons, except one with Popeye and three or four others, considered lost back in 1998, when this collection first released (those cartoons already "re-discovered" on various private collections worldwide, maybe a future DVD collection gonna have them). The picture and the sound quality is great, compared the usual public domain DVDs you may have seen the last years. There is a problem through: It is called "Digital Noise Reduction" and it is the nightmare of the animation fans! This set here, is the obvious example of how bad DNR can be, when we use it on Cartoons. Beyond that, it is an excellent choice for Betty Boop fans, now!
For fans of the brilliant early cartoon style It might be worth buying the first few volumes separately and just leaving out the last ones - unless you have a young kid in your family, who will probably enjoy them. It's very sad to see Betty end her wild career as a middle-class sweater-wearing schoolteacher catering to a cute puppy (just as it was depressing to see how they domesticated Popeye in his later years) - but the early "surrealist" cartoons more than make up for the duds. They're worth seeing for the Cab Calloway numbers alone, and for their visual originality and imagination. There was integration of live action and animation in some episodes, I believe well before Disney ever thought of it, and the "out of the inkwell" idea was also original in its time.
This is a well-made collection, with very good visual and sound quality, and it's a great look into the early history of American animation. And Betty herself is a character who will live forever! It's just a shame the series isn't avaiable on DVD.
Excellent Collection For Boop Freaks If you love Betty Boop, this collection will not disappoint. My only complaint is that it is not available on DVD. The transfers are excellent, many are better than those on DVD collections I've come across.
Black and White and Boop All Over! "Definitive" is an excellent word to describe this most complete collection of cartoons from one of the most enduring stars of 1930's Hollywood.
It is missing only a handful of Boop cartoons, but those are believed lost forever and have never surfaced on any video collection that I'm aware of. In addition, the prints are generally struck from the best, uncut copies available. The collection also includes several "politically incorrect" cartoons that are never shown on any of the cable networks, and the set also includes a brief video history of Betty narrated by Max Fleischer's son, director Richard Fleischer. Despite an earlier reviewer's assertion, only one Betty cartoon was ever filmed in color - "Poor Cinderella" - and it appears here in all it's two-color glory.
Without a doubt, the early cartoons that feature Betty teamed with boyfriend Bimbo and Koko the Klown are head and shoulders above the rest, especially when teamed with a Cab Calloway song. "Bimbo's Initiation" and "Snow White" are perhaps the finest examples of the surrealistic style of cartoon the Fleischer Brothers excelled at. "Is My Palm Red" is Betty at her risque best, before the Hays Office censors toned down her act. Of the latter shorts, only those with Grampy rise above the pedestrian. Alas, Betty went to cartoon heaven not with a bang, but with a whimper.
For any fan of animation in general and Betty in particular, this collection is THE "must-have!"
Anything Goes Trivia
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