Mae Questel Movies
American actress/singer Mae Questel was freshly graduated from high school when she won a contest imitating singer Helen Kane, who'd popularized the phrase "Boop boop a doop." It wasn't the only impression Qiestel could do, but her Helen Kane takeoff earned the young performer steady work in vaudeville and, in 1931, a job providing the voice of Betty Boop at Max Fleischer's cartoon studios. She was one of several actresses doing this voice, but before long Questel was the one and only Betty - and was so good at her job that her role-model, Helen Kane, ended up suing Fleischer! The Betty Boop cartoons were released through Paramount, which also hired her to appear in live musical and comedy shorts. In one unforgettable installment of Paramount's Hollywood on Parade one-reel series, Questel, dressed as Betty Boop, was "attacked" by Bela Lugosi, who leaned menacingly toward her neck and declared "You have booped... your last... boooooop." When Fleischer began its Popeye the Sailor cartoon series in 1933, the studio tried out a number of actresses for the voice of Olive Oyl, but Questel eventually won out, and ended up playing Olive for the next four decades. Busy with radio and cartoon work in the '40s, she was called upon to exert her versatility when Popeye's voice, Jack Mercer, went to war; in a handful of Popeye cartoons of the era, Questel actually dubbed in Popeye herself. TV opened a whole new professional world for her as a commercial voiceover: From 1950 through 1960 she could be heard as the Hasbro Kid, Nabisco's Buffalo Bee, the talking Fizzies Tablet, and of course the "interactive" cartoon-and-merchandising star Winky Dink. Questel was seen as well as heard in both the play and movie versions of A Majority of One, and as a middle-aged blushing bride in Jerry Lewis' It's Only Money (1961). She also kept her hand in commercial work as Aunt Bluebell on the Scott paper towel ads. Woody Allen fans most cherish Mae Questel's role as the "Jewish Mama from Hell" Mrs. Millstein in New York Stories (1988), in which erstwhile magician Allen accidentally transforms his mother into a giant ethereal image in the sky, from whence she tells all of Manhattan about her son's many shortcomings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1937
Little Swee'pea just won't stop crying, and Olive Oyl is at her wit's end in her efforts to quiet the baby down. Popeye and Bluto both offer their services, going through a variety of funny faces and silly stunts to get Swee'pea to stop bawling--all to no avail. Inevitably, a fistfight breaks out between the two traditional antagonists, whereupon Popeye grabs for a can of spinach. Unfortunately, he opens a can of onions instead, and before long everyone is sobbing hysterically--everyone but Swee'pea, that is. Highlights include the "invisible bicycle" gag, and Bluto's steady stream of bad puns as he bakes Popeye into a "pop-pie". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Popeye is mortified when Olive Oyl forces him to take her sissified dog Fluffy for a walk--so much so that he goes to great lengths to avoid being seen by his friends. Unfortunately, who should be walking down the same street but that big bruiser Bluto and his equally fearsome bulldog (who is so tough that he wears an eyepatch). As Bluto holds Popeye back, his bullying bow-bow torments poor little Fluffy. Clearly, drastic measures are called for--and that's when the inevitable can of spinach comes out, providing superstrength for Popeye and Fluffy alike. This cartoon boasts some impressive "3-D" background effects, as well as a steady stream of hilarious adlibs from Jack Mercer as Popeye. Protek the Weakerist was remade in 1949 as Barking Dogs Don't Fite. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
The second two-reeler Popeye cartoon finds the spinach-promoting sailor as a member of the Coast Guard near an unspecified Arabian country. Having heard about the evil Abu Hassanand his forty thieves, Popeye sets off with Olive Oyl and Wimpy to bring them to justice. Unfortunately, they end up wandering in the desert, stricken by thirst and heat, and encountering several mirages and passing by dozens of skeletons before making their way to an actual town. Once there, Popeye and Olive seat themselves at an open air restaurant (while Wimpy goes for a more direct approach to his hunger). After ordering and being served the special of the day (bacon and eggs), they are all set to dig in when Hassan and his cutthroats appear, taking everything in sight. The frightened restauranteur reclaims the meal he has just laid for Popeye and Olive before they can take a bite, and the thieves also make away with the hot dogs Wimpy has discovered. Popeye puts up a fight, but is temporarily defeated. Hassan takes Olive and Wimpy back to his cave, where the former becomes an overworked laundress and the latter is wrapped in chains and forced to watch Hussan eat a delectable lunch. Popeye follows the thieves but is captured and dangled above a man-eating fish in an underground lake. Taking advantage of the powers provided him by spinach, he defeats the fish and "licks the forty," proving once again that he is the mightiest sailor of them all. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Betty Boop's dog Pudgy idolizes the cocky dalmatian at the local firehouse, dreaming of becoming a "fire-dog" himsel. Imagine Pudgy's delight when the dalmatian offers to give him a few firefighting tips. Alas, Betty won't let Pudge leave the house, so our canine hero sneaks out and hitches a route on a fire engine en route to a huge conflagration at a general store (which fortunately was already advertising a "Fire Sale"). But things don't quite work out as planned, and before long Pudgy is being harrassed and humiliated by those pesky little humanized flames that exist only in cartoons. The background music includes "Brotherly Love", from the "Popeye" cartoon of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
In her popular live stage show (rated "4 and 7/8 stars", according to the theater marquee), Betty Boop sings "Down in Our Alley" and does politically incorrect (but charming) imitiations of a Chinese laundryman and an Italian organ grinder. Meanwhile backstage, Betty's dog Pudgy gets into a fracas with an alley cat. A wild chase ensues, inevitably disrupting Betty's act. But the crowd loves the antics of the dog and cat--and two new stars are born, whether they like it or not. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Betty Boop is thrilled when her new fox fur arrives in the mail. However, her pet dog Pudgy is disgusted: he not only thinks that the fur (with head intact) is still alive, but he is convinced that he has lost Betty's affections. The angry pooch tries to pick a fight with the "fox", and of course he emerges the victor--only to suffers the pangs of conscience when he is convinced that he has killed his rival. Now Pudgy's imagination runs amok, complete with film noir-style hallucinations that rival anything created by Alfred Hitchcock or Fritz Lang. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
The inimitable Grampy runs for Mayor, with Betty Boop singing his praises. Narrowing winning the election by one vote (out of 2,000,005!), Grampy arrives at City Hall, only to be confronted by angry constituents with a list of rhyming grievances. Facing the possibility of being impeached before he can even take the oath of office, Grampy dons his thinking cap and inventively solves such problems as a "bridge to nowhere" and a dilapidated housing development--with time left over to install liquor bars in all the drinking fountains and to combinine the subway and elevator systems. And in true pro-environmental fashion, he even comes up with a solution for the foul weather plaguing his city. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Goofy little Wiffle Piffle tries his luck as a door-to-door salesman, but his chances for success appear to be slim to none (one customer punches him out before he even reaches the door). Undaunted, Wiffle tricks his way into the home of Betty Boop and shows her his rather peculiar line of merchandise, including the proverbial "better mousetrap", a spot remover that works TOO well, and an all-purpose, rocket-powered washing machine. But Wiffle wears out his welcome with Betty when he gives a disastrous demonstration of his "super-heterodyne" vaccuum cleaner--which is accidentally thrown into reverse. Song: "Nothing Today, Kind Sir". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
While playing in his backyard, Betty Boop's dog Pudgy meets a snooty, pampered female dog owned by wealthy next door neighbor Mrs. Fitz-Ritzy. When Pudgy tries to make friends with the lovely canine, he is summarily booted off of Mrs. Fitz-Ritzy's property--and worse, the lady of the house derides Pudgy as a "nobody." Betty comforts her heartbroken pooch by singing "Every Little Nobody is Somebody to Someone", but the full measure of Pudgy's character is not revealed until he rescues the snobbish girl dog from a watery grave. The musical background score includes the venerable "I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
It may be a "Popeye" cartoon, but the real star of this show is the inimitable J. Wellington Wimpy, who opens the proceedings with "Hamburger Mine", a musical paean to his favorite food (with lyrics like "A hamburger lives/for the pleasure it gives"). Currently employed as a counterman at Bluto's restaurant, Wimpy will go to any lengths to mooch a free meal, compelling Bluto to lock up the establishment's one-and-only hamburger in the safe. Enter Popeye the Sailor, who after perusing the menu written on Wimpy's shirt ("Men-oo? Don't want any of that.") orders roast duck. In his efforts to claim the duck for himself, Wimpy manages to turn Popeye against Bluto and vice versa, leading to the usual fistic fracas and a wickedly wry closing gag. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Singing the praises of his new roadster, Popeye pulls up in front of Olive Oyl's house and offers to give her a ride. At the same time, Bluto drives into view in his sleek, streamlined gas-guzzler, advising Olive to go for a ride with him. When Olive chooses to remain with Popeye, Bluto decides to sabotage their motor excursion by rerouting the couple off the main highway and onto a treacherous mountainside path. The "high and dizzy" perspective gags in this cartoon are truly awe-inspiring, matched only by the wild-and-wooly chase finale. (A warning to youngsters: don't try to replace your dad's auto pistons with spinach cans. Popeye can do it because he's a professional). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Max Fleischer's "stereoscopic" process is shown to good advantage in this cartoon, wherein Betty Boop and her dog Pudge are vacationing in a mountain cabin. Sensing that Pudgy feels lonesome, Betty offers him some advice by singing "Go Out and Make Friends with the World". Using his wits and resources, the little pooch manages to befrien a squirrel, a bear cub, a beaver, a frog and several other woodland creatures--then invites them to an impromptu party at Betty's cabin, where havoc and destruction reign supreme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Otto Soglow's popular comic-strip characer "The Little King" had already appeared in his own cartoon series for Van Beuren productions when he guest-starred in this "Betty Boop" vehicle. Forced to attend a boring opera with the Queen and their entourage, The Little King (who speaks in a bizarre "whistling" voice) manages to escape his guards and heads to a nearby vaudeville house, where Betty Boop is headlining in an equestrienne act. Not only does the Little King manage to pick up some extra change as a pretzel vendor, but he also ends up performing on stage with Betty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
