(Thus, the only listing of the films is on the box for each tape and there is no information on release dates.) For this, the blame must fall on Republic's shoulders, rather than on Jerry Beck, who nominally curated the set, and who certainly would have preferred to do otherwise.īetty, who celebrated her 65th birthday last year, is rightly celebrated as the first major female cartoon star. Also, the films are arranged thematically, rather than chronologically, which is somewhat offputting, given the lack of proper liner notes.ĭespite its flaws, the collection is an invaluable resource for both animation buffs and historians, as it provides the first large scale collection of films from the Fleischer Studios available in video however, it is a shame that it was not issued in laserdisc format (which seems to have been the original intent) and that it lacks any program notes worthy of the name. Also, one film, Romantic Melodies is presented in a black & white print of a colorized version of the film, though better material certainly exists. One of her early films, Accordion Joe, seems to have been inadvertently left out, while Republic did not have the rights to Popeye the Sailor, an official Boop film in which she only appears briefly, and to four other late films which are mostly lost: Pudgy and the Lost Kitten, Buzzy Boop (which does exist in some poor 16mm prints), Buzzy Boop at the Concert and Honest Love and True. In the Betty Boop Snow White, the damsel in distress finds a metaphorical Forbidden Fruit: the knowledge of good and evil.Republic Pictures has just released a boxed set of almost all the extant Fleischer Betty Boop shorts as Betty Boop: The Definitive Collection. In many interpretations of Snow White, the heroine consumes the Forbidden Fruit–the poisoned apple. James Infirmary Blues” illustrates the eventual consequences of Betty’s fall from innocence–an apparent death in an icy coffin and a descent into a symbolic hell. Suggesting Betty lives a life of gambling and senseless roistering, “St.

The song and the Mystery Cave imagery reflect the disintegration of morality and the destruction of innocence. Koko the Clown, in ghost form, sings Cab Calloway’s “St. James Infirmary Blues,” a folksong narrating the story of a young person cut down in her prime. Devoid of her previous naïvety and, consequently, morality, Betty becomes the subject of the song “St. Illustrated with Dantean backgrounds of drinking, gambling, roistering skeletons, the Mystery Cave shows the final stage in the destruction of innocence. If the snow represents cocaine, then its transformation into a coffin shows the fatal consequences of drug abuse. While Betty technically survives throughout the cartoon, the metaphorical death-by-drugs thematically represents the destruction of innocence. James Infirmary Blues” support the drug abuse metaphor. The snowball-turned-coffin and the lyrics of “St. Her encasement in a ball of snow shows the collapse in her morality and willpower. Earlier in the cartoon, a small pile of snow falls from Betty’s head, representing her immunity from destructive influences. The snow may represent drug abuse–specifically, according to 1930s slang, cocaine. The fall itself represents the fall from innocence–after her stepmother’s murder attempt, Betty becomes aware of the dangers of the world and the dark side of mankind. From īetty’s snowy descent symbolizes several things. When Betty escapes the execution site, she rolls down a mountain in a ball of snow. The Queen’s shift to villainy reveals jealousy as a source of corruption and a destroyer of innocence. The formerly cheerful, possibly-not-evil Queen loses her title of “Fairest in the Land” to Betty out of pure jealousy, the Queen sentences Betty to death. James Infirmary Blues.” The fall from innocence begins with the corrupt Queen’s jealousy. In the cartoon, Betty transforms from a naïve stepdaughter to the focus of Cab Calloway’s “St. Behind its lighthearted, albeit mildly disturbing gags and animation, Snow White conveys corruption and the destruction of innocence.

Catoon artist betty boop original