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  • FILMS
  • TUNES
    • SONG CAR-TUNES TUNES >
      • ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND
      • ANNIE LAURIE
      • BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON
      • COME TAKE A TRIP IN MY AIRSHIP
      • COMIN' THRO' THE RYE
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      • I LOVE A LASSIE
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      • MARGIE
      • MOTHER, MOTHER, MOTHER PIN A ROSE ON ME
      • MY BONNIE
      • MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME
      • MY WIFE'S GONE TO THE COUNTRY
      • OH HOW I HATE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING
      • OH MABEL
      • OH, SUZANNA
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      • SAILING, SAILING, OVER THE BOUNDING MAIN
      • SWANEE RIVER
      • SWEET ADELINE
      • TA-RA-RA-BOOM-DEE-AYE
      • THE SHEIK OF ARABY
      • THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK
      • TOOT TOOT TOOTSIE
      • TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE
      • TRAMP! TRAMP! TRAMP!
      • WAITING FOR THE ROBERT E. LEE
      • WHEN I LEAVE THIS WORLD BEHIND
      • WHEN I LOST YOU
      • WHEN THE MIDNIGHT CHOO-CHOO LEAVES FOR ALABAM'
      • YAK-A-HULA-HICK-A-DOOLA
    • SCREEN SONGS TUNES >
      • A HOT TIME IN OLD TOWN TONIGHT
      • AFTER THE BALL
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      • AN ORCHID FOR YOU
      • ANY LITTLE GIRL THAT'S A NICE LITTLE GIRL
      • BEDELIA
      • BESIDE A MOONLIT STREAM
      • BY THE BEAUTIFUL SEA
      • CHINATOWN, MY CHINATOWN
      • DINAH
      • DOWN AMONG THE SUGAR CANE
      • DOWN BY THE OLD MILL STREAM
      • HIAWATHA'S LULLABY
      • I AIN'T GOT NOBODY
      • I CAN'T ESCAPE FROM YOU
      • I DON'T WANT TO MAKE HISTORY
      • I FEEL LIKE A FEATHER IN THE BREEZE
      • I WONDER WHO'S KISSING HER NOW
      • I'D CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN
      • I'M AFRAID TO GO HOME IN THE DARK
      • I'M JUST A GIGOLO
      • I'M PLAYING WITH FIRE
      • I'M YOURS
      • I'VE GOT RINGS ON MY FINGERS
      • JUST ONE MORE CHANCE
      • KEEPS RAINING ALL THE TIME
      • KITTY FROM KANSAS CITY
      • LA PALOMA
      • LAZYBONES
      • LET ME CALL YOU SWEETHEART
      • LET'S ALL SING LIKE THE BIRDIES SING
      • LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY
      • LITTLE RED SCHOOL HOUSE
      • LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
      • MARIUTCH DOWN AT CONEY ISLAND
      • MR. GALLAGHER & MR. SHEAN
      • MY BABY JUSY CARES FOR ME
      • MY GAL SAL
      • MY PONY BOY
      • NEVER SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU
      • NO OTHER ONE
      • OH! YOU BEAUTIFUL DOLL
      • ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON
      • ONE HOUR WITH YOU
      • PLEASE GO 'WAY AND LET ME SLEEP
      • PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR DREAMS
      • PUT ON YOUR OLD GREY BONNET
      • REACHING FOR THE MOON
      • ROW ROW ROW
      • SCHOOL DAYS
      • SHE REMINDS ME OF YOU
      • SHINE ON HARVEST MOON
      • SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME
      • SOBRE LAS OLAS (OVER THE WAVES)
      • SOMEBODY STOLE MY GAL'
      • STRIKE UP THE BAND
      • THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
      • THAT OLD GANG OF MINE'
      • THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND ME
      • THE HILLS OF OLD WYOMIN'
      • THE PEANUT VENDOR
      • THE PRISONER'S SONG
      • THE STEIN SONG
      • THE YANKEE DOODLE BOY
      • THIS LITTLE PIGGIE WENT TO THE MARKET
      • TIME ON MY HANDS
      • TWILIGHT ON THE TRAIL
      • WAIT TILL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE
      • WHEN IT'S SLEEPY TIME DOWN SOUTH
      • WHEN THE RED RED ROBIN COMES A BOB BOB BOBBING ALONG
      • WHEN YUBA PLAYS THE RHUMBA ON THE TUBA
      • WHISPERS IN THE DARK
      • YES! WE HAVE NO BANANAS
      • YOU CAME TO MY RESCUE
      • YOU LEAVE ME BREATHLESS
      • YOU TRY SOMEBODY ELSE
    • TALKARTOONS TUNES >
      • A GAY CABALLERO
      • ACCORDIAN JOE
      • ANY RAGS?
      • CHI MI FRENA IN TAL MOMENTO
      • DANCING TO SAVE YOUR SOLE
      • DON'T TAKE MY BOOP OOP A DOOP AWAY
      • FOOLISH FACTS
      • HELLO BABY
      • HELLO BEAUTIFUL
      • HERE COMES THE GARBAGE MAN
      • HOT-CHA-CHA
      • I DON'T WANT TO PLAY IN YOUR YARD
      • I HAVE TO HAVE YOU
      • I'M DANGEROUS NAN McGREW
      • K-K-K-KATY
      • MINNIE THE MERMAID
      • MOVING DAY
      • MYSTERIOUS MOSE
      • POLLY WOLLY DOODLE
      • SOME OF THESE DAYS
      • SWING YOU SINNERS
      • THE HOLD UP RAG
      • THE VAMP
      • THEN I'LL BE HAPPY
      • THEY ALWAYS PICK ON ME
      • WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
      • WHERE'D YOU GET THOSE EYES?
      • WHY DID I KISS THAT GIRL
      • YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY
      • YOU'RE THE ONE I CARE FOR
    • BETTY BOOP TUNES >
      • A LANGUAGE ALL MY OWN
      • ALL BY MYSELF
      • ALOHA OE
      • ALWAYS IN THE WAY
      • ANY OLD PLACE I CAN HANG MY HAT
      • BE HUMAN
      • EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU
      • HA-CHA-NAN (THE DAUGHTER OF SAN)
      • HA! HA! HA!
      • HAPPY YOU AND MERRY ME
      • HAWAIIAN WAR CHANT (TA-HU-WA-HU-WAI)
      • HELL'S BELLS
      • HERE WE ARE
      • HIGH SOCIETY
      • HOUSE CLEANING BLUES
      • HOW'M I DOIN'
      • HUMMIN' TO MYSELF
      • I'LL BE GLAD WHEN YOU'RE DEAD
      • I'M AN INDIAN
      • I'VE GOT A CODE IN MY DOZE
      • KEEP A LITTLE SONG HANDY
      • LETS PUT OUT THE LIGHTS (AND GO TO SLEEP)
      • LITTLE PAL
      • MINNIE THE MOOCHER
      • MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT IN VIENNA
      • MY OWN IONA
      • NO, NO, A THOUSAND TIMES NO!
      • NOBODY'S SWEETHEART NOW
      • NOW'S THE TIME TO FALL IN LOVE
      • OVER AT GRAMPY'S HOUSE
      • PARADE OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS
      • SING, IT'S GOOD FOR YOU
      • SWEET BETTY
      • ST. JAMES INFIRMARY BLUES
      • SWEEPIN' THE CLOUDS AWAY
      • THAT'S MY WEAKNESS NOW
      • THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN
      • THE SCAT SONG
      • THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT A SOLDIER
      • WAS THAT THE HUMAN THING TO DO?
      • WHEN I'M THE PRESIDENT
      • WHEN WE'RE ALONE (PENTHOUSE SERENADE)
      • YA GOTTA HAVE PEP
      • YOU GOTTA HO-DI-HO (TO GET ALONG WITH ME)
      • YOU'D BE SURPRISED
      • YOU'RE IN MY POWER
    • POPEYE TUNES >
      • BIG CHIEF UGH--AMUGH--UGH
      • BLOW THE MAN DOWN
      • BROTHERLY LOVE
      • DID YOU EVER SEE A DREAM WALKING?
      • HAMBURGER MINE
      • HOW'DJA LIKE TO LOVE ME
      • I FOUND OUT WHERE TO FIND MY PAPPY
      • I WANNA BE A LIFEGUARD
      • I WANT A CLEAN SHAVEN MAN
      • I'LL DO ANYTHING THAT YOU'LL DO
      • I'M KING OF THE MARDI GRAS
      • I'M POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN
      • I'M SINBAD THE SAILOR
      • LEARN THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE
      • LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE
      • LET'S BUILD A BRIDGE TODAY
      • LOVE IS JUST ARUND THE CORNER
      • MOVING SONG
      • THE CHAMPAGNE WALTZ
      • THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE
      • THE SAILOR'S HORNPIPE
      • VALSE DES RAYONS
      • WE AIM TO PLEASE
      • WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?
      • WHEN I'M AT THE WHEEL OF MY AUTOMOBILE
      • WHERE'S THE VILLAGE SMITHIE TODAY?
      • WON'T YOU COME CLIMB A MOUNTAIN WITH ME
      • WHY AM I SO BEAUTIFUL?
      • YOU GOTTA BE A FOOTBALL HERO
      • YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW
    • COLOR CLASSIC TUNES >
      • CHRISTMAS COMES BUT ONCE A YEAR
      • LITTLE DUTCH MILL
      • LOVE'S OLD SWEET SONG
      • ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON
      • PLAY SAFE
      • POOR CINDERELLA
      • PRETTY CINDERELLA
      • SILVER THREADS AMONG THE GOLD
      • SMALL FRY
      • SOMEWHERE IN DREAMLAND
      • SPEND THE NIGHT AT THE COBWEB HOTEL
      • THE BOWERY
      • THE SONG OF THE BIRDS
      • WHEN YOU AND I WERE YOUNG, MAGGIE
    • FLEISCHER FEATURE TUNES >
      • ALL'S WELL
      • BE MY LITTLE BABY BUMBLEBEE
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      • I HEAR A DREAM (COME HOME AGAIN)
      • I'LL DANCE AT YOU'RE WEDDING (HONEY DEAR)
      • IT'S A HAP-HAP-HAPPY DAY
      • IN MY MERRY OLDSMOBILE
      • KATY DID, KATY DIDN'T
      • WE'RE THE COUPLE IN THE CASTLE
      • WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
  • MORE
    • BETTY BOOP FOREVER
    • FINDING BABY ESTHER
    • FLEISCHER DECONSTRUCTED >
      • BIMBO'S EXPRESS DECONSTRUCTED
      • MINDING THE BABY DECONSTRUCTED
      • MASK-A-RAID DECONSTRUCTED
      • ADMISSION FREE DECONSTRUCTED
      • RUDY VALLEE MELODIES DECONSTRUCTED
      • BETTY BOOP'S BIZZY BEE DECONSTRUCTED
      • ROMANTIC MELODIES DECONSTRUCTED
      • BETTY BOOP FOR PRESIODENT DECONSTRUCTED
      • BETTY BOOP'S MUSEUM DECONSTRUCTED
      • IS MY PALM READ DECONSTRUCTED
      • POPULAR MELODIES DECONSTRUCTED
      • SONG SHOPPING DECONSTRUCTED
      • BETTY BOOP'S BIG BOSS DECONSTRUCTED
      • MUSICAL MEMORIES DECONSTRUCTED
    • FLEISCHER - INSPIRATIONS >
      • DON'T TAKE THAT BLACK BOTTOM AWAY
      • FLAPPERS OF THE ROARING TWENTIES
      • IRVING BERLIN SONGBOOK
      • SONGS OF SCOTLAND
      • STEPHEN FOSTER SONGBOOK
    • FLEISCHER - THE REMIX
    • HOLIDAY DELIGHTS
    • 1920's CHRISTMAS
    • 1930's CHRISTMAS
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    • DANCES OF THE 1930's
    • Contact

Finding Baby Esther

"Baby Esther" and "Little Esther Jones" were the stage names of Esther Jones, a black child entertainer from Chicago known for her baby-voice scat singing. She was multi-talented and celebrated for impressive Charleston dancing and cute pouty-face routines. She performed around America in the 1920's, and enjoyed big success in Europe into the 1930's. In recent years the obscure and mysterious performer has been rediscovered. But how is she really connected to Betty Boop?
Picture


BETTY BOOP  -  I Wanna Be Loved By You  (video mashup)


Was Baby Esther The Real Betty Boop?

In recent years various stories have surfaced on the internet that make passionate assertions that Baby Esther is the "real" Betty Boop. These stories tend to suggest that she was the first to perform Betty's signature "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" phrase. While it is true that Baby Esther was known to have booped before Betty came along, there is much more to the story...

Baby Esther was an international superstar by the time she was a teenager, she was multi-talented and she had extraordinary charm and cuteness. She was originally known as Little Esther Jones, and she traveled the country on the vaudeville circuit from 1924-1928. She was well-known by the time she settled down in New York City with her parents. In 1928, the (presumably) seven-year old was billed as Baby Esther, and she had a popular new act. Her act was a tribute to Florence Mills - the dazzling cabaret star that fell ill and died in 1927 when only 31 years old. Baby Esther idolized Mills, the fallen star was a cherished and beloved entertainer at the start of the Harlem Renaissance. Baby Esther, still a young child, became known for her Florence Mills song and dance impersonations - she was billed as, and approvingly called, a miniature Florence Mills. Baby Esther's stage name even resembled that of young Florence Mills. Mills was billed as "Baby Florence" when she first took to the stage in her hometown of Washington DC. Sadly, there are no known surviving audio recordings of either Florence Mills or Baby Esther.


Picture


WHAT WAS THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE?
WHO WAS FLORENCE MILLS?

In 1928 the phrase "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" was popularized by the song I Wanna Be Loved By You, from the hit Broadway musical Good Boy. The song was written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, and it was introduced by Helen Kane on stage and in the film. The successful musical was an early creation of theatre legend Oscar Hammerstein II, and Kane's career soared due to her success with the show. The show premiered on stage September 5th 1928, and Kane's newly acquired style of scatting and booping was a big hit

A few months before the show's opening, Kane recorded her first-ever record - That's My Weakness Now for Victor Records (on June 17th, and again on July 16th). The song was written by Sam H. Stept and Bud Green, and it was recorded by a few others that year, but Helen Kane's recording made the song a hit. The recording of That's My Weakness Now ​captured Kane's first use of her new scat style, and her first use of the "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" phrase. Kane also used scat on Get Out And Get Under The Moon, which she recorded at the same time. But it was I Wanna Be Loved By You - t
he big song from the popular Good Boy musical - that really brought attention to Kane and her boops. She was back in the studio on September 20th 1928 to record I Wanna Be Loved By You for Victor - it became her biggest hit... and her signature song. 

At first, Helen Kane's "boops" were actually "poops" - the media misinterpreted her "Poop-Poop-adoop" as "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" - due to this Kane eventually changed her "poops" to "boops." The exposure and reach of Kane's hit song created an association between her and the phrase "Boop-Oop-a-Doop". ​


In 1930, Betty Boop made her first appearance on screen as a flapper in the animated film Dizzy Dishes, an installment of Max Fleischer's Talkartoons series. By 1932 Betty was the star of her own series as her popularity rocketed. Meanwhile, Kane's popularity waned, and soon Kane charged that the animated starlet had copied her style, look, manners and sound, and had taken the "boop" phrase from her "unique" routine. Kane filed a lawsuit against Betty's creator Max Fleischer and Paramount Pictures, the film's distributor, for creating unfair competition with her "baby vamp" act. The ensuing court case ultimately revealed that before booping herself, Kane had seen Baby Esther perform similar scatting and booping in her stage routine. In court, Baby Esther's former manager Lou Bolton testified that it was in April 1928 that Helen Kane was taken to see a cabaret show featuring Baby Esther at the Everglades Club on Broadway. Baby Esther's act was evidently inspirational and influential to Kane, who added scat singing and "boops" to her act a few months after she had seen Baby Esther's show.

Baby Esther's "boops" were cute scat interpolations that were part of her Florence Mills impersonation, where various scat riffs would emerge in song breaks and hooks. These many scat riffs included "Waa-Da-Da", "Skeet Skat", "Roop-Woop-a-Woop", "Boop-Oop-a-Doop," and so on and so on. Esther was known to end her fabulous act with a charming "De-Do." Esther's former manager Lou Bolton testified that he had coached her on this scatting style. Bolton was previously a teacher and had run a theatrical school before discovering Little Esther in Chicago. Bolton took on managing the youngster, and toured her around the country's vaudeville stages for several years before making it in big time New York. There, Esther was a hit with her new scat style and "boops." This particular style of scat of hers originated in the 1921 all-black musical production Shuffle Along - the first Broadway show with an all-jazz score.

The Shuffle Along Broadway show opened in 1921 - five years before Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five recorded Heebie Jeebies - the song credited with popularizing scat music. A popular but disproven legend has credited Louis Armstrong with inventing scat music with this song. At the time scat-singing had become popular in New Orleans, and there have been many examples of scat in recordings dating back to Gene Greene's 1911 song King of the Bungalows - which is widely considered to be the first recording of scat. 

Shuffle Along pioneered integration on Broadway and was the first Broadway show that allowed blacks to sit in the orchestra rather than being relegated to the balcony. The show originally opened at Washington DC's Howard Theatre before moving to New York City. On Broadway the show launched the careers of Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Adelaide Hall, Florence Mills, and others. It was Gertrude Saunders that originally performed the shows scat style that influenced Baby Esther, and later the adored Florence Mills replaced Saunders part in the show. In a 1934 interview, Saunders claimed that she was the original booper. She reported that the phrase "
Boop-Oop-a-Doop" originated at the end of her Shuffle Along number Daddy Won't You Please Come Home. What was truly unique was that Saunders had taken to inserting scat riffs into her songs. In her performance of the song Daddy Won't You Please Come Home, "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" appeared in a string of scats in a baby-talk style at the end of the number. Before long, these scat riffs became a style, and many performers began to interpolate various scat riffs into their songs. These scat riffs came to be known among performers as "hot licks."

SHUFFLE ALONG

BANDANA DAYS
from SHUFFLE ALONG

​1921
SHUFFLE ALONG
LIVE BROADWAY CAST RECORDING

2016
THAT TWA TWA DADDY WON'T YOU
PLEASE COME HOME

​(GERTRUDE SAUNDERS)
from SHUFFLE ALONG
1921


Boop-Oop-A-Doop

HELEN KANE - I WANNA BE LOVED BY YOU
1928 recording
HELEN KANE - I WANNA BE LOVED BY YOU
1958 performance

ANNETTE HANSHAW
​1928 recording
MARILYN MONROE
from the film SOME LIKE IT HOT


SYNCO JAZZERS  -  BOOP-OOPA-DOOP  -  1929


Who Boop'd First?

​The first person to tell you that Baby Esther had used Betty Boop's signature scat phrase before Betty herself would be Betty's creator Max Fleischer. The story of the Betty Boop-Baby Esther connection stems from Helen Kane's unsuccessful 1932 lawsuit against Fleischer. Kane had alleged that she invented the "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" phrase, as well as all other scat phrases that included "boop", and even the word "boop" itself.  When evidence was presented that Kane had seen Esther "boop" first, Kane's lawyer maliciously argued that it was Baby Esther that was copying Helen Kane's routine. The case was eventually dismissed after it was proven that Kane had seen the phrase performed by Baby Esther on stage before using the phrase herself.

In recent years, some 
presumptive interpretations of Baby Esther's overall significance have given birth to a wave of misinformation surrounding the child star. Many articles have surfaced on the internet claiming that Esther is the "real" Betty Boop, but these stories are vague on points, have false information and often include photos incorrectly identified as Baby Esther. Some of these misguided stories claim that Baby Esther was the first one to "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" - a claim that Esther dismissed herself. Many false stories on the internet claim that Baby Esther was the inspiration for the animated star Betty Boop, and that she is the "real" Betty Boop. Her mysterious history adds to the intrigue, and a story about a little-known black singer having her "boop" stolen from her sounds quite convincing. After all, there is a rich history of black musicians having their music or style taken by white musicians without giving credit. 

Betty Boop's style and mannerisms are typical of a 1920's flapper. The style of Betty is in no way a copy of Baby Esther - Betty was a grown woman, Esther was a child. It is not clear if Max Fleischer had even heard of Baby Esther at the time Betty Boop was created, but it is unlikely. Betty was clearly stylized after the 1920's flapper - a symbol of a liberated independent, and somewhat reckless woman enjoying her new freedoms.  The typical flapper look and the sexy baby-like voice were not necessarily a copy of Helen Kane, those styles were common in the 1920's. It has been suggested by some that Betty Boop's appearance was influenced by Clara Bow - the silent film star known as "The It Girl." 
Since the early 1900's, the sexy baby-like style of singing and voice was popular and used by many performers. Betty was a stereotypical 1920's flapper, with the customary long legs and hair curls. Variations of the same caricature had appeared in many other Fleischer films of the time. Betty's style was certainly not a copy of Baby Esther, who was more like a black version of Shirley Temple or Baby Rose Marie.   



THAT'S MY WEAKNESS NOW
HELEN KANE  -  1928



HELEN KANE  -  1929
BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT /
BOOP-OOP-A-DOOP
HELEN KANE  -  1929
HUG ME, KISS ME, LOVE ME

ANNETTE HANSHAW  -  1929
BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT
ANNETTE HANSHAW  -  1929
HE'S SO UNUSUAL


RUTH ETTING  -  BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT  -  1929



MARJORIE BABE KANE  -  THE FLIPPETY FLOP  -  1929

MARJORIE KANE  -  THAT NEW STEP  -  1929

NINA MAE McKINNEY  -  SWANEE SHUFFLE  -  1929
from the film HALLELUJAH


The Nitty-Gritty....

Helen Kane's unsuccessful lawsuit alleged that it was Kane who created "Boop-Oop-A-Doop" and all other boop scats, and that those were "unique" to her act. She also claimed that Betty Boop had copied her "unique" style, look, sound and mannerisms. Of course, the evidence of Baby Esther proved that the scat riffs and boops were not unique at all. In fact, what was "unique" was Betty Boop. Ultimately, the evidence had shown that Betty Boop's "boops" were not a unique creation taken from Helen Kane, and that Kane had previously seen similar "boops" in Baby Esther's act. This revelation ruined Helen Kane's credibility, and in the end it contributed greatly to her losing her case. Betty Boop, the original animated starlet born out of the inkwell of animation pioneer and inventor Max Fleischer, was inspired by imagination and innovation. In his defense, Fleischer has argued that Betty Boop didn't steal Kane's act and create "unfair competition" - Betty was simply a cartoon character. 

The revolutionary advancements Max Fleischer pioneered enabled him to produce the first sound cartoon in 1926. In fact, all of Fleischer's films in the late 20's and early 30's were based around songs and music. These innovative films were the first music videos ever created. Fleischer's unprecedented bouncing ball famously encouraged theatre goers to sing along. Fleischer's animated short films come from the days before television, when shorts and cartoons played before and after movies in "picture palaces," now known as movie theaters. In his animated shorts, Fleischer was known to showcase black artists and their original work. The sound of jazz and scat were featured prominently in Fleischer films of this period, and often the original artists were showcased in live-action segments. The sound of jazz and black musicians such as Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and Don Redman were given exposure and reach through these films that they never had before.


In 1932 Baby Esther's name suddenly emerged in the news when Helen Kane launched her infamous lawsuit. Although now there is no known audio recording of Baby Esther, Fleischer had found audio of Baby Esther in a screen-test and he produced it at the trial - it has since been lost. For Max Fleischer, finding Baby Esther led to a key piece of evidence that helped him win the case. The true Baby Esther-Betty Boop connection is not that Esther gave Betty her "boop", rather it was Esther that helped Betty keep her "boop."

DON'T TAKE MY BOOP-OOP_A-DOOP AWAY  -  MAE QUESTEL as BETTY BOOP



MAE QUESTEL & RUDY VALLEE
MUSICAL JUSTICE - a live-action Betty Boop short film from 1931
includes the song  DON'T TAKE MY BOOP-OOP-A-DOOP AWAY

As for Baby Esther, there is lots of false information across the internet about her. In 1929 Esther left America for Europe, where she was given a more welcoming and enthusiastic reception. In the 1920's, black performers were treated much better in Europe then they were in America. At the time of the Helen Kane trial Baby Esther is thought to have been still touring around Europe, by the end of the trial she may have returned to the US or have been touring South America. After returning to America around 1933, she became a dancer with the Cab Calloway Orchestra - the house band at Harlem's legendary Cotton Club at the time - and in 1934 she was back to playing vaudeville. At the time Baby Esther was performing with Cab Calloway, he had just been featured alongside Betty Boop in three infamous Max Fleischer cartoons - Minnie The Moocher (1932), Snow White (1933) and The Old Man Of The Mountain (1933). Due to the popularity of Minnie The Moocher, Calloway came to be known as "The Hi-Di-Ho Man." Calloway took advantage of his broadened popularity by performing concerts to coincide with the release of the Fleischer cartoons in various neighborhoods. Eventually, Baby Esther struggled in her transition to an adult star, as she had lost the cute child appeal she built her career on. Although Esther reportedly received many offers for work, she soon chose to retire from show business. 

Fleischer scripted Betty's real-life court battle into her films. In her defense, Fleischer composer Sammy Timberg scripted Betty's fight anthem Don't Take My Boop-Oop-A-Doop Away. The song first appeared in the 1932 Betty Boop live-action short Musical Justice, and it appeared again that year in the Talkartoon short Boop-Oop-A-Doop. After winning the unusually entertaining trial, Max Fleischer released a victory song reel featuring Betty Boop's various voices singing a special version of Don't Take My Boop-Oop-a-Doop Away.
​
"De-Do"


MAX FLEISCHER VICTORY REEL WITH FIVE BETTYS
(Fleischer's five voice actresses for Betty Boop from left to right: Kate Wright,
Little Ann Little, Mae Questel, Margie Hines & Bonnie Poe)


Gertrude Saunders

I'M CRAVING FOR THAT KIND OF LOVE
​(from SHUFFLE ALONG)

GERTRUDE SAUNDERS
1921
POTOMAC RIVER BLUES
GERTRUDE SAUNDERS
1921

Child Stars Of The 1920's

BABY ROSE MARIE
​1928
LITTLE FARINA
​1929
SHIRLEY TEMPLE
​1935

Early Scat Music

KING OF THE BUNGALOWS
GENE GREENE
​1911
THAT HAUNTING MELODY
AL JOLSON
1911
IT HAD TO BE YOU
BILLY MURRAY &
AILEEN STANLEY

1924

PAPA-DE-DA-DA
EVA TAYLOR
1925
THAT TWA-TWA SONG
ESTER BIGEOU
1921
MEMPHIS TENNESSEE
ETHEL RIDLEY
1923

​DIXIE BLUES
EDITH WILSON
1922
HEEBIE JEEBIES
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
​1926
SCISSOR GRINDER JOE
GENE RODEMICH'S ORCHESTRA
1926

THE MOOCHE
BABY COX
1928
YOU GOT TO SAVE THAT THING
ORA ALEXANDER
1931
IT DON'T MEAN A THING
BOSWELL SISTERS
1932

EVERYBODY LOVES MY BABY
AILEEN STANLEY
1924
ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS
JUST PLEASE ME

MAUDE MILLS
(FLORENCE MILLS' SISTER)

1927
THE SCAT SONG
CAB CALLOWAY
1931


BETTY BOOP  -  BOOP-OOP-A-DOOP

BOOP OOP A LOOZA


Picture

more on BABY ESTHER -
https://babyestherjones.wordpress.com/​​
https://bettyboop.fandom.com/wiki/Baby_Esther_Jones


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