Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle
Encyclopedia
Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle is a 1932 Fleischer Studios
Betty Boop
animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer
. It is now public domain
.
appears on screen playing a ukelele while riding in a motorboat. The motorboat goes faster and faster, until it crashes into a tropical island. Bimbo flies into the air and lands in another boat, this one containing a topless (except for a strategically placed lei
) and dark-skinned Betty Boop.
Bimbo and Betty, after nearly falling down a waterfall, are flung from the boat into a clearing surrounded by hostile trees, who torment the two. A group of savages appears, but Bimbo disguises himself by painting his face and sticking a bone in his hair. Bimbo is treated as an honored guest, and to a performance of Betty dancing the hula
. A sudden rainstorm washes off Bimbo's disguise, and he and Betty make a hasty escape from the angry savages. After another rapid boat ride, Bimbo and Betty ride up the Mississippi River
, where they attempt to kiss in private behind an umbrella (with a convenient hole).
The hula performance by Betty Boop was a visual high point of this episode. Betty's hula dance appears to be closely modeled on the hula dancer that appeared in the opening live action sequence (though the dancer was not "topless" as Betty is). This is one of the more apparent examples of the rotoscope
technique which the Fleisher Studio used for realistic animation. The hula sequence was later reused for Betty's cameo in 1933's Popeye the Sailor
and in 1934's Betty Boop's Rise to Fame
.
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer
Dave Fleischer
David "Dave" Fleischer was an American animator film director and film producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his two older brothers Max Fleischer and Lou Fleischer...
. It is now public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.
Plot
After a short live action performance by the Royal Samoans, BimboBimbo (Fleischer)
Bimbo is a fictional character, a cartoon dog created by Fleischer Studios. He first appeared in the Out of the Inkwell series and was originally named Fitz....
appears on screen playing a ukelele while riding in a motorboat. The motorboat goes faster and faster, until it crashes into a tropical island. Bimbo flies into the air and lands in another boat, this one containing a topless (except for a strategically placed lei
Lei (Hawaii)
Lei is a Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath. More loosely defined, a lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn. The most popular concept of a lei in Hawaiian culture is a wreath of flowers draped around the neck presented upon arriving or leaving as a symbol of...
) and dark-skinned Betty Boop.
Bimbo and Betty, after nearly falling down a waterfall, are flung from the boat into a clearing surrounded by hostile trees, who torment the two. A group of savages appears, but Bimbo disguises himself by painting his face and sticking a bone in his hair. Bimbo is treated as an honored guest, and to a performance of Betty dancing the hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
. A sudden rainstorm washes off Bimbo's disguise, and he and Betty make a hasty escape from the angry savages. After another rapid boat ride, Bimbo and Betty ride up the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, where they attempt to kiss in private behind an umbrella (with a convenient hole).
The hula performance by Betty Boop was a visual high point of this episode. Betty's hula dance appears to be closely modeled on the hula dancer that appeared in the opening live action sequence (though the dancer was not "topless" as Betty is). This is one of the more apparent examples of the rotoscope
Rotoscope
Rotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films. Originally, recorded live-action film images were projected onto a frosted glass panel and re-drawn by an animator...
technique which the Fleisher Studio used for realistic animation. The hula sequence was later reused for Betty's cameo in 1933's Popeye the Sailor
Popeye the Sailor (1933 cartoon)
Popeye the Sailor is a 1933 Fleischer Studios animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer. While billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, it actually starred Popeye the Sailor in his first animated appearance.-Summary:...
and in 1934's Betty Boop's Rise to Fame
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame is a 1934 Fleischer Studios animated short film, starring Betty Boop.-Plot:In a live action sequence, a reporter interviewing Max Fleischer asks him about his latest animated star Betty Boop. Max obligingly draws Betty "out of the inkwell" and asks her to perform a...
.
External links
- Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle at the Big Cartoon Database
- Full Cartoon on Cinemaniacal, streaming and downloadable.
- Downloadable cartoon at archive.org (public domain, MPEG4, 9.6MB)
- IMDb.com