![]() ![]() In 1932, Kane launched a $250,000 Infringement Lawsuit for unfair competition. ![]() After Betty's debut Paramount Pictures who Helen Kane used to work for, and the Fleischer Studios decided to cash in on her success at the time, which was very short lived as Kane's career had fizzled by 1931. Betty in her initial debut had no race because she was a "dog woman" and was a caricature and or parody of Helen Kane. Helen Kane was an American, a New Yorker who lived in the Bronx who was of Irish-German descent. Though Betty Boop was often portrayed in person and voiced by Mae Questel a known "Helen Kane" impersonator who did the voice-over and singing in the cartoons, when Betty was initially created Grim Natwick had used a photograph of Helen Kane to create Betty Boop for the 1930 short Dizzy Dishes. If Jones had a problem, she would not have paid Helen Kane tribute. Jones was possibly aware of Kane emulating her scat singing style but did not mind and was flattered. Esther Jones was one of the latter, she was a "Boop" girl in that very MGM film short and Jones was paying tribute to Helen Kane who she'd met at the Everglades earlier that year. McGoldrick make a decision to rule in favor of the Fleischers, which is that Helen's claim to the "Boop" was common to a "number" of Boopers. Baby Esther scatting in that soundtrack footage, among other evidence given in court, is what helped the Edward J. Without the old soundtrack footage of Esther Jones scatting in an early recording of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Shorts: Little Esther by MGM today there would probably be no Betty Boop. Esther Jones was used to protect the legacy of Betty Boop in court. Actually the method was quite common to a galaxy of performers. ![]() Esther is considered to be the "original" Booper because Jones alternatively used that gimmick, way back in 1925, long before Betty Boop and Helen Kane debuted their scat routines. The origin of Baby Esther's " Wha-Da-Da" and or a " Roop-Woop-a-Woop" links to Helen Kane's " Poop-Poop-a-Doop," " Boop-Boop-a-Doop" and Betty Boop's " Boop-Oop-a-Doop" routines. Correct information is that Esther Jones inspired Helen Kane to scat sing way back in 1928, As of 1930 Kane went on to inspire Betty Boop to use a similar gimmick and scat sing in her cartoons. Natwick used a photograph of Helen Kane to create Betty Boop, he did not say he had used "Esther Jones" as the model, as Esther was a child performer who is said to have been around "10-years-old" or "11-years-old" in 1930. The Fleischer Studios had no idea who Esther Jones was. That is not true, that is hearsay and is false information. But misinformation in the video is that Betty Boop was inspired by a Black woman. You can find the article I’ve quoted from here.The video is a great tribute to Betty Boop and Esther Jones and has been viewed over 4,692,787 times. Sadly and predictably, she never made a dime from the use of her voice and singing style in compiling the character of Betty Boop. By the time the case was over in 1934, Baby Esther Jones had disappeared and was thought to be dead. Kane lost her suit, but continued to be the woman most associated with Betty Boop. Fleischer defended himself by arguing Betty Boop was based on many women and even showed footage of Baby Esther singing in court. Helen Kane eventually sued Fleischer for “stealing her singing style and catchphrase”, boop-oop-a-doop. Now, Max Fleischer, the creator of Betty Boop, mostly created her “as a parody” of a popular white singer named Helen Kane…who stole her style of singing and learned scatting from…you guessed it…Esther Jones. Betty Boop’s voice and use of scat phrases is based on Esther Jones’s voice and singing style. Jones was a jazz singer who regularly perfomed at the Cotton Club in Harlem in the 1920s. We’re kicking off Black Herstory Month with…Betty Boop! I mean look at THE FIGURE AND LIPS, OK?! Of course that’s a Black woman! □ But seriously, the character of Betty Boop is mostly based on an actual Black woman named “Baby” Esther Jones. I’ll provide references for everything I say that’s true. It’ll become clear what I’m doing as the month goes on. Now, some of these icons truly have Black ancestry but for others, I’ve made up their Black ancestry for fun. I will be spotlighting American pop culture icons with Black ancestry. ![]() In an effort to bring some levity to 2020 the Sequel, I’ve decided to have some fun with Black Herstory/History Month this year. ![]()
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