THE ELUSIVE BETTY BOOP: Where did she come from?

It is unlikely that many of the teenage girls who carry Betty Boop keychains or wear Betty Boop T-shirts have ever seen any of the original Max Fleischer cartoons starring Betty. To most Americans under the age of 35 or so, she is probably just an icon, with no more sense of history than Tony the Tiger, Lucky Leprechaun, Count Chocula, or any of the other cartoons that serve as advertisements for cereal.

Her figure was modeled after Mae West's and her singing style taken from Helen Kane the "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" girl. The voice of Betty was that of May Questal.

Some think Betty Boop was modeled after Mae West:







Others think she was modeled after Helen Kane...especially her singing style. Here is a clip of the theme song of Betty Boop:

http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/vintager06/Music/HelenKaneBettyBoopThemeSong.wav

This website: http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/vintager06/HelenKane.htm has many Helen Kane songs.

Here is a cute one:

http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/vintager06/Music/HelenKaneIOweYou.wav

Here are photos of Helen Kane:












Helen Kane inspired not only Betty Boop, but also Marilyn Monroe!!

"In digging more info on Jobyna, Dennis Lambert acquired a book on Hollywood stars from 1930. In this book was not only a picture of Jobyna but also of Helen Kane, "The Boop-a-Doop Girl", who inspired both Betty Boop and Marilyn Monroe and who physically looks very much like the leading lady of Humor Risk. She was born in the Bronx as Helen Schroeder (or Schroader) and appeared in numerous stage plays in New York before being discovered for films. The book gives her birth date as 4 August 1908, which would make her quite young to have appeared in Humor Risk, but other sources says she was born in 1903 and if so, the chronology would fit. Helen went with the Marxes to Britain (On The Balcony) in 1922, so there's a definite connection between them. But why then did Groucho mention "Harold Lloyd's leading lady" and not the "Boop-a-Doop Girl" in connection with Humor Risk? Another misremembrance in his old age?"