Now Showing: "Betty Boop, M.D."

Initially released in September 1932, Betty Boop, M.D. features the voice talents of Mae Questel; given the mini-horror flicks that pharmaceutical company commercials (or, more precisely, their lists of potential side-effects) have become, the Pop Culture Institute is grateful for the chance to demonstrate that, as far as the business of healing people goes, 'twas ever thus... Today's doctor is little more than the snake-oil salesmen under whose thrall our beloved Betty Boop, her friend Koko the Clown, and dog Bimbo seem to have fallen here.

In order to illustrate the outrageous side-effects of 'Jippo' (which is actually just water) director Dave Fleischer and his Fleischer Studios animators - Willard Bowsky and Thomas Goodson - have resorted to some of the most surreal images committed in ink upon celluloid until the 1970s.
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In Memoriam: Max Fleischer

Born on this day in 1883 was Max Fleischer; the man whose Fleischer Studios was responsible for Popeye, in addition to being the first to animate Superman, was also responsible for one of the greatest cartoon characters of them all: Betty Boop.

He and his brother Dave also invented the rotoscope, whereby a live action figure could be animated by tracing; amazingly the patent for the rotoscope was granted as long ago as 1917.
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