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Compiled by Stephen M. Lawson
Inkwell Studios cartoons featuring a clown and a pup appeared before 1920. But it was not until 1924 that Ko-Ko the Clown and his dog Fitz (see below) were given names and their own model sheet by animator Dick Huemer. Bimbo showed up by 1930, although not looking quite like himself. With Betty maturing in late 1931 (see Betty's Ears), the trio came together in 1932 and have changed little over nearly seven decades.
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Screen capture from the 1932 Chess-Nuts and a 1989 Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery production cel.
Distribution and broadcast rights to Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery became the property of Walt Disney Studios on January 1, 1996, and it has appeared on the Disney Channel. In 2000, it is now available on VHS tape by Rhino Home Video as Sunday Morning Funnies - Betty Boop.
The production attempts to remain faithfulness to the classic Fleischer Studio style. The animation includes many Fleischer inspired scenes, including some which are rather surrealistic. Though the story line and animation is rather uninspired, it does provide the variety of characters, scenes and actions that will be familiar to the fan of Betty Boop and other Fleischer cartoons.
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"Bimbo, it's our old neighborhood."
A two second clip from the video showing
the production cel (above) about in the middle.
The color variations between cel and video are due to processing
differences.
A bit of Fleischer trivia: Just as Betty Boop evolved from a dog into a young lady, as shown in Betty's Ears, Bimbo may be said to have evolved from Koko's pal Fitz. There was also a generic canine character appearing between Fitz and Bimbo in the Song Car-Tunes, with the unnamed dog speaking the first words by an animated character in My Old Kentucky Home (1925, released Jan. 1926): "Follow the ball, and join in, everybody." The sound on film technique used for this first sound cartoon was developed and patented in 1919 by Dr. Lee DeForest. The Phonofilm of Fleischer's talking canine preceded by three years that other producer's talking rodent.
Sunday Morning Funnies - Betty Boop program is copyright 1989 by King Features Entertainment Inc.
Sunday Morning Funnies - Betty Boop packaging is copyright 1999 by Rhino Entertainment Company.
Modified: 3/24/02