![]() This was corroborated by Kane’s manager, says Pointer. Baby Esther’s manager claimed that Kane and her manager had seen Jones perform in 1928, then copied her style. The Fleischers trotted out a number of witnesses who claimed they’d heard “boops” and baby talk in nightclubs, cabarets and vaudeville theaters before Kane became famous.Īnd then came talk of Baby Esther, the stage name of an African-American performer named Esther Jones. But it stalled there, thanks to the origins of her signature sound. It seemed like Kane had a legitimate case-and her lawsuit made it all the way to the New York Supreme Court. ![]() ![]() Some of the testimony became almost hilarious.” The press had a field day with the concept of a performer attempting to protect her popular “boops.” The judge watched footage of Fleischer cartoons and Kane performances.Įventually, says Pointer, “the court stenographer threw up his hands. He brought three women to court who had voiced Betty Boop-each of whom claimed they hadn’t imitated Kane and did their Betty Boop voices to prove it. She sought $250,000 in damages and no further showings of Betty Boop cartoons- and claimed that phrases like “boop-boop-a-doop, boop-boopa doop, or boop-boopa-do, or boop-a-doop or similar combinations of such sounds or simply boop alone” were her own-part of what she called her “baby vamp” act.īut Max Fleischer, the animation pioneer who owned the studio, didn’t back down. But so did Kane herself-and when she experienced economic hardship due to a layoff, she took legal action against the animation studio. Two years before Betty Boop’s debut, Kane had skyrocketed to fame with the song “That’s My Weakness Now,” which used the phrase “boop-boop-a-doop” as shorthand for sex.Īudiences would have recognized the send-up of Kane, now a Paramount star. The New York Times called her “the most menacing of the baby-talk ladies”-a reference to a vaudeville phenomenon also used by performers like Fanny Brice and Irene Franklin. Like the vaudeville performers that preceded her, Kane used her little-girl voice to deliver lyrics that would have been shocking in the mouth of another singer. Kane’s delivery-including her signature “boop-boop-a-doop”-was “a theatrical staple going back years,” says Pointer. The squeaky-voiced jazz singer was known for her sexy lyrics and baby-like singing, and Betty Boop delivered a spot-on imitation. Her wide eyes and sexy looks were a hit with audiences-as was the fact that she was a clear parody of popular singer Helen Kane. The new Betty Boop was a vivacious flapper who drove a car, did popular dances and showed plenty of skin. After easy contouring hacks, multiple eyeliner steps, and some serious lipliner, Emily was unrecognizable.But soon, Betty’s ears became earrings and she was reinvented as a human being. "The bobby pins anchor the wig down, so it'll make it easier for you to style it." He added finesse and flips to the faux hair with molding and spray wax.Īfter sitting in the hair chair, the model (who you may recognize as our own beauty editorial assistant Emily Orofino) made her way to get a makeover from makeup and eyebrow specialist Misty Chapman. "The worse thing that can happen is that you're out, and someone pulls the wig off," he said. ![]() Secure the wig with bobby pins in the front, on the side, and in the back. Plait each braid going down the nape of your neck, fasten it with a rubber band, and pin the tails to your head. To wear your hair under a wig, he recommended braiding it into multiple cornrows (for this look, he did three). Ten minutes later he presented us with his flawless reinterpretation of Betty's 1930s bob. After taking one look at the cheap Betty Boop wig we brought in for the shoot, he grabbed a long, black wig of his own and got to work. We met up with the expert, who is known in the business as "Edward Scissorhands" for his incredibly skilled haircutting skills (in fact, he inspired Tim Burton's movie after chopping his hair), at Warren-Tricomi in New York's Plaza Hotel. "She's an icon," said Edward Tricomi, the master stylist and cofounder of the luxurious Warren-Tricomi Salons. And no one defines sultry, come-hither sexiness more than Miss Betty Boop. While some choose to go the gory route for Halloween, we know our beauties out there may be looking something sweeter. ![]()
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