The Mysterious Mose Meets Betty Boop

Mysterious Mose (1930)
Starring: Margie Hines (voice of "Betty Boop"/The Girl) and Bill Murray (voice of Bimbo/The Mysterious Mose)

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

After she is harassed by the ghosts haunting her home, Betty Boop's sleepless night may  be about to go from bad to worse when the notorious night-creeper known as the Mose invades her home.

There are some films that need to be experienced with as little advanced warning and spoilers from reviewers like me. "Mysterious Mose" is one such film. It's opens with with some risque weirdness brought on by a frisky ghost-- clearly establishes that the Bimbo and Betty cartoons were made for an adult audience--and it just keeps getting stranger as it goes. I guarantee that you will have a hard time predicting what's coming from one moment to the next, and you will certainly not be able to predict the film's ending. And that is what makes this bit of gothic-flavored weirdness so much fun to watch. The catchy music helps, too.

One thing I do have to mention specifically is that I've been referring to the female main character in this cartoon as "Betty Boop" for ease of reference more than anything else--like everyone else, I presume. When this cartoon was made, "Betty Boop" had yet to sport that name; her iconic look had likewise yet to be fully established. This was her fourth appearance and her design changed from film to film--as did that of Bimbo, actually--but this was the point where the "Betty" everyone recognizes began to take form. That said, she is still an anthropomorphic dog with droopy ears at this point, and she has darker skin that she would be portrayed with (for the most part) going forward. Still, this is the first time the future "Betty Boop" is clearly recognizable as Betty Boop.

But enough from me. Why don't you take a few minutes out of your day to check out this classic cartoon? It's guaranteed to entertain, as well as stir the Halloween Spirit!