Grampy cures the 'House Cleaning Blues'

House Cleaning Blues (1937)

Starring: Mae Questel (as the voice of Betty Boop) and Jack Mercer (as the voice of Grampy)

Directors: Dave Fleischer and Dave Tendlar

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

The day after hosting a wild birthday party, Betty Boop is hung-over, short-tempered, and she very quickly becomes frustrated with trying to clean up the mess. Grampy comes to her rescue by creating and make-shift cleaning machines.

In "House Cleaning Blues", Professor Grampy once again Does His Thing and saves Betty from house-cleaning... but in the process he pretty destroys a number of expensive household items, such as a record player, a player piano, and clock, and a bicycle. There isn't anything we haven't seen in other Betty & Grampy cartoons, but unlike those, the thought of how much property was being damaged to help Betty get out of house-cleaning kept popping into my head and so maybe I didn't enjoy this one as much as I should have.

While this may not be the most innovative of Betty & Grampy outings, there's still a lot to like about it. Betty has one of the cutest melt-downs ever put into animation--a bit the folks at Fleischer liked so much they recycled some of it in "Service with a Smile" (1937). Everything about Grampy driving his roadster is hilarious--especially the way one has to wonder what it is he has on tap when he serves Betty her drink as they drive off at the end of the episode. Finally, there is plenty of high-quality animation to enjoy--with a pan-shot across the wreckage of Betty's home before Grampy goes to work that has a 3D quality to it standing out in particular. And, despite my very joy-killing cringing at the property Grampy converts, the bits with his machines operating are as well done as they always are. 

If you have a few minutes, go ahead and check out "House Cleaning Blues" by clicking below.

Betty and Grampy deliver 'Service With a Smile'

Service With a Smile (1937)

Starring: Mae Questel (Voice of Betty Boop) and Jack Mercer (Voice of Grampy)

Directors: Dave Fleischer and Dave Tendlar

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

It's the grand opening of the Hi-Di-Ho-Tel. Front desk clerk Betty is getting overwhelmed with demands from angry guests... until Grampy saves the day with his brilliant mind and talent for make-shift mechanical engineering.

In "Service With a Smile", Betty Boop is once again relegated to second billing in her own series, and genial mechanical genius Grampy and his creations take center stage, drive most of the story, and ultimately save the day. He elevates the service provided to guests with legitimate complaints to wondrous levels while delivering well-deserved comeuppance to those who are just obnoxious.

Among the high points in this Betty Boop outing are some nice (and sometimes subtle) callbacks to some of the older entries in the series, with the name of the hotel being foremost among these. There's none of the surrealism or edgy humor that was present in those efforts from the early 1930s, but the steady stream of good-natured gags (which start with the signs outside the hotel in the opening scene and don't stop until the closing fade-out) and the assortment of odd and/or troublesome guests at the hotel manage to make this a bit of fast-paced, fun entertainment.

Since we here at Shades of Gray also like to provide service with a smile, we invite you to check out "Service With a Smile" right now, by clicking below. It's only about seven minutes long, and we promise it will brighten your day!

The hero we need for the Covid-19 age

Grampy's Indoor Outing (1936)

Starring: Mae Questel (as the voices of Betty Boop and Junior) and Jack Mercer (voice of Grampy)

Directors: Dave Fleischer and Dave Tendlar

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

After a promised outing to a traveling carnival is cancelled, Junior throws a temper tantrum. It's Professor Grampy  to the rescue, as he applies his mechanical genius to turn his home into an indoor carnival.

"Grampy's Indoor Outing" is a fast-paced, fun bit of fluff. There's not a whole lot to say about it beyond the summary above and the sentence I began this paragraph with. It's one of those things you just sit back and watch with a smile. Parents of young children may find themselves watching and wishing the had Grampy as a neighbor, what with all the lockdowns and shut-downs of the amusement parks and just plain old parks, and even the schools. It's been a year for many parents, and these next few months are probably going to feel even longer. Grampy is both the hero they need AND deserve.

Take a few minutes to enjoy "Grampy's Indoor Outing" right now. It will almost certainly brighten your day!

(One thing I observed that I found interesting is that the character design of Junior is almost identical to that of Little Jimmy, a licensed character that starred along side Betty Boop in a cartoon released earlier in 1936. I don't know if that means anything other than Fleischer was going to spend the effort to come up with an entirely new character design for a series that was sinking in popularity, or if it was something else.)

Grampy requests your presence

Betty Boop and Grampy (1935)

Starring: Mae Questal (Voice of Betty Boop)

Director: Dave Fleischer & Dave Tendlar

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Betty and the Gang are invited to party at Grampy's house... and, BOY!, do they party!

"Betty Boop and Grampy" stars a Betty in the process of transitioning from her wild flapper days to a homemaker. Betty still favors the short skirts, but they aren't as short as they used to be... and instead of visiting Crazy Town with her boyfriend, or going to see the Old Man of the Mountain against everyone's advice, she's happily doing domestic chores around her happy home. Still, there's more than just a little spunk and wildness left in Betty, so when she gets in invitation to come to Grampy's house for a party, she picks up four total strangers while crossing town (including a fireman and a police officer) and invites them along.

Grampy, a bald, white-bearded inventor of weird gadgets with a talent for jury-rigging devices on the spot that puts MacGyver to shame, joins Betty Boop's supporting cast with this installment. With Fleischer having to tone down the more mature aspects of their popular "Betty Boop" cartoons, they were trying different things and wacky Grampy was one of them. 

"Betty Boop and Grampy" is an entertaining bit of nonsense. It's got excellent music (starting with the "Betty Boop Theme", which Betty hums while tending to household chores; continuing through "Over at Grampy's House", which is sung by Betty and the guys she picks up while heading to the party; and "The Tiger Rag", which the characters sing and dance to, as it is played by a makeshift mechanical orchestra that Grampy constructs out of his kitchen appliances. The animation is up to the usual high standards to the Fleischer studio, and the gags are all well timed. It's not a high point in Betty's catalogue, but it's well worth your time.

The only real complaint I have is that Betty shouldn't have been picking up random strangers in response to Grampy's invitation. It would have been nice to see Koko and Bimbo at the party, since they're actually "the gang" mentioned in the letter. I know that Fleischer had removed the anthropomorphic elements of Betty's world by now, but it still would have made the Continuity Geek in me happy.

As is my habit with most of the short films I review, I invite you to take few minutes to brighten your day by watching the subject I've discussed. 

Trivia: In addition to working in animation, Dave Tendlar also illustrated comic books. I edited and wrote some material for a collection of his "Ginger and Snap" stories from NUELOW Games.

'Be Human' addresses animal cruelty with bluntness and humor

Be Human (1936)

Starring: Mae Questal (voice of Betty Boop) and Jack Mercer (voices of Grampy and Neighbor)

Directors: Dave Fleischer and Myron Waldman

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Outraged at the extreme abuse her neighbor heaps upon pets and farm animals alike, Betty (Questel) calls animal shelter operator and animal rights champion Professor Grampy, who knows exactly how to deal with such a human monster.

In 1935, the Motion Picture Production Code forced the Fleischer Studios to tone down the adult humor that once given their Betty Boop cartoons a sharp edge, and they subsequently became less popular with movie-goers. Naturally, steps were to reverse the downturn.  

As a character, Betty made made to leave her wild days behind and become a responsible career woman and/or a homemaker. As a commercial property, producer Max Fleischer tried to rekindle Betty's dwindling popularity by shifting her appeal to a younger audience. Despite everyone's best efforts, Betty's star continued to fade. I don't think there's a clearer sign of this than today's subject. As the instrumental version of Betty's long-time theme plays, viewers are shown a title card that reads "Grampy in Be Human" in large type and "A Betty Boop Cartoon" in a much smaller typeface that almost blends into a graphic element on the left side of the screen. Not only is Betty given less marquee space than a member of her supporting cast, but she is almost rendered invisible.

Once the cartoon really gets going, however, things are little different. Betty leads off singing a song that spells out the story's theme--be kind to animals. Her hateful neighbor then engages in a string of terrible acts of animal abuse, up to beating a chicken to death for not laying eggs on command. Betty is then the driving force in bringing Professor Grampy onto the scene... although it's all Grampy when it comes to making the animal abuser pay, all while harnessing the power of his punishment to make animals happy.

"Be Human" is squarely focused on a strong message opposing animal abuse, and it makes its points without subtlety. I suppose those who fear they may be "triggered" by cartoon scenes of animal abuse should give this film a pass, as should those who think animal abusers shouldn't just be rounded up and tossed in torture pits. Personally, I think the only ones who would take issue with this cartoon would be those who are prone to abuse helpless creatures... and there are apparently many people out there, since when the Betty Boop cartoons were syndicated to television in the mid-1950s, "Be Human" was pulled from rotation due to complaints that it encouraged vigilantism. 

Personally, I think any non-psychopath is going to get a kick out of Prof. Grampy's creative way of making Betty's nasty neighbor pay for his cruelty while generating a benefit for the animals housed at his sanctuary. Although Betty may have been in decline as a commercial property when "Be Human" was released, I think it ranks among the best in the series, and I highly recommend that you take a few minutes to check it out right now. 

'Grampy: The Candid Candidate' still resonates

Grampy: The Candid Candidate (1937)

Starring: Jack Mercer (voice of Grampy) and Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop)

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

After narrowly winning at election for Mayor, various citizens groups invade Grampy's office and insist he deliver on his promises. Grampy comes up with innovative ways to meet their demands (and more)!

Although this is ostensibly a Betty Boop cartoon, the fact that it's headlined by a member of what is generally viewed as her supporting cast, says a lot about the standing of the Betty Boop character in the late 1930s. Her adventures lost much of their edge when production companies became obligated to adhere to the MPPC, and Betty grew up, put away the tiny flapper dress, and became a domesticated homemaker. Meanwhile, characters like Grampy, who was introduced into the series in 1935, took more and more of the spotlight. In some ways, Betty Boop was following the same path that her one-time boyfriend Bimbo had followed: Betty began her existence as a supporting character to Bimbo, but she quickly came to overshadow him.

While the "The Candid Candidate" is a solid sign that Betty's days as the reigning Queen of Cartoon Comedy were coming to an end, it is an item that has stood the test time--with humor that is as fresh now as it was in 1937, and probably still will be in 2103. Not only does it feature a rapid-fire stream of sight gags, but it's a fun-filled send-up of politicians who over-promise and who then, when called to deliver, fail at truly fixing  problems they campaigned on while going so overboard in other areas to the point where there are going to be unintended consequences down the road. Shots taken at the media here also shows that "fake news" isn't new, and that politicians pandered just as hard back then as they do today. There is so much in this cartoon that remains relevant that it's funny and depressing at the same time.

Whether you watch "The Candid Candidate" for its social commentary or just for the crazy and innovative ways Grampy goes about being the Greatest Mayor Ever, you're going to enjoy every moment of its  six-minute running time. I've embedded it below so you can check it out now--I'm sure it will brighten your day.

 

(In fact, I enjoyed this cartoon so much that I think I shall have to focus my meanderings through the history of Betty Boop on just the ones featuring Grampy. He made ten appearances between 1935 and 1937, and if they're all as good as this, I'll be glad I did!) 

Another macabre trip for Betty Boop

Is My Palm Read? (1933)
Starring: Mae Questal (the voice of Betty Boop) and Billy Murray (the voice of Bimbo)
Directors: Dave Fleischer and Dave Tendlar
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Professor Bimbo and his crystal ball reveal Betty's past as a baby, and her grim future on a ghost-haunted desert island.

Much is made of Betty Boop's sexiness, but, to my eyes, these cartoons are more about being spooky than sexy. Sure, she ran around in a tiny dress that sometimes got pulled off her... but she was always being menaced by ghosts, demons, hillbilly rapists, and more! I'm far from an expert, but my sampling of Betty Boop cartoons from the 1930s seem more creepy than sexy to me, with only two not featuring some sort of supernatural element. Some even have the feel and pacing and logic of bad dreams and nightmares. (Okay, they have the feel and pacing and logic of MY bad dreams... so maybe that says more about my psychological state than it does about the cartoons....)

"Is My Palm Read" is another Betty Boop adventure that sees her (and recurring supporting characters Bimbo and Koko) menaced by ghosts. While Betty's captivity within a haunted hut on a desert island is initially just a psychic vision, the ghosts manage to somehow break out of Bimbo's crystal ball toward the end of the cartoon. In doing so, they somehow transform the reality of the cartoon from an urban setting to the desert island from the vision. How or why is impossible to discern, and the characters just seem to take it in stride--they do, after all, live in one of the most surreal worlds ever committed to film. However, while this sudden merging of psychic vision and reality leads to an amusing chase scene, it makes no sense in any context.

While I feel a bit foolish for expecting a Betty Boop cartoon to make sense, this move was just a little too dream-like, too surreal, and too chaotic for me; it made me go "waitaminnit" and got me thinking about the mechanics of the story instead of just enjoying it. I don't think that was the intention the director and animators, so I think it's a flaw in the execution here.

That said, it's really the only flaw. It's a flaw that takes away from the overall enjoyment of the cartoon, but not from the excellent and lush animation it features, nor from the catchy tunes  it delivers.

How about you take a few minutes out of your day to watch "Is My Palm Read?" and tell me whether I'm right or wrong in my take on it. You can check it out below, courtesy of YouTube.



Trivia: There are at least four different edits of this Betty Boop cartoon available for viewing online, on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and elsewhere. The version I have embedded here is, as far as I can tell, the most complete and closest to what was originally released into theaters in February of 1933. Most versions available to not feature the sequence with Betty as a baby, and at least one has a slightly different musical score. (The opening titles song does not have lyrics, for example.)

'Ginger and Snap' : Coming from NUELOW Games

Early in 1948, Eastern Color Printing published the first issue of Club 16, a humor anthology series focused mostly around high-schoolers and young professionals. The quarterly title lasted four issues, and it was gone again by year's end.

 From the first issue ot the last, one of the features was "Ginger and Snap." Ginger and Snap were fraternal twins and each story saw them trading places or otherwise impersonating each other. Since Ginger was a girl and Snap was a boy, all the stories feature light-hearted exploratons of gender role reversals. "Cute' is the perfect word to describe the stories by Mickey Klar Marks and the illustrations by Dave Tendlar, and not in a sarcastic way.

I immediately developed a fondness for "Ginger and Snap" when I discovered the series during one of my hunts for comics for NUELOW Games to re-publish as part of its comics/rpg hybrid line. It's not like anything else we've put out, so the Trading Places Twins are getting a book of their very own. Here's the splash page from the first story, as it will appear in NUELOW's "Ginger and Snap." (Click on the image for a larger, more readable version.)

The first appearance of Ginger and Snap.

When I made a post similar to this in a Facebook forum, announcing the plans to do a "Ginger and Snap" book, one of the commentors said,"Where the mind goes by today's standard would make a book like this a little ...,"

And he's right. If Ginger and Snap were to be fully rebooted instead of just re-issued, it would probably look something like this:

Joke ad for Ginger and Snap, by Karl M.

Look for Ginger and Snap, later this week from NUELOW Games. Meanwhile, click here to check out the other comics offerings... guaranteed better than 99 percent of the crap currently at your Friendly Neighborhood Comics Shop.