Clara Bow Was The Inspiration Behind Betty Boop:
A lot of people ask about Clara Bow the "It" Girl and Betty Boop!? Bow was partially the inspiration behind Boop. The Fleischer Studios have never admitted to stealing anyone's persona, but Paramount confirmed it to be true.
Betty Boop was created by Grim Natwick in 1930 not Max Fleischer.
Boop was introduced as a plump overweight Sugar Kane caricature. Kane was only used as an introduction to the character. Betty is not supposed to be Bow or Kane.
Turns out that Helen Kane was a Clara Bow copy-cat. Bow was the original jazz-baby and she originated that unique style and look. Paul Ash who discovered Kane, said that Kane was Bow's protégé.
Betty's frilly dress was based on Clara Bow's frilly dress. A lot of misinformed people claim "little black dress," no Betty's original dress established in 1931 was frilly.
Don't believe?
Watch "Silly Scandals," "Minding the Baby" and "Bimbo's Initiation". You'll notice after those cartoons the extreme frills on Betty's black dress kind of vanished...
Grim Natwick's version of Betty was very unique.
Everything Betty!? Is Grim Natwick!
Grim Natwick helped create and develop this character. He debuted her as a redhead, created her hair, he helped create her garter belt, he established Betty. But he left the studio without any kind of ownership.
The truth about the Fleischer Studios is just like Walt Disney Studios. They didn't know anything about pretty girls or pretty women. So it was Natwick who helped them.
Who else helped animate or create the concept for Walt Disney's character Snow White!? It was none other than Grim Natwick. Walt Disney saw his work, and knew that Natwick had created Betty Boop, and wanted him as of 1934 to help work on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
As Betty evolved by 1932 most of the frills on her dress were removed. But Grim Natwick's dog-woman Betty? She had a very frilly dress in 1931.
Natwick's Betty did wear garters. Though the Fleischers have lied, his Betty did wear them. So he clearly helped develop the rose garter belt, he even said so. Natwick will be give credit eventually, and honored for creating Betty Boop in 1930.
Kane went on to sue Betty Boop for her singing style, voice, image, haircut, and demeanor. When it was established that Kane did not invent any of the claims, she lost.
A lot of people don't know this but Peggy Bernier she was discovered by Paul Ash a few years earlier than Kane. Bernier went by "The Girl With The Baby Voice" when she first pulled off the baby vamp ruse. A lot of people were unaware that Bernier came first.
Who's idea was that!? Paul Ash.
Bernier used to sing in a baby voice and scat sing. Bernier!? Well it turns out that she was in the same McVickers theatre revue as Baby Esther Jones in Chicago circa 1926.
Paul Ash would later tell Ginger Rogers to emulate Kane. Rogers started her career imitating, and later felt that she needed to drop the act. So Ash had Kane emulate Bernier, then Rogers emulate Kane. Kane was not as original as she claimed.
But Paramount Pictures unlike the Fleischers just said that Clara Bow became the #1 inspiration to use to develop Betty and to create Betty's risqué persona.
So Betty sings similar to Helen Kane but is more or less emulating Clara Bow's look. Betty's voice belonged to Mae Questel, Bonnie Poe, Margie Hines and Little Ann Little, and allegedly June White, and Katherine Wright on radio.
Kane was suing for a voice she did not own.
People emulate others all the time. You don't go around saying, "I own your voice."
Like how Kane stole from Clara Bow and Peggy Bernier!? Did they complain about Kane stealing from them!? No they did not.
Allegedly Katherine "Kate" Wright was imitating Helen Kane on radio. So how she was involved with Betty Boop makes no sense. Her link to Betty, had something to do with a 1933 "Betty Boop Production" by the M. S. Bentham office, that opened in Pennsylvania.
She made a silly statement how she was going to "Boop" for the judgy-wudgy but never did...
Singing in a baby voice is nothing unique or special. If you look back in history you'll see redhead Irene Franklin sing in that manner.
The Fleischer Studios did somewhat plagiarize. But at least Paramount were honest enough to tell the truth about how Betty was marketed and promoted.
For those unaware, Clara Bow was the original Marilyn Monroe of the 1920s.
Betty Boop was Mae Questel, there is no one else. After Questel established Betty, the character was supposed to have been an impersonator. So Betty in earlier cartoons would take on traits of other people, like Fanny Brice for example.
Betty did often emulate people such as Mae West, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. You can also see a lot of Mae West in a later Betty Boop.
You can see Betty parody West's popular "She Done Him Wrong" film.
Betty Boop And Clara Bow Comparison:
