''Minnie the Moocher'' is a 1932 Betty Boop cartoon produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. In 1994, ''Minnie the Moocher'' was voted #20 of the

50 Greatest Cartoons ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals'' is a 1994 book by animation historian Jerry Beck. Criteria It consists of articles about 50 highly regarded animated short films made in North America and other notable ca ...

of all time by members of the animation field.

Plot

The cartoon opens with a

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

sequence of the famous musician Cab Calloway and his orchestra performing an instrumental rendition of " St. James Infirmary". Betty Boop gets into an argument with her strict immigrant parents when she will not eat the traditional

Hasenpfeffer Hasenpfeffer is a traditional Dutch and German stew made from marinated rabbit or hare, cut into stewing-meat sized pieces and braised with onions and a marinade made from wine and vinegar. Description ''Hase'' is German for "hare", and ''pfeffe ...

. She runs away with her boyfriend Bimbo, and sings excerpts of the

Harry Von Tilzer Harry Von Tilzer (born Aaron Gumbinsky, also known as Harry Gumm; 8 July 1872 – 10 January 1946) was an American composer, songwriter, publisher and vaudeville performer. Early life Von Tilzer was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents, Sarah ...

song "They Always Pick on Me" and the song " Mean to Me". Betty and Bimbo end up in a cave where a

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the fami ...

-like apparition appears (voiced by Calloway), who sings "

Minnie the Moocher "Minnie the Moocher" is a jazz- scat song first recorded in 1931 by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, selling over a million copies. "Minnie the Moocher" is most famous for its nonsensical ad libbed (" scat") lyrics (for example, "Hi De Hi De Hi ...

" and dances to the melancholy song. Calloway is joined in the performance by other ghosts, goblins, skeletons, and other creatures. Betty and Bimbo are subjected to skeletons drinking at a bar; ghost prisoners sitting in electric chairs; a cat with empty eye-sockets feeding her equally empty-eyed kittens; and so on. Betty and Bimbo both change their minds about running away and rush back home with the ghouls in hot pursuit. Betty makes it safely back to her home and hides under the blankets of her bed. As she shakes in terror, the note she earlier wrote to her parents tears, leaving "Home Sweet Home" on it. The film ends with Calloway performing the instrumental "Vine Street Blues".

Cast

Mae Questel Mae Questel (born Mae Kwestel, September 13, 1908 – January 4, 1998) was an American actress. She was best known for providing the voices for the animated characters Betty Boop (from 1931) and Olive Oyl (from 1933). She began in vaudeville, ...

and

Margie Hines Margaret Louise Hines (October 15, 1909 – December 23, 1985), also known as Marjorie Hines or Margie Hines, was an American voice actress. She was known for her work as a voice artist at Fleischer Studios, where she was the original voice of ...

as Betty Boop * Claude Reese as Bimbo *

William Pennell William Pennell (March 3, 1889 – September 5, 1956) was an American voice actor and baritone singer, who was the original voice of the character Bluto on the animated ''Popeye'' shorts produced by Fleischer Studios. At the time, Pennell sang ...

as Betty Boop's father *

Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

as Cavern Monsters

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'', on January 10, 1932, wrote: "This Max Fleischer musical cartoon is one of the best turned out so far with the cute pen-and-ink star, Betty Boop, who seems to be getting more sexy and alluring each time, and her boyfriend, Bimbo. The musical portion is supplied by Cab Calloway and his orchestra, and what these boys can't do to the 'Minnie the Moocher' number isn't worth mentioning. Cab and his boys are shown only for a brief moment at the opening. Then a cartoon character, a big walrus with serpentine hips, performs the gyrations to the tune of the 'Minnie' song. The effect is short of a knockout, especially to those who are familiar with Cab's stuff on the radio or stage or night club. Betty Boop's part in the action concerns her running away from home because of her bad parents. With Bimbo she goes into a cave, where spooky figures and eerie noise give them such a scare that they beat it back home."

Notes

Clips of the redrawn colorized version were used in the compilation film ''Betty Boop for President: The Movie'' (1980).

References

External links

*
Watch ''Minnie the Moocher (uncensored)'' in fully restored HD at Laugh Bureau Vintage''Minnie the Moocher'' at Internet Archive''Minnie the Moocher'' at YouTube
{{Cab Calloway 1932 films Films originally rejected by the British Board of Film Classification American black-and-white films Betty Boop cartoons Short films directed by Dave Fleischer 1930s American animated films Articles containing video clips 1932 animated films Paramount Pictures short films Fleischer Studios short films 1930s English-language films