''Bimbo's Initiation'' is a 1931

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...

Talkartoon

animated short Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

film starring

Bimbo Bimbo is slang for a conventionally attractive, sexualized, naive, and unintelligent woman. The term was originally used in the United States as early as 1919 for an unintelligent or brutish man. As of the early 21st century, the "stereotypi ...

and featuring an early version of Betty Boop with a dog's ears and nose. It was the final Betty Boop cartoon to be animated by the character's co-creator,

Grim Natwick Myron "Grim" Natwick (' Nordveig; August 16, 1890 – October 7, 1990) was an American artist, animator, and film director. Natwick is best known for drawing the Fleischer Studios' most popular character, Betty Boop. Background Born in Wis ...

Plot

Bimbo is walking down the street when he suddenly disappears down an open

manhole A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft, utility vault, or large vessel. Manholes are often used as an access point for an underground public utility, allowing inspection, ...

, and is subsequently locked down there by a mouse who resembles Mickey Mouse. He lands in the underground clubhouse of a

secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ...

. The leader asks Bimbo if he would like to be a member, but Bimbo refuses and is sent through a series of dangerous events. He is repeatedly asked by the leader to join their society, but keeps refusing. Bimbo is brought through a series of mysterious doors that lead him into yet another sub-basement. Bimbo flees through various death traps before landing in front of the mysterious order's leader again. Bimbo still refuses to become a member, but finally accepts the invitation when the leader reveals herself to be the real Betty Boop and the rest of the society members remove their costumes, showing that they are all Betty clones. Bimbo dances with all the Betties to celebrate.

Analysis and recognitions

The surreal, nightmarish atmosphere of ''Bimbo's Initiation'' has made it one of the most renowned Fleischer Studios shorts.

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of f ...

described it as "the 'darkest' of all" the Fleischers' cartoons. In 1994 it was voted #37 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 car ...

of all time by members of the animation industry. The

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...

Jim Woodring James William Woodring (born October 11, 1952) is an American cartoonist, fine artist, writer and toy designer. He is best known for the dream-based comics he published in his magazine '' Jim'', and as the creator of the anthropomorphic carto ...

identified ''Bimbo's Initiation'' as "one of the things that laid the foundation for my life's philosophy."

Trivia

*The song ''Wanna Be a Member?'' is a parody written to the tune of the 1919 song ''the Vamp'' (or ''Vamp a Little Lady''). *The film went into the public domain in 1959 after failure of renewal.Catalog of Copyright Entries 1959 Motion Pictures And Filmstrips Jan-Dec 3D Ser Vol 13 Pts 12-13
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References

External links

''Bimbo's Initiation'' on the IMDb''Bimbo's Initiation'' on YouTube
1930s American animated films 1931 animated films American black-and-white films Betty Boop cartoons Fleischer Studios short films Paramount Pictures short films Short films directed by Dave Fleischer {{BettyBoop-animation-film-stub