Betty Boop: Bamboo Isle (1932)

★★★★★ · Hey! I Know That Guy! · Spotcat · 2005-04-06

I have to give this cartoon 5 stars because my father-in-law, Lowellan LeDoux is in it as a member to the Royal Samoans. He can be seen on the far right, first row playing the guitar. It is also his tenor voice that is used when Bimbo sings Lowellan had a long show business career. He had his own radio program in Chicago for a number of years and played with Polynesian themed groups in Chicago, Miami, and New York. The cartoon dancing scenes were rotoscoped. People were filmed dancing then the cartoonist traced over the film, frame by frame, to create the cartoon. Thanks for archiving this…

★★★★★ · Wonderful Pre-Code Betty Boop · Poohbah70 · 2019-07-08

The Fleischers were way ahead of their time with this pre-Code fluff. The cartoon opens with a minute and a half of the Royal Samoans with hula-type dancer. Then we get a properly tan Betty as a Samoan or Hawaiin, as you like, in a grass skirt and flower lei that barely cover her body. Yes, the Samoans are rather incorrectly portrayed - but even Betty wound up looking like a dog at one point. Her rotoscoped dance is great. Great fun and very sexy for a cartoon.

★★★ · meh · khanearl · 2005-10-13

some people think this is kind of racist with the depictions of the samoans(looking like dogs) but you got to remeber that prety much everyone on the betty boop cartoons looks like dogs. anyway good cartoon and the rotoscope realy worked for this cartoon, but it lacked in plot.