#Betty boop characters trial
Other trial testimony included statements from women voice acting Betty Boop, who confirmed they had been chosen due to their ability to impersonate Kane's voice and style, and had specifically practiced doing so. Jones did not testify, and Bolton said he did not know where she was. Īdditionally, the film of Esther Jones which was supposed to show her using the contested singing style and catchphrase well before Kane, was found to have been made in 1928 when Jones was around ten years old, seven months after Kane had already been using the "boop a doop" catchphrase, and only showed Jones singing Kane's own songs in Kane's style.
Under cross examination, Jones' manager Bolton conceded there was no evidence Kane had ever visited Jones' performance apart from his own claim, could not provide any specific details about when Kane was supposedly there, admitted Jones had never actually used the contested "boop a doop" phrase, despite using similar wording, and also acknowledged he had been paid $200 by Fleischer's studio to give witness for the defense. If you find the story online, this is where it usually ends, claiming Helen Kane still stole from Esther Jones, even if Max Fleischer didn't.
Without deciding if Betty Boop had been based on either Kane or Jones, the judge decided Kane had no claim to originality due to her apparent imitation of Jones, and so Fleischer's Betty Boop character was not infringing on her rights. Fleischer's lawyer also cited a short sound test film allegedly showing Jones singing with the same style, using the "boop a doop" catchphrase. Lou Bolton, Jones' manager, asserted Kane had only started using the "boop a doop" phrase after having visited one of Jones' performances. However, Fleischer completely denied the Betty Boop character had been based on Kane.Īt trial, Fleischer's lawyer claimed Kane herself had taken the phrase "boop a doop" and her singing style from Esther Jones. It was not Esther Jones, but a white woman, Helen Kane, who sued Fleischer and his studio for US$250,000 for copying her visual appearance, including hair style, dress, makeup, and voice, as well as the "boop a doop" catchphrase she used while singing. The character first appeared as a white woman with a long poodle like face, and drooping ears, and only later developing into a normal looking woman. Thirdly, the Betty Boop character was originally based on a French poodle not on Jones. Secondly, Esther Jones never claimed she was the original inspiration for the Betty Boop character, and never showed any interest in claiming any rights to it. It's a photo of Ukranian model Model Oyla (Модель Оля), in 2008, dressed as Betty Boop. Hidden Figures: Esther Jones (Baby Esther)įirstly, the woman in the photo at right is not Esther Jones.Baby Esther Jones the Original Betty Boop.Esther Jones: The Original Black Betty Boop!.
Various videos and websites make the same claim, sometimes with different photos. Another case of a talented black woman exploited by the white entertainment industry. The meme claims Esther Jones spent years unsuccessfully trying to win back her legal rights to the image. The meme typically claims the woman in the photo is Esther Jones, a famous black performer whose image was apparently unethically exploited when cartoonist Max Fleischer invented the cartoon character Betty Boop, based on Jones' image and singing style. For a five minute video version of this post, go here.Ī widely spread meme shows a picture of the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop, and a photo of a woman looking very similar.
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