Apologies for the late posts this week, it has been a hectic one... ▪️Black History Month Day 22▪️ FACT FRIDAY (BHM Edition): Drawn as an old Hollywood pinup girl, cartoon character Betty Boop was actually based on Esther Jones, a Harlem-based jazz singer. Jones was known for her use of “boops” in her singing as well as what was called a child-like scat, similar to that of her illustrated counterpart. Betty Boop made her first appearance on August 9, 1930, in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes as the creation of Max Fleischer. Although Clara Bow is often given as being the model for Boop, she actually began as a caricature of singer Helen Kane, who in turn gained fame by imitating the style of African American singer Baby Esther Jones. Known by her stage name "Baby Esther", Esther Jones was an African American singer and entertainer of the late 1920s that performed regularly at the Cotton Club in Harlem, NY. When Helen Kane attempted to sue Max Fleischer in 1932, for using her persona, the studios defended themselves by arguing that Kane herself had taken it from "Baby Esther" Jones. An early test sound film of Baby Esther's performance was used as evidence. Theatrical manager Lou Boulton also testified during the Fleischer v. Kane trial that Helen Kane saw Baby Esther's cabaret act in 1928 at the Cotton Club with him and appropriated Jones' style of singing. Kane was said to have changed the words "boo-boo-boo" and "doo-doo-doo" to "boop-boop-a-doop" in a recording of "I Wanna Be Loved By You". I was concluded in court that the "baby" technique of singing did not originate with Helen Kane and that Jones' style, as imitated by Kane, was the inspiration for the voice of the cartoon character Betty Boop. #Day22 #BettyBoop #EstherJones #BlackHistoryMonthTribute #FactFriday (at Cotton Club) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuNN2Zfl1HD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2mzfipem3mfk