From 1930: A Wild Dance: "On The Make"

[MORKOS621]

At least, Mae Questal's impersonation was perfect. Miss Kane should've been flattered.

[MORKOS621]

A laugh track? They had TV in the 30s?

[123sippijacktown1]

@MORKOS621

very primative and only few had one and they were VERY expensive but they definately had them

[SIMPFANN]

It's incredible how dead-on Mae "Betty Boop" Questel's impression of Helen Kane really was. If I didn't know any better, I couldn't tell the two apart.

[TreblePop]

I have a question. Did Helen Kane use that sort of voice in every day life? Or was it just something she put on as part of her image?

[SIMPFANN]

@TreblePop I've wondered about that myself- I don't think anyone knows for sure.

[LapisGarter]

@TreblePop No, she did not. She only used her novelty voice in films and songs. Her speaking voice was quite normal.

[JohnsonBrand2000]

I have always been a bit smitten with Helen Kane.

[bettysangria]

she's so cute ^_^

[freddygotme]

Madonna also used Helen's Kane's voice as an inspiration for her Nikki Finn character in Who's That Girl

[Cresantstar]

oh she sang this aswell i never knew that.. wish she sand i got it ina movie

[jazzgirl1920s]

Helen Kane is one of my favorite singers and actresses of all time. Any film clip of Helen Kane is appreciated. I wish all her Paramount films would be made available on a boxed DVD set.

[perfectjazz78]

Don't we all. I have all of her films, but most of them are not in great shape, or incomplete . A restored DVD set of them would be GREAT !

[goshnessmaggy]

you do? 0_0 it's so hard to find her movies anywhere lol, i even tried ebay, nothing

[nedsparks]

That's Billy Taylor (as 'Georgie') dancing. This is one of the Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart songs from the original Broadway production of the same name, starring Alice Boulden. The part of 'Georgie' was played by Ray Bolger in the stage version.

[beeswaxer]

is this betty boop

[NYC1927]

yes

[paulagk]

Helen Kane is the original Betty Boop. She was doing the "boop boop a-doop" long before the cartoons.

[LiaKnightly]

hey is that the girl who does the voice of Betty boop??

[eximod]

Nope. Betty Boop was based on Helen Kane. The Fleischer brothers, who made Betty Boop, hired a Helen Kane impersonator to do the voice. Betty's voice was done by Mae Questal, who also did Popeye's Olive Oyl.

Kane sued the Fleischer brothers for making a profit with her voice and her image without her permission. She lost. These days it would have been an open and shut case in her favor (as in the case of Glover vs Speilberg).

[JonahSerene]

an absolute travesty that she lost! its clear as the light of day betty boop stole her style! :( such a shame