*This is the same gorilla that was the villain in "The Herring Murder Case" which debuted two years earlier. If you do see the cartoon, you might notice an NRA symbol at the beginning-this was to indicate the film was in compliance with the National Recovery Act-a piece of legislation that was ruled unconstitutional and so was only BRIEFLY seen tacked on to the beginning of some films in 1933. Like all these cartoons, the animation quality is terrific and there is a wacky sense of humor that was pure 1930s fun. Fortunately, like all Boop cartoons, it ends on a positive note. It goes from her and some friends preparing, the party itself and a nasty gorilla* crashing the party and terrorizing everyone. The cartoon, not surprisingly, is about Betty Boop having a Halloween party. All I know is that I noticed nothing objectionable in this cute cartoon. Or, perhaps there was something objectionable and that portion was excised. I know that the Pre-Code version of Betty Boop (before mid-1934) was sexier than the later one-though so many Boop cartoons feature this sexier cartoon and weren't listed as banned on the site. Well, I really cannot see why this would be the case. When I downloaded this film for free from, it indicated this was a so-called 'banned cartoon'. It is not a bad cartoon, but not one of the best efforts by Fleischer's studio. But was that supposed to suggest the stereotypical superstition associated with male African-Americans too? I still find it quite a stretch. He is eventually chased out of the party, to the happiness of the other guests. But soon he is being pursued by goblins and witches, apparently directed at him by a mysterious big cat. He then sees the party, and appropriates all the apples in a bobbing for apples. It just is a bullying gorilla, who first hits a tree (hurting a behind that suddenly appears), and blackening the eyes of a inoffensive owl. The idea of a gorilla as a symbol for a Black male is an old one, but this gorilla has nothing suggestive of what racial stereotyping would suggest. YOU TUBE suggests that this particular cartoon was taken off the television shows of the 1950s and 1960s because it is a racial stereotype (presumably for African - Americans), but it does need stretching to see that. Then, about two thirds of the way through the cartoon, we see a gorilla arrive. Soon the guests arrive, and we see them bobbing for apples - one gets knocked out by an apple he is supposed to catch with his teeth. Betty is shown coring pumpkins (actually a cat descends with a device to do the coring, but Betty acts tired after each one is cored). He flicks these on the walls, and the witches appear on brooms while the cats appear with their backs humped up. The last we see of the Scarecrow is his putting up wall pictures of witches and black cats from special paint cans labeled "witch paint" and "cat paint". Like most of the plots of Fleischer's cartoons, the initial structure is jettisoned for new incidents and characters to take over. He shows up, and after warming himself he assists her in setting up her home. On Halloween a scarecrow finds a printed invitation to Betty's house for a party. This has it's moments as an early Pre-code Betty Boop. It's never a dull cartoon either, and the spirit of Halloween is incredibly well evoked, as well as some welcome humour, even if it is more risqué in other Betty Boop cartoons. The music is both atmospheric and infectious. A lot of it is actually very imaginative as well, some of the most inventive, fantastically surreal and eye-popping of the early Betty Boop cartoons to me. The black and white animation is extremely good, smooth, meticulously detailed and well drawn with the black and white not looking too primitive. However the Halloween atmosphere is great, the visuals help give the cartoon a spookiness and much of it is wonderfully bizarre and deliciously surreal. There are too many characters somewhat, and some are better than others. The party only takes up a very small portion of the cartoon and it's over too soon and is not as memorable as when 'Betty Boop's Halloween Party' becomes spookier and more imaginative. The flaws are few, but as said the title is misleading. The character of Betty Boop, one of their most famous and prolific characters, may not be for all tastes and sadly not as popular now, but her sex appeal was quite daring for the time and to me there is an adorable sensual charm about her. Their visual style was often stunning and some of the most imaginative and ahead of its time in animation. Fleischer were responsible for some brilliant cartoons, some of them still among my favourites. This said, it is still a very good cartoon in many ways, despite having a title that can easily mislead people. 'Betty Boop's Halloween Party' may not be one of the best Betty Boop cartoons.
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