''Bimbo's Initiation'' is a 1931
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios () was an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures in 1942, the parent company and the distri ...
Talkartoon animated short
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
film starring
Bimbo
''Bimbo'' is slang for a conventionally attractive, sexualized naive woman. The term was originally used in the United States as early as 1919 for an unintelligent or brutish man. As of the early 21st century, the "stereotypical bimbo" appea ...
and featuring an early version of
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is a cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer. She originally appeared in the '' Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pic ...
with a dog's ears and nose. It was the final Betty Boop cartoon to be animated by the character's co-creator,
Grim Natwick
Myron "Grim" Natwick ( Nordveig; August 16, 1890 – October 7, 1990) was an American artist, animator, and film director. Natwick is best known for drawing the Fleischer Studios' most popular character, Betty Boop.
Background
Born in Wisc ...
, prior to his departure for
Ub Iwerks
Ubbe Ert "Ub" Iwerks ( ; March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, Invention, inventor, and special effects technician, known for his work with Walt Disney Animation Studios in general, and f ...
' studio.
Plot
During the opening credits, a chorus of
college fraternity brothers boasts how easily they will induct Bimbo. Bimbo walks down the street whistling "
Go In and Out the Window" and suddenly disappears down an open
manhole
A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft (civil engineering), shaft, utility vault, or large container, vessel. Manholes, typically protected by a manhole cover, are often used ...
. A
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
look-alike quickly locks the manhole after him. He slides down a long chute into the underground clubhouse of a secret society. The leader asks Bimbo if he would like to be a member, but Bimbo refuses and is sent through a series of dangerous trials. After each trial the leader repeats the invitation, but Bimbo still refuses. Finally the leader removes his costume to reveal Betty Boop, who charms Bimbo with a dance. Bimbo accepts the invitation, and the other members of the society reveal that they are also Betty. They all celebrate by dancing to the tune of
Byron Gay's "The Vamp".
Analysis and recognitions
The
surreal, nightmarish atmosphere of ''Bimbo's Initiation'' has made it one of the most renowned Fleischer Studios shorts.
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...
described it as "the 'darkest' of all" the Fleischers' cartoons. In 1994 it was voted #37 of the
50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation industry.
The
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...
Jim Woodring
James William Woodring (born October 11, 1952) is an American cartoonist, fine artist, writer and toy designer. He is best known for the dream-based comics he published in his magazine '' Jim'', and as the creator of the anthropomorphic cartoo ...
identified ''Bimbo's Initiation'' as "one of the things that laid the foundation for my life's philosophy".
Copyright status
The film's copyright was renewed in 1958.
References
External links
''Bimbo's Initiation'' on the IMDb''Bimbo's Initiation'' on YouTube* The song ''Wanna Be a Member?'' is a parody written to the tune of the 1919 song ''The Vamp'' (or ''Vamp a Little Lady'').
1930s American animated films
1931 animated short films
Betty Boop cartoons
Fleischer Studios short films
Paramount Pictures short films
Short films directed by Dave Fleischer
American animated black-and-white films
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