''I Heard'' is a 1933

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

, and featuring Koko the Clown and

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 ...

. The cartoon features music by and a special

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

from

jazz musician This is a list of jazz musicians by instrument based on existing articles on Wikipedia. Do not enter names that lack articles. Do not enter names that lack sources. Accordion * Kamil Běhounek (1916–1983) * Luciano Biondini (born 1971) * Asm ...

Don Redman Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Biography Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teacher ...

and his Orchestra.

Plot

Workers from the Never Mine wash up before eating lunch at Betty Boop's Tavern, where Betty sings and dances while they dine. After lunch is over, the miners all return to work (and reapply their dirt and grime before entering the mine). An excited Bimbo runs around, singing "I Heard", and calls Betty to come down into the mine. She takes the

dumbwaiter A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restauran ...

down, but the cable snaps and plunges to the bottom. The crash leaves her unhurt, but clad only in her lingerie (Bimbo obligingly returns her dress). The two discover a team of ghosts playing a game of

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

, with a cartoon bomb as the ball. Bimbo and Betty head to the surface in the elevator, unwittingly carrying the bomb with them. They send it back down, and the resultant explosion fills all the railroad cars with

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

. The ghosts are also blown into the air, and land in graves opened by a laughing Bimbo.

Notes and comments

• Bonnie Poe voices Betty Boop in the opening title, then

Mae Questel Mae Questel (; born Mae Kwestel; September 13, 1908 – January 4, 1998) was an American actress. She was best known for providing the voices for the animated characters Betty Boop (from 1931) and Olive Oyl (from 1933). Questel began her career ...

takes over the full role as Betty Boop until the "Dumb Waiter" elevator scene. Bonnie Poe takes over again as Betty Boop when Betty falls down the mine to meet up with Bimbo. * Songs in this short include the title track, "How'm I Doin'?", and "I Know a Girl Named Betty Boop", all sung by Don Redman and Mae Questel. * This short was the last appearance of

References

External links

*
Watch ''I Heard (uncensored)'' in fully restored HD at Laugh Bureau Vintage

''I Heard'' on YouTube

1933 films 1933 animated short films 1930s American animated films 1933 musical films Betty Boop cartoons Animated musical films Paramount Pictures short films Fleischer Studios short films Short films directed by Dave Fleischer American animated black-and-white films American musical short films {{BettyBoop-animation-film-stub