A1: Despite being mentioned in Helen Kane's unsuccessful suit, there is no evidence that either Helen Kane or any of the creators of Betty Boop knew about Baby Esther. According to animator Grim Natwick, Betty Boop was modeled on Helen Kane.
[1] Kane proved in court that she had been doing her act since at least 1923, five years before allegedly first seeing Esther. A PBS story that "became the quoted source for the news that Betty Boop was based on a real-life Black performer" was removed from the PBS website. PBS retracted the story and apologized for spreading misinformation, stating: "Max Fleischer did not whitewash a Black character when he created Betty Boop. But Betty Boop was, partially, influenced by fashion and music whose origins can indeed be traced to Black performers."
[2]
References
- ^ Canemaker, John. "Grim Natwick". Film Comment, Jan/Feb 1975, 57-61.
- ^ "Betty Oops". PBS. September 2021.