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Rating: 
Summary: Good collection of middling Boop
Review: This collection features 10 cartoons from the period 1935 to 1939. As such, these are not "classic" Betty Boops by any means -- the classic 'toons ended in 1934. But these cartoons are still enjoyable (at least none of them feature Betty's insufferable dog Pudgy) & the Good Times transfers are very good.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Best Material but a Good DVD at a Great Price
Review: This is a collection of 10 Betty Boop shorts, all from the post Hays-Code era. The Hays-Code was the predecessor to the Motion Picture Association of America rating system (which wasn't adopted until 1968). The code was brought into being by complaints from moralists that Hollywood was corrupting the young (some things never change) with the glorification of violence, crime, sex, and drug abuse, especially in gangster films. They were also upset about presentations of homosexuality and interracial mixing. The code was also brought about because Hollywood feared the growing power of FDR's Washington. Without this form of self-censorship, FDR would almost have certainly signed legislation to control or censor Hollywood, if he didn't try to nationalize the industry altogether! The code was established in 1930 and it began to be effectively enforced in all Hollywood studios by 1934. What that meant for Betty Boop was no more drug references, no more overt sexuality, no more singing with Cab Calloway (a black man), longer skirts, boring new characters (like Grampy and Pudgy), and generally less fun all around. Its no surprise then that all her best shorts were pre-code. These 10 Hays-Code episodes aren't the racy classics that Dad would enjoy watching alone, but they are great to watch with your kids. They are all pretty entertaining, save the last two with Grampy. #8 is somewhat offensive in its depiction of Native Americans, but its Betty's final film and has a little bit of that jazziness that had been missing for years. Here are the episodes included in order: 1) Judge for a Day, 1935
2) Betty Boop and Little Jimmy, 1936
3) No! No! A Thousand Times No!, 1935
4) Betty Boop and the Little King, 1936
5) The Hot Air Salesman, 1937
6) Stop That Noise, 1935
7) Musical Mountaineers, 1939
8) Rhythm on the Reservation, 1939
9) A Song a Day, 1936
10) The Candid Candidate, 1937 For the serious Betty Boop fan, one should probably wait for the "Definitive Collection" to reach DVD, probably at the $80-$100 range for the complete collection. For those of us who aren't so enthralled by the idea of 13 hours of Betty Boop for $100, a "best of" collection in some 90 minutes would be an ideal preference. In the meantime you might as well pick this up... its an entertaining introduction to a 30s pop culture idol and its a veritable steal at this price. The image is remarkably good for a DVD of this price and the sound is probably as good as it was in the theatres back then.
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