The Old Man of the Mountain

This short was SUPER well done.

It was visually a joy to watch, the animation was seriously amazing. These cartoonists were so talented. I was really impressed by how creative and beautiful the art was.

In addition to that, this is a certified bop on a musical level. The way it's incorporated with the animation is awesomely done and the lead male singer is a pleasure to listen to. The entire soundtrack for this short should be applauded.

I had a great experience watching it and it nailed that classic cartoon vibe. I felt like I was captured in the same way I would have been when I was younger.

Don't come to this cartoon for a narrative experience though. Your much better off just watching in a more present mindset with the events on screen.

This was an awesome watch that definitely stood the test of time.

'The Old Man of the Mountain' is a pretty nice Betty Boop cartoon. The cartoon starts with a small live action part. We see Cab Calloway and his orchestra as they are introduced on the screen. The old man of the mountain is voiced by Calloway. From that moment the cartoon is one musical number about the old man. We see people coming down the mountain as Betty Boop, with the voice of Mae Questel, goes up to confront the old man. Of course every one she meets falls for her charms and helps her getting higher and higher.

With the usual surrealistic way of animation this is another nice Betty Boop cartoon. Although there are no real hard laughs the animation can be admired the entire time. The music adds a lot to the animation and these two things make 'The Old Man of the Mountain' worth watching.

This was another awesome collaboration between the Fleischers and Cab Calloway. During the live-action credits sequence, dig the drummer who throws his drumstick up in the air twice and catches it both times! Then hear Cab sing the title song with the orchestra playing throughout as Betty goes up to meet this bizarre old man who has designs on her. Both the music and the animation go together perfectly and I was feeling such a high watching this that I never wanted it to end but I was very relieved when it did so I could catch my breath! In fact, rewatching this on my old VHS of "Betty Boop-Special Collector's Edition, Vol 1.", I have a new appreciation for the animators at the Max Fleischer studio. So on that note, The Old Man of the Mountain is highly recommended. P.S. Absolutely love the duet between the old man (Calloway) and Betty (Mae Questel).

From the word Go, this cartoon will rock you: it's got a hot score by Cab Calloway's band that kicks in the second the credits are over and never lets up, and sounds better each time you hear it. Many of these Betty Boop cartoons from the early '30s featured top jazz artists, but this one has the absolute best music --the horn solo heard when the vulture's eggs are hatching is fantastic-- along with some bizarre, naughty gags that flash past before you can get a handle on them.

Our stylishly-attired heroine finds herself in an Alpine village that is being terrorized by the titular character, a fearsome ogre who has apparently been plundering the town and having his way with the local women. The supporting characters are humanoid animals (an owl, a bear, a pair of fish, etc.) but nonetheless it's startling when we're given to understand that The Old Man actually despoiled a lady hippo. Clearly, he is one baaaaaaad dude. But Betty is nothing if not spunky, and she charges up the mountain with a determined stride to confront the villain and challenge him in a musical duel.

The Old Man's Hi-De-Ho singing voice was supplied by Cab Calloway, whose dancing was "Rotoscoped" (filmed live and then traced, basically) by the Fleischer Studio animators, which pretty much gives Cab a co-starring role. Betty, meanwhile, is at her sexiest and sauciest here, not at all fazed at the raunchy goings-on in the Old Man's cave. Dig that eerie Food of the Gods ending, too, when the woodland creatures rise up against human corruption and restore order. Cartoons don't get any better than this!

Animation and music have gone hand in glove since the sound era and probably beforehand. While Warner Brothers and MGM featured music prominently, Lantz and Fliescher went a step or two further, by creating series built around music (mostly jazz) and the Betty Boop shorts featured music frequently. This short is one of the best they did. The mix of the animation and the Cab Calloway song is fantastic! All the studios used music in the creative process for their animation, with varying success. Warner Brothers did so because they saw a way to utilize the large catalog of songs from their film library, while Disney saw the potential revenue streams music would afford them. Whatever the reason, some great cartoons were made, including quite few Betty Boops. This is a must see. Most highly recommended.