Red Hot Mamma

This movie is so ultimately perfect. Us Muslims we love it. Funny and groundbreaking. One of the best short animation movies ever; anchorman be serious who can say no to Betty boop dancing in a circle of fire???

Betty Boop literally goes to Hell in this one, as she takes to sleeping by the fireside one cold night and everything around her is set ablaze in the process. Needless to say, the devils (with every new arrival getting fitted with their proverbial tail and horns!) prove to be a lecherous lot – albeit musically-inclined as well (they are seen letting rip during a jazz number). Ironically, given the suggestive title, the heroine wears a dress for much of the duration! Still, when she rebuffs the chief's advances and gives him the cold gaze, the whole place freezes over accordingly…and, suddenly brought back to reality, we realize Betty's house had been extensively damaged from the raging blizzard!

I found this cartoon on YouTube and watched it because it said it had been banned. Now whether it really was banned, I have no idea and IMDB makes no mention of this. I would not be too surprised if it had been, as the film came out just before the toughened Production Code was adopted by Hollywood, as it does glamorize Hell...something not explicitely banned by the Code but not exactly in the spirit of it either!

The story begins with Betty sleeping. However, the weather changes and the house is freezing, so she builds a huge fire in the fireplace....and the house becomes like a furnace. Not surprisingly, she now dreams she's in Hell and it's an amazingly nice place all things considered.

As usual, the Fleischer Brothers' animation is top notch even if it is in black & white. As for the story, it's diverting and strange but not among Betty's best. Worth seeing, however, just for the novelty of the story!

Red Hot Mamma (1934)

*** (out of 4)

Highly entertaining short has Betty Boop growing cold so she starts a fire and decides to sleep by it. This turns the heat way up and before she knows it Betty is in Hell. This is a devilish little Pre-code short from Paramount that has some terrific animation as well as a creative streak that makes for a lot of fun. There's no question that the entire Hell sequence is the highlight and there are some very creative jokes throughout. One such thing is when we see freshmen devils getting their horns as well as another section where the Devil goes full blast by turning the heat way up to get to Betty. If you're a fan of the series then this one here certainly ranks as one of the better ones.

Don't let the opening fool you. The opening suggests that 'Red Hot Mamma' was going to be a quite tame and safe cartoon, especially for a pre-Code cartoon. Whereas a number of pre-Code Betty Boop cartoons were wonderfully strange, very risqué and imaginatively surreal.

This opening however is deceptive. 'Red Hot Mamma' is a long way from being tame and playing it safe. When it comes to Betty Boop, it is one of the most imaginative and daring, and one of the most classic examples of the surreal and the risqué. Of the 1934 batch of Betty Boop cartoons, it is one of the best, one where you just marvel at the content and how much it gets away with, and of the whole Betty Boop series.

As ever in a Betty Boop cartoon, the animation is still incredibly good, the detail is immaculate, there are the typical imaginative moments and everything is beautifully drawn. The Hell sequence is the finest example. There is a return to the more jazzy style of music, and it is a style that meshes brilliantly with the action and is a music score that is very much memorable in its own right.

Regarding the content, the jokes and humour are one of the series' most risqué and creative, plus they are funny and none less than that, and the surreal nature is so imaginatively done and captivating to watch. The plot structurally may be thin and typical and may not make sense, but that is not something to be expected here.

Betty Boop, one of Fleischer's most famous and prolific characters, may not be for all tastes and sadly not as popular now, but her sex appeal was quite daring for the time and to me there is an adorable sensual charm about her. That charm, sensuality and adorable factor is not lost anywhere here. The other characters also add a good deal.

Overall, wonderful stuff and up there with Betty Boop's best. 10/10 Bethany Cox