Dizzy Red Riding-Hood

This is obviously another transposition of a fairy-tale to accommodate the Betty Boop character. The end result is not as entertaining as others of its ilk, being also the oldest 'vehicle' of hers I have watched, but there is still sufficient inventiveness on display (regular partner Bimbo overcomes the wolf's threat and, amusingly, takes up its place at Grandma's house!) – not to mention risqué visuals, since Betty is shown repeatedly losing her garter and causing the male population around her to turn 'wolf' in the process! In the long run, Tex Avery – who made a number of classic variations on this theme in his own right over at the staid MGM studio! – would fare considerably better and, by way of outright surrealism, take the latter modern assimilation to its hilarious extremes.

Fleischer were responsible for some brilliant cartoons, some of them still among my favourites. Their visual style was often stunning and some of the most imaginative and ahead of its time in animation.

The character of Betty Boop, one of their 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, nor her comic timing and she is very well supported by the ever fun Bimbo and the scary evil wolf.

'Dizzy Red Riding-Hood' to me is among the best of the early Betty Boop cartoons and among her better ones overall. It has all the elements that make her pre-Code cartoons so worthwhile and does do so much, almost everything, right and little wrong. Story-wise, it is slight but it is an example of an old story adapted many times in animation given freshness through some wonderfully wacky and racy humour and content.

The animation is outstanding, everything is beautifully and meticulously drawn and the whole cartoon is rich in visual detail and imagination. Every bit as good is the music score, which delivers on the energy, lusciousness and infectiousness, great for putting anybody in a good mood.

As hoped, the fun is ceaseless, with some very well timed and funny gags, and delivers on the creativity and imagination as well as (for Betty Boop especially) a surprising darkness and surrealism. As well as a raciness that one associates pre-code Betty Boop with. The voice work and such is good.

In summary, Betty Boop fans will find a lot to enjoy here. 9/10 Bethany Cox

"Dizzy Red Riding Hood" (1931) is an early attempt by the Fleischers to place Betty Boop in a children's tale setting with surreal imagery and the occasional ribald gag. It's not as successful as the Boop version of "Snow White" (1933), one of Fleischer's undisputed masterpieces, but it is enthralling, occasionally funny and offers a surprising portrayal of Betty's dog sidekick, Bimbo, as more of a leading man. Here, Betty, dressed up as Red Riding Hood, ventures into the dark, foreboding forest on the way to Grandma's despite warnings (by the trees) of a wolf at large. She sings a song about picking flowers and includes a verse about pansies, to which an effeminate tree responds in song, "And the fairies like them, too." The hungry wolf, who follows Betty with knife and fork at the ready, offers only a momentary threat. The one Betty really has to worry about is the lusty Bimbo himself who makes short work of the wolf, puts on his skin and beats Betty to Grandma's house where he waits in bed disguised as the wolf disguised as Grandma. As Betty sings a song to "Grandma" about how big "her" eyes, ears, teeth, etc. are, Bimbo seems to take great glee in groping her and lifting her up. The ending is surprising, but quite satisfying, especially for fans who've always wanted poor Bimbo to get more of a break.

As usual with the early Boops, the black-and-white animation is filled with objects and pieces of nature that come to life and talk to Betty. It's a fun cartoon to watch, although it's never as inspired as the peak period Boops of 1933, such as "Snow White" and "Minnie the Moocher." Despite the risqué gags, which will go over the heads of the very young, "Dizzy Red Riding Hood" should still be safe for the same kids who enjoyed such family-friendly Betty Boop children's tale parodies as "Mother Goose Land" and "Betty in Blunderland."

This version of the classic fairy tale involves Betty in her skimpy clothes, heading off with a basket of goodies for her granny. Of course, she has to cross through a woods populated by wolves. These wolves are both the mammal type and the male on the make type. Bimbo goes to look out for Betty and has an encounter with a wolf. In the end there is a strange joining of the two. It's pretty sexy.

Although cartoons were often re-shown in movie theaters, I can pretty much guarantee that "Dizzy Red Riding-Hood" was not seen after about mid-1934. That's because a very tough Production Code was enacted to make films more family-friendly. There were now LOTS of taboos and occasionally, older films were edited to 'clean them up' so they could gain approval in the US. However, I really can't see how they could have sanitized this particular cartoon as it has many things that were objectionable according to the new Code. There is a joke about homosexuality involving pansies that clearly would have been eliminated, as homosexuals were NOT to be in the Post-Code era. There also is a scene where Bimbo the dog grabs Betty by her breasts—and that would actually probably not be in films today since it was a cartoon intended for kids--ditto for the scene with Betty and Bimbo in bed together near the end of the film. The bottom line is that things were NOT as boring and sexless in the 'good old days' as most folks imagine today. Even cartoons could be a bit smutty, though the objectionable material is far tamer than what kids are exposed to on television today that are not cartoons!

So is it worth seeing? Sure. The animation (as usual) is great and the anthropomorphic creatures and house are wonderful to see. Also, I do find it fascinating and enjoyable to watch many of the Pre-Code films, as they are a wonderful window into the past and are occasionally quite shocking.