The Bum Bandit

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. She is definitely more interesting here than Bimbo and steals the show, who is fun enough but is stuck in a standard role with not much special to do. Do enjoy their chemistry though.

Betty, Bimbo and Fleischer have done much better than 'The Bum Bandit'. It's pleasant enough and is a decent cartoon, but it's not a great one and doesn't stick in one's head as much as other offerings of theirs. For me, while a long worst from being one of Betty's worst cartoons (pretty much all her lesser efforts being when the Production Code was enforced, the material became tame and Betty while still engaging lost her trademark identity), 'The Bum Bandit' is among the weaker Betty and Bimbo collaborations.

Admittedly, the story never was one of the best assets in a Betty Boop cartoons but 'The Bum Bandit' is story-wise one of the flimsier and most predictable efforts and doesn't always have the momentum. Due to that the material is not as inspired, the gags are plentiful and are amusing and well-timed, they are not hilarious though and not very creative or imaginative not to mention reasonably tame by pre-Code Betty Boop standards.

However, 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.

On top of these, 'The Bum Bandit' is amusing and charming with a delightful Betty and adorable and fun chemistry between her and Bimbo. Other than Betty, the ending is the highlight. The voices are good, and 'The Bum Bandit' is most interesting and notable for having a deeper-voiced Betty, unusual but doesn't jar with her image too much.

Concluding, decent but for pre-code Betty Boop it was a little disappointing too. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Just saw this on YouTube. Bimbo tries to rob a train but is stopped by his wife, Nan McGroo, played with dog ears by Betty Boop in only her fourth appearance. She has a much tougher voice here than the more sweet one associated with Mae Questel. Typical early Max and Dave Fleischer talkie with plenty of amusing gags and a musical number between Betty and Bimbo that's the highlight of The Bum Bandit. While this was a Talkartoon starring Bimbo, it's obvious here that Betty's more the show stopper, even with the different voice, and that she'll eventually take over the series. Worth a look for early animation fans, especially those of the Fleischers.

Despite the title sounding a bit like a porno film, "The Bum Bandit" is actually a very early singing cartoon featuring Betty Boop and her early boyfriend, Bimbo. However, the style of this one is really nothing like her later films...and the voice...where DID they come up with that?!

In Betty's earliest films, she looked much more like a doggy than a sexy lady. Here, she has large jowls and early like a poodle. But more unusual is the deep voice of Harriet Lee....who sounds nothing at all like Betty's usual voice (played by the likes of Margie Hines or Mae Questal).

The cartoon is about a bandit in the old west who is going to hold up the train. Bimbo is NOT his usual nice self but this bandit and the woman on the train intent on stopping him is Ms. Boop.

What I loved about this cartoon is how strange and anthropomorphic practically EVERYTHING is. It's also a bit adult, with Betty cursing when she meets up with Bimbo! Certainly an important and strange film in the evolution of Betty Boop, but also a clever and funny one regardless.

Bimbo is a holdup man in this episode. He must be successful because of the wanted posters all over the place. He decides he will hold up a train, but on that train is his wife, who he deserted, played by Betty Boop. She is quite formidable. She is still wearing the dog ears and has a different voice. I look forward to several episodes in the future.

This is a very early, formative, Betty Boop and Bimbo. Though it's fairly clear that Bimbo was the character the Fleischers were trying to build a series around initially, it's equally obvious that Betty Boop is a much more effective and engaging character than he could ever be. Bimbo really isn't that interesting, even in support.

Though there are some nice gags here (the type of gags the Fleischers did so well and that became the trademarks of the studio, more or less), the cartoon isn't that memorable in and of itself until the ending. It's a good thing that another actress did the voicework here, because her voice suits the song at the end better than Mae Questel's would have. The ending is worth sitting through the rest of the short. Part of the Definitive Collection. Worth watching.