Chess-Nuts

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 Koko and Bimbo.

'Chess-Nuts' is not one of her best cartoons but is very much well worth a watch. It is lacking in the humour department, something that later Betty Boop cartoons were much more successful in and the first portion of 'Chess-Nuts' is agreed on the bland and dull side, humour and energy wise.

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.

While 'Chess-Nuts' may be lacking in laughs, it certainly does not disappoint when it comes to being risqué, creative or delightfully bizarre. As a pre-code cartoon, a lot of the content here is very daring stuff, very ahead of its time back then and you don't see much like the pre-code Betty Boop cartoons made today. Chess-playing has rarely been more bizarre and sees some wonderfully creative moments (mostly visually). The voice acting is dependably good.

All in all, not a favourite Betty Boop cartoon of mine but still a good worthwhile watch. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Chess-Nuts (1932)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This is a rather bizarre mix of live action and animation. The film starts off with two men playing chess and then we turn to the animation as Betty Boop, Bimbo and KoKo take form on a chess board. We then see others come to life and before long a football game breaks out while the King chases Betty. I wouldn't necessarily call this a "good" movie but at the same time it's at least interesting enough to where fans of the series should be mildly entertained. Once again the animation itself is quite good but the first portion of the film is rather boring. Things finally pick up once Betty comes under attack as we're given some very Pre=code moments including her getting her dressed pulled up. The score is good but one wishes the film had gotten off to a better start.

"Chess-Nuts" begins with a very unusual combination of live action, stop-motion and traditional animation! Two old men are shown playing chess…or least sitting there at a chess board. Suddenly, the pieces have animated characters (including Bimbo and Betty Boop) pop their heads out and look about. Then, using stop-motion, the pieces dance about for a few seconds. Then the cartoon begins. It seems that Bimbo (one of the white pieces) is making eyes at the black queen (Betty). However, the black king is jealous and most of the rest of the cartoon consists of the two fighting over sweet Betty.

During the course of this Pre-Code cartoon, there are LOTS of reminders that the toughened Production Code was not yet in place, as there are LOTS of sexual innuendos—even for a Pre-Code Betty Boop cartoon. You see her dress fly up repeatedly and even a brief scene where a small animal is staring up Betty's dress! Had the film been made two years later, there is no way the cartoon would have been approved to be shown to audiences in the US. Because of this, her character was changed—with a longer dress, less curves and no underwear shots. As far as the cartoon itself goes, it's highly creative and deserves high marks for being very different. Plus, as usual, the Fleischer Brothers animation quality is fantastic. But, the cartoon also lacks laughs and because of this, though unusual, is only about average in quality.

Two old men are playing chess. We are transported to the board where Betty Boop is the Queen. The old lech is her king and he spends the whole episode with one thing in mind. Bimbo and Koko are around and so there will be a confrontation to save Betty. Otherwise, there are some rather graphic scenes that are unusual for cartoons.

This Betty Boop cartoon should have had more laughs to it than it did. It was okay but had too few really good jokes.

We see a real life scene of two old chess masters hard at work in a competitive match. The pieces on the board suddenly pop out into animated people here and there. Betty is the queen, of course and some old guy claims he is the king but apparently isn't really. Anyway, the bulk of the cartoon is this old geezer fighting it out with others, and with Betty on a chess board. Half the time they play a football game or just throw things at each other. Several times, the dirty old man pulls Betty's skirt up so we see her panties (this was Pre- Code), and that's about it.

Overall, certainly not boring but not one of her best, either.