DID YOU KNOW? The Real Betty Boop Was A Black Harlem Jazz Singer!

by | Nov 3, 2016 | Did You Know, History | 11 comments

Have you ever heard of Esther Jones “Baby Esther”, born Gertrude Saunders? Not many people have, she has fallen into obscurity despite being the inspiration for the Betty Boop, an iconic character known the world over.

Cartoonist Max Fleisher unleashed Betty in 1930, she was a jazz age flapper caricature. The first animation to become a sex symbol.

Tracking back the inspiration, it’s now generally agreed that the birth of Betty’s baby style was created by a black Harlem jazz singer named Esther Jones. She performed under the name “Baby Esther” in the 1920s at Harlem Cotton Club.

Esther introduced the baby style, the boop noises and created an act that was amazingly original and edgy for the time.

realbettyboop

However, her persona and style was somewhat stolen/adapted by actress Helen Kane who saw Esther perform in the late 20s. Helen introduced the baby style into her music and actually ended up suing cartoonist Fleischer and Paramount Publix Corporation for stealing her style for the Betty Boop character.

BUT in the court, recorded evidence of baby Esther performing came to light and proved that the style Betty Boop had taken predated Kane. Still, Esther never received recognition.

You can hear Esther below:

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11 Comments

  1. Sandra

    I was interested in following this site, but I am No longer interested. There are just a overkill of ads and popups – to the point of total annoyance and distractions so severe that one can barely read the articles. It is pointless to waste my time on a site like this.

    Reply
    • Tanya

      Very Irritating Indeed!?

      Reply
  2. B.

    figures, europeans steal everything INCLUDING our identities.

    Reply
  3. Brenda wise

    This site is not what I expected there are too many ads could not get the information that I was looking for because of the ads I will not be using this site again.

    Wish my experience would have been better.
    Sincerely Brenda Wise

    Reply
  4. Angela

    To those who have no patience, give this site some time to work out it kinks this is good information. I have learned a lot . Keep up the good work I know you site will grow and become better as you continue to move forward .

    Reply
  5. Tell It!

    For those who are annoyed at the many pop-up ads and are impatient….Are you willing to PAY – DONATE – FINANCIALLY support the website so that it does not need to have so many ads? …. (The sound of crickets) ? This is how the INTERNET works.

    Reply
    • Reneegede

      Helen Kane
      Although Clara Bow is often given as being the model for Boop, she actually began as a caricature of singer Helen Kane, who in turn gained fame by imitating the style of black singer Baby Esther Jones. The character was originally created as an anthropomorphic French poodle.

      Elvis Presley gained fame imitating Black singers and entertainers. Bo Derek’s braids were copied from African ancestors that had been doing it for more than 5,000 years. Today’s rap / hiphop industry worldwide was copied from Black entertainers and artists coming from south central LA and Harlem NY. Blues, jazz, even the White House – we built it all.

      That Kane should have been made famous for copying from a Black woman should come as no surprise to anyone. The story is accurate, for without Baby Esther there would be no Helen Kane.

      Reply
      • kirkland sewell

        …Hiphop/Rap genesis is from Jamaica in thd Caribbean. Early Jamaican immigrant(s)to NY city, brought over with them a DJ culture of “talking on the microphone” when changing vinyl records back in the days! #fact.

        Reply
  6. Kim Simpson

    I love this keep it up. First time on here.

    Reply
  7. Marty Elkins

    This happened all the time to black artists – but in the ad depicted above, when they mention “Little Esther” performing with Johnny Otis, weren’t they talking about Esther Phillips?

    Reply

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