Pulchritudinous for Pisces

Ah, for those pre-Code-enforcement days when you could have funny sex gags in a Fleischer cartoon instead of Betty Boop being shoved aside for a dog or an insanely-laughing gadget inventor.

In Old Man of the Mountain (1933), Dave Fleischer and his team come up with assorted gags with animals as Betty tap-strolls up the aforementioned mountain. In one, a puddle provides a home for a fish.



Yes, even fish are attracted to Betty.



Uh, oh, Mr. Fish. Someone back in the puddle sees what you’re doing.



The wife fish drags the husband fish back into the puddle. I like the looks of surprise and sadness on him.



Eventually, Betty strips down to her underwear as the old mountain letch grabs her clothes.

Berny Wolf and Tom Johnson receive the screen credit for animation. They’re saved some work thanks to live action footage of Cab Calloway and his orchestra,