Betty Ends Prohibition

Betty Boop For President (1932) is about as satiric as any Fleischer cartoon could be, from Betty turning herself into caricatures of Democrat Al Smith and Republican president Herbert Hoover (but not F.D.R.), to opposing candidate Mr. Nobody singing that nobody will care if they have to beg, to donkeys and elephants sitting on opposite sides of the aisle knee-jerkingly disagreeing with each other.

The newspapers of 1932 clucked loudly about what they saw as the big issue—not bread-lines, nor poverty, but Prohibition. Roosevelt had promised to repeal it once the new Congress immediately amended the Volstead Act to allow the sale of beer.

The Fleischers, or at least their writers, sided with Roosevelt, as we can see in the ending of the cartoon. A Times Square-like ticker announces Betty’s election (with fireworks falling to form her head), then a parade over which a full stein of beer is superimposed.



The Motion Picture Herald, Oct. 1, 1932, called the cartoon “Clever, Amusing.”

Smart, novel and amusing is this Betty Boop animated cartoon, in which Betty carries on a vigorous campaign for President, and promises what she will do if elected. The novelty lies in the unusual drawings, the cleverness of the idea and execution. Pertinent at this moment, the short may be considered in a measure outstanding among animateds.

The opinion was echoed by several other theatre managers/owners writing to the publication.

Trade papers of the era say the cartoon was not officially released until Nov. 14, six days after the election, but you can see to the right a newspaper ad for the Capitol in Salisbury, North Carolina that it was playing on Oct. 24. The Rivoli in Muncie, Indiana was showing it on September 23rd.

Seymour Kneitel and Doc Crandall are the credited animators on this short.

Betty’s big song “When I’m The President” (after a Cantor-esque “We want Betty” shout from a crowd) was written by Al Sherman and Al Lewis. The Cantor reference would not have been unexpected, as the song was written for him and bears the subtitle “We Want Cantor” (and copyrighted Jan. 19, 1932) as part of his phoney 1932 presidential run. The tune is reprised (as are the donkeys and elephants) in Olive Oyl For President (1948) and sung both times by Mae Questel.

Note: David Gerstein points out a Betty-as-Calvin Coolidge scene was deleted from the cartoon. I presume it's at 1:05 when the scene cuts from Betty reaching into her box of guises to a long shot of the crowd.