Yesterday, we studied the history of animation and watched classic cartoons like Steamboat Willie and Gertie the Dinosaur. Today, we were asked to find something historical from animation online and explain its significance. I chose an old Betty Boop short called "Red Hot Mamma".
The short begins with Betty trying to sleep during a snowstorm, but she can't sleep because of how cold it is and decides to make a fire in the fireplace. However, the fireplace ends up making it TOO hot, and the fireplace turns into a portal to hell. Then Betty falls into the portal, and ends up in hell where a group of demons are doing their usual mischievous things. Then she sings a song, and then the devil himself appears and turns up the heat until she's surrounded by fire. Then, the devil and a group of demons surround her. She freezes the demons by literally giving them the cold shoulder, and freezes the devil by giving him a literal icy glare. This ends up freezing over hell, and soon she ends up in her house, with the fire having subsided. She then gets back into bed and throws a bunch of blankets over herself.
This short was clever and fun, and I loved it. The concept is genius and the exaggerated animation and visual puns are very enjoyable. Betty Boop was one of the first cartoon icons to go into more mature territory, which is what led to her popularity and iconic nature. Overall, this short was a joy to watch.
