Baby Esther Lee Jones: A Forgotten Child Star (1920s Spotlight)

Esther Lee Jones was a child stage performer who was extremely popular in the 1920s and early 1930s, and was seen as one of the top-tier black stars of the Harlem Renaissance. But most people today have never even heard of her. So who was this little girl?

[@The1920sChannel]

It has been said that Baby Esther Lee Jones died in 1934, though there is no real evidence for that claim. Others say that she simply retired that year and faded into obscurity. There have been many other young women who have been mistakenly identified as an adult Baby Esther, which has made finding the real one more difficult. If you have any new information, please leave a comment below.

[@spacecowgurl57]

This story fascinated me due to her rise in stardom, talent and support from so many when she was refused service. I'm now going through some of my vintage books and magazines plus a few other sources. Thank you for sharing and I'll let you know! 🌏❤

[@RayPointerChannel]

Esther Jones' career as a "Child Performer" was coming to a close in 1934 since she was 14 years old. She then became a Chorus Dancer and eventually married and left the business. That explains her disappearance.

[@randomrecognizer3409]

@@RayPointerChannel Speculation was that she was born around 1919, her career ended around 1933/1934 she has to be a year or 2 older... Right? Why would they only lie about a year? Especially when she was SO little anyway? I don't understand why there's no footage and then like you said, disappeared.

[@lyndonramseur5332]

No, it’s been stated she was alive in 1937. She probably left the USA because racism and went back to Europe.

[@bobafrogs]

she died in the 1980s

[@layparisss]

$750 a week in the 1920s 😩😩😩😩 SHE WAS RICH. That’s equal to over $10k a week in 2021

[@zolanihogana]

Remember, all that money didn’t go to her.

[@kishawolson7679]

Yeap!

[@reneedennis2011]

Wow!

[@grandfresh9196]

Did she keep her money..What was the cut of the manager..

[@teemadarif8243]

She probably didn't get all of that.

[@anamariegonzalez2855]

Okay but no one's talking about how this 8,9,10 year old child is so connected to being the inspiration to the overly sexualized Betty Boop. 😳

[@lizzzzyizhere]

Betty Boop was based off of Helen Kane, who took inspiration for her act from Baby Esther.

[@ohhhhhgon6944]

@@lizzzzyizhere Betty boop was based off Esther jones not helen Helen is the voice acter of Betty boop she falsely said she was the original Betty boop when it was Esther even the directors said it was Esther jones

[@thomashatch3673]

​@@ohhhhhgon6944 That's not true. Betty Boop had five voice actresses in the 30s: Margie Hines, Harriet Lee, Little Ann Little, Mae Questel, and Bonnie Poe. Helen Kane was a popular performer that got her big break in 1928 and inspired all of the previous women that voiced Betty. Grim Natwick stated that he designed Betty Boop after Helen Kane, which is why she has spit curls and she has the physique of a full-grown woman. Grim Natwick: "When Dave came over to my drawing desk, I was working at the Fleischers, that was the early 1930s. And he handed me a sheet of music and it had a picture of Helen Kane on the cover, one of the really highly talented very popular nightclub singers of that time. And so I used her face more or less as an introduction to creating the Betty Boop character. She had spit curls which were very popular by the young teenagers at that time and I drew a little oval head and put spit curls hair on it and the character went on from there gradually and evolved into the Betty Boop character." (Toronto, 1982)

[@ohhhhhgon6944]

@@thomashatch3673 wasn’t Betty boop also inspired by Esther jones💀

[@thomashatch3673]

@@ohhhhhgon6944 Not directly, no. Remember, Esther Jones was a little girl at the time, Betty Boop is supposed to be a mature woman. Esther Jones didn't have any of the visual signifies or mannerisms that Betty Boop and Helen Kane have in common. Grim Natwick based Betty almost entirely on Helen Kane, with some direction from Max Fleischer to make her a bit like Clara Bow, too. Esther Jones may have had some influence on Helen Kane, but not to the point of stealing Esther's style. Helen's style was already mostly defined prior to 1928. A lot of people misinterpret the evidence Lou Bolton presented in Kane v. Fleischer as "Esther Jones invented Betty Boop's whole style!" when that's not really the case at all. It was one piece of evidence among many, from many other artists that pre-date Esther's act as well, that Helen Kane didn't invent the entire baby talk or hot licks styles, she riffed off various artists from her time to make her own work, as all artists do. The idea that Betty Boop was based on Esther Jones just doesn't stack up when you look into the facts. The PBS article that started all this even had to apologize and admit that they were inflammatory and historically inaccurate.

[@nataliesue2485]

I fear she was a target to predators. I TRULY hope her parents protected her from any situation of being alone with anyone. 😔 What a wonderful little girl who grew into an amazing woman. ❤️ 🤔 I wonder if she has any living descendants? I would think so.

[@psychedlicsouljam1995]

You need therapy.

[@Missdianadoll]

@@psychedlicsouljam1995 child stars were not protected the way they are now.

[@justicemarley8978]

Doubt it …which is probably why she left show business all together

[@ItBeL1keDatFR]

I believe it was Cory Feldman that said, "There is not a single child in Hollywood that hasn't been molested or abused." 😓😢😭😟😞

[@nataliesue2485]

@@ItBeL1keDatFR Yes I remember him saying that too. 😞 BUT he probably doesn't know that there are a few who had good attentive parents. Parents that did not leave their child or children alone with any of the adults.

[@kimberlyporter9555]

This screenplay should be written, directed and casted with her people. This is a life worth immortalizing in theaters.

[@Purple_911]

Her people don't do things like that.

[@brennocalderan2201]

It's good to know she was known here in Brazil.

[@auroramacula]

É muito interessante pensar que uma menininha negra que cantava em um formato tão "gringo" e diferente do nosso samba foi recebida com aplausos por Getúlio Vargas no Rio de Janeiro! Eu amo muito a década de 30, mas para mim é muito clara a distinção entre as culturas e música do Brasil e dos Estados Unidos. Então, saber que um dia eles se juntaram, foi muito especial para mim!

[@PauloVictorAlves1920]

Pegaram até o "Charleston" e transformaram em "Charlestão"(inclusive virando tema da música: "Requebrando" de 1926, que de "Charleston" só têm a letra porque o ritmo é um Maxixe!). Mas, de qualquer forma o negócio do Brasil nos anos 20 era mesmo com Paris.

[@cayanne3420]

It's crazy how people from just a century ago can be forgotten so quickly. All that is left is some obscure articles and some court case. But hopefully, as long as people keep remembering her, her legacy will live on.

[@deliciaford4343]

I wish we could hear a recording of her.

[@staceynicholas3430]

You can they have at least 2

[@yemaya_la22]

@@staceynicholas3430where?

[@lavy1513]

She is the source of Betty Boop!! Other entertainers stole her style. How convenient that there are no audio or video footage of her.

[@iwatchtrashtv213]

Helen Kane was the source of Betty Boop. Helen Kane just copied Baby Esther Jones singing style.

[@danielburger1775]

@@iwatchtrashtv213 Helen Kane hadn't even heard of Esther until 1934. And the film of Esther is of ESTHER IMITATING HELEN KANE. Please do some real research before making claims like the one you did.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Isn't it "convenient" that there "are no audio or video footage of her," is not quite it. First, the medium then was motion picture film. There were at least two of her performances captured on film, the first done as a test using the sound-on-disc method by MGM when she first came to New York in 1928. A second film made later in the year was done for Fox Movietone. Both films are rare, and the first was the one used as evidence that disproved Helen Kane's claim as the originator of "Boop-Oop-A-Doop." But it has also been proven that Baby Esther was doing an impersonation of Gertrude Saunders, who was the true originator going back to 1920 in the all Black Musical, "Shuffle Along" with music by Eubie Blake.

[@hppypandax5454]

Skat singing had been around for a long time

[@danielburger1775]

@@RayPointerChannel How could the film disprove Kane's claim when it was recorded significantly AFTER Kane, and was a film of Esther singing three songs that had been popularized by Kane noticeably BEFORE the film of Esther was recorded? And Esther was doing an imitation of Florence Mills, who had recently died young. With Bolton claiming that Esther was Mills' little sister. Before thst Esther imitated Farina. At the time of recording the film, Esther was imitating Kane. Later Esther imitated Josephine Baker. And yes, nobody denied that people had "booped" for years, but nobody had used the specific phrase "boop oop a doop" before Kane.

[@ThatGuy-kv1kw]

I can't believe we don't know if she is still alive

[@layparisss]

There are Black History KZbin channels who have more info on her. She didn’t just disappear.

[@donttalktomeyoureannoying8736]

@@layparisss the other channels don’t even have the right baby Esther. They are frauds

[@RayPointerChannel]

Esther Jones was born in 1919 or 1920. Given that, it is understandable that she must have passed away by this point in time.

[@kimoramicheal8353]

@@layparisss Nice! Do you know their names, so I can look them up?

[@danielburger1775]

@@RayPointerChannel Have you read the Variety articles from 1928? The ones that make it clear that the film of Esther was recorded significantly AFTER Kane had achieved stardom?

[@memo-fq3ps]

It makes me sad that there are no recordings of her today.

[@blackcougar1959]

What a talented and sweet, little cutie she was.

[@knelson3484]

Baby Ester is Betty Boop ❤ ❤Thank you ❤

[@mindovermatterspeakup]

Facts!

[@RayPointerChannel]

This is probably the most reasoned explanation about the connection of Betty Boop to "Baby Esther Jones." Again, had Helen Kane not tried to sue, Esther Jones would have been obscured in The United States. So in this, the Helen Kane Lawsuit did indeed help resurrect this important child performer. And for the record, the first filmed performance of Esther Jones was done as a sound-on-disc film made around April 1928--before the Movietone film that is documented, and before Helen Kane came to public attention. The sound-on-disc film had to be meticulously re-synchronized because being a two system medium, the film had been spliced in several places due to past breakage.This put the film out of synchronization when it got to the "boop-oop-a-doop" section. While recent discoverers want to argue that no such film existed and point to the Movietone film from October 1928, it should be understood that Movietone was a sound-on-film process. The fixed film was shown as the Star evidence that concluded the case, proving that Helen Kane was not the originator of the singing style. At the same time, Esther Jones was doing impersonations of Gertrude Saunders and Florence Mills who sang in the same manner.

[@samanthamorris5340]

It's so creepy how they described kids back then in these reviews. Some on Baby Peggy were just gross and there was another child actress they were promoting as a "baby vamp". Like. 🤮

[@sophiathedandilioness]

Yes! The original author of that article sounds like a major creep-he kept talking about her body and the way she moved and the words he used were worrying me!

[@TheLordismyANCHOR83]

OK I'm not the only one who picked up on that.

[@elisejackson2854]

Kids back then were molested and sexualized quite openly.

[@annalisette5897]

The bulk of society still had the Victorian idea that anything to do with children was innocent and angelic. Thus a "baby vamp" was just innocent pretend. HOWEVER, Shirley Temple started in something called Baby Burlesque which is said to have featured toddlers in diapers and little else. It is said older men liked to watch these short films, implications being obvious. I think the innocent part of society, likely the majority of people, saw nothing wrong. Meanwhile, predators have been with us forever.

[@michelletalbot2281]

And why was this person later meeting the young girl in her dressing room? Doesn't seem very proprietary to me smh u had pervs and lowest scum of thr earth back then too unfortunately

[@Georgia-Vic]

Since she spent a lot of time in Europe there's a chance that she may have made some recordings and they possibly could still be there somewhere!

[@the.real.mothman.]

Theres another video about her on youtube that has a recording of her voice, apparently.

[@janetgray4083]

It'd be nice to see a movie launched about her life.

[@dover4499]

What is it called?

[@janetgray4083]

@@dover4499" Boop Boop Bi-doop" if she infect was the inspiration for the character, Betty Boop.

[@RayPointerChannel]

@@janetgray4083 She wasn't. We have several overlapping issues. First, Betty Boop was a composite of the 1920s flapper based on the personality of Clara Bow, the "It Girl" of the 1920. And it was Clara Bow's look that Hene Kane used in addition to taking on the Boop-oop-A-doop scat singing and variations of it, which others had been doing. The mistake was in her claiming to have originated it, which was proven by several witnesses she had not. But Esther Jones did not originate it either. She was doing impersonations of Gertrude Saunders and Florence Mills. This fad had already been established for eight years by the time Helen Kane came to prominence. And being a public figure, she was a subject of imitation and caricature. It is the voice that is the primary inspiration for Betty Boop rather than the appearance so much.

[@hellokitty-ui9rd]

i would love it but i dont think they would make one because weve hardly got any info abt who she is and she disappeared during her childhood which will make it harder

[@amalzuhair4495]

It's weird that there's nothing known about her once she hit her teens

[@teahgurl]

Probably straight up quit dancing for some unfortunate reason

[@vladeckk21]

Great story! Those final photos really capture her charm.

[@daguard411]

Thank you. This is a great story well told. Again, thank you.

[@ohmeowzer1]

Thank you for the lively video on little Esther

[@eduardodeandradepereira3997]

"Esther will dance and sing in Portuguese a great Brazilian samba, by Duque, composed for the extraordinary little artist. A entirely new act by Little Esther and Gordon Stretton Jazz. New acts like 'Can't give you amy more love' 'Crying to sleep'. Gordon Stretton and Little Esther performing imitating Al Johnson 'Sonny Boy' and famous 'Mammy'."

[@deliciaford4343]

You post the recording where I could hear her sing? Thanks

[@kendn01]

A fascinating story from a fascinating channel. Keep up the good work!

[@Krullmatic]

Very well done in getting her story out there!

[@shoosh222]

Paris was ahead of its time. The French loved black women.

[@saijenkins3416]

Lol no they were really racist too😂

[@BreanaGizelle]

Rest In Peace to the great Ester Jones!

[@katheryneclayton3379]

This is a great video - thank you!!!!

[@Mari-gt4ix]

Amazing video !

[@reneedennis2011]

I bever heard of her, either. Thank you for telling us her story.

[@teahgurl]

She inspired Betty Boop character

[@Jokes_on_D]

Very informative. Thank you for this!

[@angelaortiz3406]

I appreciate this video

[@rhobot75]

Thank you!

[@patricknunez8884]

I wonder why Spike Lee has not made a movie about her, or any other Producer for that matter.

[@keriscruggs1719]

Her life story is very vague and unclear it’ll be hard to do a biography

[@deliciaford4343]

That is something.😳😳 I bet that that would be quiet interesting and maybe a box office hit!

[@deliciaford4343]

@@keriscruggs1719 But Hollywood know how to do it and make WONDERS!

[@RayPointerChannel]

Because until recently, not a great deal was known about Esther Jones. I've been following this story for over 50 years and only came across newspaper clippings of her within the last four years or so. These were not easily found years ago.

[@Ski104]

Why is it nobody finds it strange that a very popular black girl not too many decades ago existed proof is there she did and she toured all over but there's no recordings and the only one that's accounted for she sounds just like Betty boop ! Proving she's the real inspiration and that her manager brought her up in trial and there's no sudden proof that she exists nothing she hasn't came forward nobody knows when she died what did did when she got older nothing that's the strangest thing ever what happened to her where did she go she was very rich there should be big proof

[@Purple_911]

Holy run on sentence

[@cheeseburgerbae5272]

How is this not an Oscar winning movie

[@pgronemeier]

The one person who MIGHT have known more just died a few years ago. 'Baby' Rose Marie.

[@amandac.d.4216]

The article in Spanish at 11:06 is hysterical. It basically says "Dances like Fox-trot and Charleston are taking over like a dangerous plague, which it's ruining women's productivity, as they can't seem to stop dancing at their jobs and wasting time!" 🤣

[@lrose1046]

wow, that was beautifully wriiten..

[@barronridge5613]

They lied about Michael Jackson's age too when he was young.

[@daviddonaghy6494]

He lied about his age when he met his victims.

[@beyourself2444]

They lied about many young stars in those days

[@kircinnamon8496]

@@daviddonaghy6494 you so funny~ tell another joke!

[@thevirgoproject]

THANK YOU

[@zolanihogana]

Wow, nobody knows when she died? Would it be possible to do a little digging on this? Please.

[@lizwilson51]

How sad we have no recordings of her: audio or video. 😢 I get that she wasn’t a film star like Shirley Temple and people didn’t have a smart phone with cameras in their pockets back then… but I wish we could just watch or hear some of her

[@dianacooper-havlik9085]

A shining star!✨

[@wynwoodrican78]

The way the old news paper article described her is so creepy. She was only 10

[@bizzyfit2128]

What a neat channel.

[@michaelmcgee8543]

Very interesting!

[@robertmcclinton1104]

Thanks to you for bringing he story to life. Another case of African American influence made known.

[@msd5808]

Maybe that film from the Brazilian vault could be scanned and put online

[@deliciaford4343]

Hi please let me know if you find it. Thanks

[@RayPointerChannel]

Some silent film footage of Esther doing acrobatic tricks his surfaced from some unknown source. What needs to be found is the actual sound film of Baby Esther Jone performing "Boop-Oop-A-Doop."

[@danielburger1775]

@@RayPointerChannel Why? It's a film of a Helen Kane imitator. See Variety issues October 31 1928, and December 26 1928. I posted links to these articles, but they wouldn't appear here. The film of Esther was recorded in LATE 1928 AFTER Helen Kane. In the film, Esther sings three songs that had earlier been popularized by Kane.

[@ink9570]

@@danielburger1775 it’s not that deep, you won’t get paid for the comment PROMISE

[@danielburger1775]

@@ink9570 What?

[@KJN311]

Now we got Lil'Baby and Da Baby. Full circle.

[@spmoran4703]

The 20s a period of history I am interested in.

[@she_encourage8234]

Thank you for the truth

[@no-winteronly_snow5061]

Thank you Micheal Jackson for giving a solute to 'Baby Ester Lee Jones' with your renamed "Moon Walk". And I quote this video (Time index 07:54 of 17:01) "Now she dances easily on one foot, while she draws the other unused behind her." although reversed it's the same dance move.

[@pw6160]

That description sounds NOTHING like the Moonwalk! Both feet are used in the moonwalk, there is no "dancing on one foot while the other draws UNUSED behind..."

[@sdgakatbk]

Good for Sweden.

[@skyjacksonA1]

The only video that talks about her childhood which is nice but other videos actually show her singing and dancing and an adult which he has not

[@The1920sChannel]

There are a lot of misconceptions about Esther Lee Jones, and those other channels are probably showing footage of Little Esther Phillips, who was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. But there is virtually no information about Esther Lee Jones after the Kane v Fleischer trial. One photo of a young woman that is said to be Esther Lee Jones as an adult is not confirmed and is widely thought to not be her, but rather an older model.

[@ZooxMaze]

The Beatles were infulenced by Chuck Berry and Little Richard. Artists grow all the time, influenced by all sorts of different cultures. Yet, the Beatles in their own light were 'the first' out of the worldwide chute that originated in 'Mersey beat'. Again, from out of the proverbial herd... they earned their own independant identity due to their unique way of putting it all together. Without losing respect or shunning any of their ealier influences - no matter what ethnicity spawned the seeds of those earlier artists, either.

[@adrianadealmeida1472]

❤

[@sandiilovesu4077]

She definitely had music recorded and there's a number of channels that have her songs up here's two ➷ kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnvFpn6MfrSraMU & kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4PdqqZnopKlmdU

[@carolinesalpeck2567]

I’m pretty sure both of these videos have been discredited and aren’t actually baby Esther

[@Purple_911]

That's not her

[@noybmyob9663]

Did she have siblings, children? How can someone just drop out of sight like that? Something is not right!

[@onlyalisaawilliams]

There’s audio of Esther singing her famous Boop Boop a Doo.

[@JohnDoe-xf8ew]

do you know where to find it?

[@RayPointerChannel]

Is there? Where is it?

[@deliciaford4343]

Where can you find the audio? Thanks

[@danielburger1775]

No, there isn't. Some people in modern times have falsely claimed that Esther Jones was "the original Betty Boop". They gave dressed this up with photographs of other people(plural) that they claim are Esther, false "facts"(such as saying she sang at the Cotton Club), and one person has even placed what they claim to be audio of Esther on YT. But, surprise surprise, it's not a recording of Esther.

[@RayPointerChannel]

That's a fake.

[@woolzem]

Why were people describing this ten year old as seductive.

[@libidomaebebe]

My mum's named Esther 😅😅😅

[@JohnDoe-xf8ew]

"The Greatest scandal in Stockholm of all time" … oh what these guys don't know ...

[@junbug1029]

FYI, it's Jones' not Jonses.

[@mr.helper1466]

Shut the fuck up karen, you're not even black.

[@caribbeantigress]

A white Karen speaking for a person of color: groundbreaking 🤮🤮🤮

[@mr.helper1466]

@@caribbeantigress lol its just a joke, calm down.

[@cookee888]

🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

[@aariley2]

That thing about the King of Sweden giving her things "she was needing" sounds very much like Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" who died of a drug overdose.

[@aariley2]

And it's reported she performed with Calloway, so he would have probably learned something about her life.

[@thehilaryeffect]

I’m confused how did she just disappear like nothing no one can say where she’s at how she passed m?

[@stormyfleur]

I have no idea, it’s extremely shady. But it’s 2022 now so we can assume she’s long gone anyways. She either disappeared by herself or definitely was murdered or kidnapped. Being a black women/child in the early 1900’s make you serious prey

[@damienthonk1506]

@@stormyfleur we have literally zero evidence that she was murdered or kidnapped though. Where the fuck did that come from? It's much, MUCH more likely that Esther just moved on from the limelight after the Betty Boop controversy and lived a normal life. That happened to so many former movie stars during those times. Why tf would you just assume something horrible happened to her for no reason?

[@bebebert]

Back then I imagined it was pretty easy to "disappear". It's not like now, where everyone knows the faces of celebrities so goof because of the Internet. It was much more anonymous back then. I wouldn't ne surprised if no one ever noticed or recognised her back then when she was off stage

[@purity7073]

@@damienthonk1506 😂😂😂😩 that’s what I’m saying. I watched someone else’s video on her & they said after the age of 22 she retired from dancing

[@Purple_911]

​@damienthonk1506 she wasn't involved in any controversy.

[@blackberry9013]

The Original Betty Boop❤❤❤

[@danielburger1775]

Please do some real research before making posts like that.

[@teahgurl]

@@danielburger1775 It is true. Just bc her act was stolen but an adult white woman doesn’t take credit away from the fact that she inspired the character of Better Boop 🙄

[@danielburger1775]

@@teahgurl She had nothing to do with the inspiration for Betty Boop. And nobody stole her act. IF you'd done any research, you'd find out 1) Helen Kane was doing HER act since 1923 2) The ONLY one who claimed the "Kane saw Esther"(in 1928, 5 years after Kane was doing her act) was Lou Bolton 3) Under cross-examination, Bolton had to admit that that hadn't actually happened. 4) The film of Esther doing Helen Kane's act was recorded long AFTER Kane was famous. 5) The court ruled that it was a film of a Helen Kane impersonator. 6) At the time Kane was supposed to have seen Esther, Esther's act was impersonating Florence Mills. 7) Because that's what Esther did..impersonate other people. She first impersonated Farina, then Florence Mills, then Helen Kane, then finally hit it big impersonating Josephine Baker. 8) While impersonating Baker, manager Bolton stole from her, and mistreated her, so Esther fired him. 9) Esther was in the USA at the time of the Kane v Fleischer and Paramount trial. She took no part in it, and had no interest in it. Why would she have? Her fired ex manager tried to promote a falsehood, and was exposed. 10) Esther had nothing to do with the verdict of the trial.

[@deeez00]

If Betty Boop was based off Esther Jones she would have been younger and had better dance moves. Betty Boop was based off of Helen Kane because she was older and didn't have as good dance moves. Helen Kane did indeed steal some of Esther Jones act though, the most popular parts. I would say the essence of Betty Boop came from Esther Jones.

[@Purple_911]

Betty Boop was an attractive young lady so definitely not based on little Esther.

[@b0ltun0]

without this sweet girl we wouldnt have betty boop💖

[@justice7550]

Yes, we would😆

[@Purple_911]

Yes we absolutely would

[@Purple_911]

Without her we wouldn't have this huge lie about Betty boop being based on a black person.

[@b0ltun0]

@@Purple_911 oop found the upset white guy

[@b0ltun0]

@@justice7550 your mom

[@PauloVictorAlves1920]

1:05 Didn't knew she was popular here in Brazil...

[@MrGrinch17]

ela nasceu aqui

[@PauloVictorAlves1920]

@@MrGrinch17 De onde cê tirou isso!? A menina era americana... Oxi...

[@MrGrinch17]

@@PauloVictorAlves1920 tem um povo dizendo que ela nasceu no br aqui nos comentários

[@PauloVictorAlves1920]

@@MrGrinch17 Uai! Comentário não é fonte! Sabe que brasileiro adora uma "fake news"! Kkkk

[@arizvisa]

It's weird how a lot of people are fighting over who the "original betty boop" is... Let me break it to you, the original betty boop is Max Fleischer's rendition...That was result of the court case. Helen Kane is an adult singer that took inspiration from Esther Jones (a child entertainer, that unfortunately was more popular outside the US). Art is always based on other art, you pick and choose from other people's ideas and you make them your own.

[@nickolespears]

😂 Whatever.

[@Purple_911]

False

[@arizvisa]

@@Purple_911 Unrecognized command or filename, `False'. Please try again.

[@Purple_911]

@@arizvisa Your whole comment is unrecognized misinformation.

[@arizvisa]

@@Purple_911 For who?

[@longyashiitrod5257]

I’m a kid and I dance like hwr

[@evannssugarbaby229]

I tried looking for new information on her . I did found an archive ( newspaper clip) of her father going to court cause she was performing in night clubs at only 7. Apparently her so called dad was allegedly not her biological father.. Whatever happehed to her, hopefully she lived full of contempt..

[@oliviab8425]

is this about Little Esther or BABY Esther?? Bc they are two different women :)

[@teahgurl]

BABY

[@barbarapineda9062]

She's Esther's Lee Jones, born the yrs, 1905&1910 victorians, Lil girls cames up 1920s she's not known.. it's much, likes baby Peggy, or Shirley timples,

[@cute4real846]

Why are you calling her Baby Esther when her name is Little Esther?

[@danielburger1775]

Because Little Esther was a real person. "Baby" Esther was created by internet trolls in the 21st century.

[@cute4real846]

@@danielburger1775 ok

[@RayPointerChannel]

She was first billed as "Baby Ester Jones" between the ages of five nine. She was seven or eight when Helen Kane saw her. She became "Little Ester" by age 10 and into her early teens.

[@danielburger1775]

@@RayPointerChannel I posted links elsewhere, showing she was LITTLE Esther at age seven. And, Helen Kane never saw her. On the stand, Lou Bolton said that Helen Kane saw her. Did he have evidence? Helen Kane failed to recognize a photo of Esther. Really, it's only the word of Lou Bolton that Helen Kane had even heard of Esther before 1934.

[@lillaurynn]

@@danielburger1775 aren’t they the same girl?

[@Ebony_daughterofjudah]

The idea of children performing for an adult audience always makes me cringe. Though they’re innocent, the adults they’re performing for never are. At the very best their talents are exploited for financial gain, at the very worst, they are sexually exploited and abused. Her venues/audiences seem to have been adult oriented , and even listening to the account here of her body being described, it gives me a very eerie feeling.

[@coffeecatskimchi5962]

I feel like this video disproves that she's the original Betty Boop. Yes she skatted, but in terms of appearance and persona she seems completely different. Helen Kane looks spot on.

[@Vexarax]

The illustrator himself said Boop was influenced by the overall jazz/scat type look of the day (the hairstyle and makeup was very popular, many women looked and sounded like that). The earliest version of Betty Boop was actually an anthropomorphic dog :) (The story of how everyone thinks she was black is actually very interesting; someone had made a fake story on TikTok about Boops Origins showing “photos of baby Esther” that were actually of a black Russian lady dressed as Betty Boop but no one questioned the images. That went viral and PBS and other “reputable” news reporting websites took the story and published it without researching first :o Now under every video of Betty Boop many people are like “Um she’s meant to be black” but that all started as a fake TikTok story!!) :o

[@justice7550]

Exactly. She made headlines but none of them discussed her being popular for "Boop Boop Di Doop" or anything of the sort until after her case with helen Kane went public. Yet she was so widely known and appreciated for the rest of her work. I'm just happy this video looks into baby Esthers life as a performer and isn't overshadowing her work with Betty Boop claims.

[@HEAVYCHEVY409]

*Baby Esther aka the og Betty Boop*

[@danielburger1775]

🤮

[@teahgurl]

@@danielburger1775 yo trolling, hating ass

[@teemadarif8243]

Uhh Fairy Tale? In the 20's ...for the Colored?..surrounded by culture vultures? not hardly . The way she and her "act" was described seemed exaggerated. The public knows not what she was put through, as she was a child and because she was "coloured" , she was seen as older than what she really was. But then again , Shirley Temple was put through alot too

[@charmhunter5611]

Sickening that she was so young and exploited

[@PotatoesMashedComedy]

No, Esther Jones just came up with the boop boop be doop thing and according to her manager, Helen Kane heard it in a nightclub at midnight...my question is, why was a 10 year old performing at a nightclub?

[@Kyutenessss]

Not true she copied her voice and persona also.

[@PotatoesMashedComedy]

@@Kyutenessss impossible to know since there are zero recordings of her. I read a whole book on this case and the only proof of this is her manager saying Helen was at a midnight show once. Everyone was scatting at the time so it's really hard to pin down who said what first and who heard it. The point is that Helen always had a high pitched voice and it's what got her fame in Broadway shows and movies, which is what Max Fleischer used as inspiration for Betty Boop, which one of the cartoonists admitted like 30 years after her death. They used her songs in the cartoons and one of the voice actresses they used (Mae Questal) actually won a contest impersonating Helen Kane's squeaky voice so it was clear they were looking for her likeness but didn't want to pay Helen to do it because lesser known actresses were cheaper.

[@BumiSaya-mk7jz]

Yeah,man she should be in school not a nightclub,what is the adult age of that time anyway !?

[@curiousme113]

Did he say "menstrual" like a women's cycle?

[@Melissa_Renee88]

Ministrel

[@lovesjazz208]

the original betty boop

[@danielburger1775]

Nope.

[@jssy_]

@@danielburger1775 get a grip omg

[@danielburger1775]

@@jssy_ Why? This Esther person has NOTHING to do with Betty Boop. Yet, there has been a forced meme for years now that people "stole" etc. Who needs yo "get a grip"? TYFYB

[@jessicathomas22717]

@@danielburger1775 you are annoying.

[@evettematthews4083]

Ill bet all of her performances were lost... Smh

[@missfirenice1421]

Betty Booooooooop!!!

[@danielburger1775]

LOL 🤣

[@teap.3403]

Who was the child star? You name Sue to the reason she wasn't famous in the US?

[@charmhunter5611]

Yet... Liars and thieves are going to be and do what they are and do⚫️👉🏿🗒

[@sjp6341]

But never a single recording or report of any boop boopee doop from her. Talk about absent evidence to accuse other performers on. Just gratuitous bashing.

[@raynemichelle2996]

Why do you say Louis Armstrong that way?

[@The1920sChannel]

Because that's how he said it

[@raynemichelle2996]

@@The1920sChannel I tried finding video yesterday of him saying his name and I couldn't find it, but I'll take your word for it.

[@The1920sChannel]

I'm not sure if there's video of him saying it, but on his recording of "Hello Dolly," he says his name at the beginning

[@hazardous3swing]

She sang at the Cotton Club when she got older. Here is a clip of her singing as an adult: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppK7iYWkfc51Y5Y

[@danielburger1775]

That's a totally different person. And the Esther of this video never sang at the Cotton Club.

[@singlesideman]

Esther is pronounced "Ester" - the "th" is pronounced as "t".

[@danielburger1775]

I posted url links to archival material of two Variety articles, but neither can post here. Both concern the film of Esther. The October 31 1928 Variety, page 34, has an article called "Lil' Esther for talker". It tells us "Little Esther has been signed for a talking short by Movietone Booker through William Morris". Whereas the December 26 1928 Variety on Page 4 has an article called "1929 now looks pretty active in talking picture way". It states "Little Esther is among people who have recently recorded "talking shorts" for MGM". This film of Esther was recorded significantly AFTER Helen Kane. In it, Esther sings three songs that had earlier been popularized by Kane. Recordings of songs by Patsy Young and Al Jolson, also recorded after they were first performed by Kane, were entered into evidence by the defense.

[@destineeadams3289]

🤣🤣

[@danielburger1775]

@@destineeadams3289 How is that funny??

[@destineeadams3289]

@@danielburger1775 it’s funny because you want Helen Kane to be the original so bad 🤣🤷🏽‍♀️

[@danielburger1775]

@@destineeadams3289 And the Judge literally ruled that Esther was "a Helen Kane impersonator", and that Esther was "irrelevant" to the Kane vs Fleischer trial. Look it up in the trial transcripts.

[@danielburger1775]

@@destineeadams3289 Oh, look my reply got deleted. But, heres Irene Franklin's "I've Got the Mumps" from 1911(ten years before Esther was born). And years before Kane first started performing.. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6PTe61sicaMppo Edit: (from deleted reply).. Gene Greene's "King of the Bungaloos"(also from the Year of 1911).. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJXXaYCBrZprb7M And now we see why Helen Kane really lost the lawsuit. Irene Franklin was doing "baby voice" long before Kane. Gene Greene was doing offbeat singing(it wasn't called "scat" until 1928) long before Kane. Kane still did both years before Esther though...

[@beckyrose9068]

There has got to be family left out there. However the fact that she was sexualized, maybe they want to let her rest in peace.

[@tigressm5219]

Ofcourse the videos are missing because they don't want to pay her family reparation. From betty boop stealing her act

[@DaanaLorraine]

Her black eyes ? Or her DARK BROWN eyes smh

[@damienthonk1506]

People can have pure black eyes.

[@teahgurl]

@@damienthonk1506 where?

[@DarkWinter48]

​@@damienthonk1506There is no such thing as black eyes.

[@Chrissyb007]

She was the inspiration for Betty Boop .. a white woman ripped her act off ..

[@danielburger1775]

No she wasn't, and no she didn't.

[@mantaray6625]

It seems it was a mere fabrication by the defense at the trial.

[@danielburger1775]

@@mantaray6625 it appears that Esther made a career out of impersonating other performers. Esther started off as "Farina's Kid Sister", doing a suspiciously similar act. Following the early death of popular performer Florence Mills, Esther was billed as "The Miniature Florence Mills", doing Mills' act, and was even promoted as being Mills' little sister! After Helen Kane became famous, the infamous film of Esther singing three popular Helen Kane songs was recorded. Then Esther went to Paris, and was billed as a "miniature Josephine Baker". It is surreal that someone who was unambiguously IMITATING HELEN KANE is now being held up as "the original".

[@darlalove]

Wonder why it’s called scatting ? Scat means 💩

[@danielburger1775]

Little Esther(NOT "Baby" Esther) was a cute child dancer and acrobat, who also did imitations of popular singers of the day. The songs you mentioned she sang were ALL HELEN KANE SONGS. The film of Esther singing those songs, was recorded long after Helen Kane started doing her own style. It is a film of Esther imitating Kane. Also, just look at Helen Kane and Betty Boop. What do you notice (*)(*)? Now look at the small CHILD that was Esther? This "Baby Esther" story is a 21st century internet myth. It does disservice to two people..Helen Kane, by falsely accusing her of taking someone else's act. And to Esther Jones, by turning her from the highest-grossing child star of her time, into some obscure Jazz singer.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Sir, the daily NY TIMES account of the Helen Kane Trial specifically refers to "Baby" Esther Jones. This is also confirmed in great detail in the book, HELEN KANE AND BETTY BOOP On Stage and on Trial b y James D. Taylor, Jr. A recent detailed history on the career of this Esther Jones explains that "Baby" and "Little" Esther Jones were the same girl. Newspaper clipping prove this. She was changed in her billing from "Baby" to "Little' once she was past eight years old. This is NOT a "21st Century Myth," but a 1930s 20th Century story that has been obscured for 87 years. The above mentioned book reproduces the detailed testimony by Esther's former Manager who confirmed when Helen Kane saw his client on two occasions as well as offering the information of the early sound film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (in New York). Before anyone adds that MGM did not start making sound films until 1929, it should be realized that this was a means of testing one of the sound-on-disc systems being considered. While certain "experts" on the Vitaphone System want to argue that MGM did not use the Vitaphone System, this was another sound-on-disc method. Victor and deForest Phonofilm also had a disc system. And MGM did license with The Victor System. This was indeed a sound-on-disc method as described to me by Lou Fleischer who told me of their having to have the record transferred to an optical soundtrack to work with. Being two separate media, the problem was that the film had been spliced due to brakes which threw it out of synchronization at the crucial spot where Esther uttered "Boop-Oop-A-Doop." Lou and Kitty Pfister, their Film Editor meticulously inserted black film slugs to replace the lost frames from the splice repairs in order to restore the proper film to sound impulse relationship. The sound was transferred from the disc to an optical sound track and a new print was struck and shown in court as evidence. The question that remains is WHERE is that film now? The Main Title would surely show a date, which would settle this matter. And since it was shown as concrete evidence, the court was convinced that Helen Kane did not originate this singing style and she obviously lost the case. Further, the act that Esther Jones performed included an imitation of Gertrude Saunders, who is cited as the originator of this type of singing going back to the all Black musical, "Shufflin' Along," with music by Eubie Blake. So Esther Jones did not originate "Boop-Oop-A-Doop, either.

[@danielburger1775]

@@RayPointerChannel I posted a longer reply, which seems to be gone. But, Lou Bolton did NOT "confirm" that Helen Kane saw anybody. Lou Bolton said something that there was no evidence to back up. And, the film was of Esther imitating Helen Kane, recorded after Kane had popularized her act. I posted links to Variety articles FROM 1928, but they do not appear to have appeared on this page

[@danielburger1775]

@@Jachimma ??

[@RayPointerChannel]

@@danielburger1775 The Movietone film of Esther Jones was dated October 1928. Movietone was a sound on film process. Movietone was the sound Newsreel service of Fox Film Corporation. From the detailed account I provided, and according to the detailed testimony from Lou Boulton, an earlier film was made by MGM shortly after Ether's arrival in New York in April 1928. This was a sound-on-disc film, which had to be re-synchronized as explained. Helen Kane saw Esther Jones well after April 1928. And Esther Jones was imitating Gertrude Saunders.

[@danielburger1775]

@@RayPointerChannel 1) October 1928(it that is even correct) is still long after Kane was doing her act 2) "According to...Lou Bolton.." Do you mean the man who lied under oath, and claimed that he was with Kane during an Esther performance? And then had to admit that that was not true.. 3) Is there any actual evidence for this April 1928 recording? Other than Bolton's claim. There is clear evidence for the late 1928 recording. What about this earlier one? 4) There is still no actual evidence that Kane saw an Esther performance in 1928 at all. This is thrown around as somehow an established fact, yet the ONLY one who alleged this was Bolton l. Who then withdrew the claim, after the flaws in his story were exposed. Again, you can not just matter-of-factly state that "Kane saw Esther". It was never proved, and the ONE person who said it...had to later admit that it wasn't true. 5) So, Esther was imitating someone? That seems to have been her entire career. She imitated Farina, she imitated, Florence Mills, she imitated Helen Kane, she imitated Josephine Baker. In late 1928 Helen Kane was very popular, and multiple people were copying her. One of those was Esther.

[@layparisss]

Here’s a link to the audio of her singing kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4PdqqZnopKlmdU

[@danielburger1775]

That's not her

[@TranzVangal]

Nope never heard

[@hisokadaddy3788]

Because you’re white

[@TranzVangal]

@@hisokadaddy3788 I'm sure many people of color haven't heard of her either sir

[@hisokadaddy3788]

@@TranzVangal many “people of color” have heard this and even more know about this because it has been spreaded around social media .

[@damienthonk1506]

@@hisokadaddy3788 I hadn't heard about her until now either lol

[@phinaexis981]

@@hisokadaddy3788 idk about that and i'm black american and i never heard of this person before and i only heard of the white version of betty boo.