Buzzy Boop at the Concert (1938)

Buzzy Boop at the Concert (1938)
Restoration funding provided by ASIFA-Hollywood. Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Laboratory services by Roundabout Entertainment, Inc., Audio Mechanics, DJ Audio, Inc., FotoKem. Special thanks to Gosfilmofond, Stanislav Dedinsky, Natalie Ryabchikova, Paramount Pictures Archives.
About the film: Eight years after Betty Boop first appeared on-screen to become an era-defining animated icon, the Fleischer Brothers extended her on-screen family with the intention of freshening up the brand. Introduced in 1938 as Betty’s country cousin, Buzzy Boop was Betty’s comic opposite in every way. Where Betty was frequently the fetching victim of unwanted mischievousness, the gum-smacking, marble-shooting, pig-tailed dynamo Buzzy initiated chaos wherever she went. Unseen for 85 years, Buzzy Boop at the Concert is one of only two shorts she appeared in and was thought lost until a print was discovered in Russia in 2019.
Production: Fleischer Studios. Distribution: Paramount Pictures. Producer: Max Fleischer. Director: Dave Fleischer. With: Mae Questel, Jack Mercer.
Learn more about its rediscovery on our blog, written by animation historian Jerry Beck: ucla.in/3zatbaT

[@vebz_6872]

You can just tell the pianist's voice actor had tons of fun

[@shaneosmer6313]

Fr

[@mnstrchkn136]

He sounds like he's on fire but the fun kind

[@sipolina625]

Ikr

[@Ernestospark]

Sounds like his dying

[@Boozies_AAA]

It sounds like he’s barking lol

[@choccocker]

Well of course the crowd will fall asleep, when you sing with a voice that's so soothing.

[@davidwesley2525]

I think most most people would fall asleep at the Opera . I don't think anybody would fall asleep at a Heavy Metal concert. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@5th_cellar]

@@davidwesley2525 You'd be wrong, my dude. Lots more sex and violence in operas than most people realize.

[@gingercat1028]

@@davidwesley2525 “Most people would fall asleep at the opera” hope you are exaggerating

[@davidwesley2525]

@@gingercat1028 a little bit .😁😁😁

[@nothing_controversial]

@@5th_cellar - I might just have to go to The Opera 😉

[@tiahnarodriguez3809]

Buzzy is a straight up menace with that microphone adjuster 😂

[@davidwesley2525]

Buzzy is a mischief maker. Buzzy was playing a little prank on the Opera singer. 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁💖💖💖

[@MouseCandy]

5:34 Yes she is!! My goodness 🤣

[@LannyLeArtist]

YEA LOL

[@violetacarrillo291]

⁠@@davidwesley2525 R.I.P. Jr Henson 1922-1990

[@aure939]

@Mahaubiwaha

[@rainpooper7088]

The way Buzzy is portrayed is pretty interesting, especially for the time. Like, just the act of whistling like that was still seen as a boys thing that girls were threatened with discipline and even violence for copying *in my mother‘s generation over 20 years after this short* because it was likened to hens crowing. Which was bs of course, kids just love to make weird noises in any way they can regardless of gender and this cartoon really gets that sort of energy down. I also like that the opera lady joins in on the fun. A lesser cartoon would have just made her a one-note antagonist who gets upstaged, but these old Betty Boop shorts were just positive like that.

[@neverxnice3577]

And now i’m a girl who can whistle darude sandstorm with abt 70% accuracy 😭😭 the talents u learn lmaoo

[@cameoshadowness7757]

@@neverxnice3577 Wait for real?:D that's so cool!

[@daviclemons6910]

@@neverxnice3577 Evolution of Man

[@OFS_Razgriz]

@Rainpooper And that is the main reason Betty Boop and other classic cartoon figures were dropped. That and the fact that they often portrayed African American music, especially that of Cab Calloway, which many whites saw as "scandalous", "indecent", or "perverse". Of course, now those cartoons are seeing a bit of a Renaissance in appreciation, while other cartoons of the period that leaned more heavily into white racism are being locked away in shame (looking at you, Disney).

[@pechisprettiest]

I ain't reading this

[@LightYagami-xl1wz]

Aw I loved how the opera singer ended up being wholesome

[@PugsleyThePear]

It would have been so easy to have her get mad and try to chase Buzzy of the stage but it was such a joy to see her join in on the fun instead!

[@AMPProf]

Lolz if you hit a kid on stage

[@shoknifeman2mikado135]

Buzzy was an reinterpretation of the original Betty Boop, in child form. No doubt a way to get around the limits of censorship which turned her into a bore, since a child could get away with more mischief!

[@someonewhocantmakeuptheirm2671]

how could you calle betty boop a bore🙄

[@JK-yt3dm]

@Someone who can't make up their mind onausername Are you denying that the hayes code turned betty boop into a boring, conservatively-dressed housewife? Because it absolutely did.

[@KittyPieVibes]

@@JK-yt3dm is that actually what happened :0 I keep seeing comments about the code and how it affected the show

[@JK-yt3dm]

@@KittyPieVibes yep. Check out how she's dressed and acts in this and things like "Baby Be Good", and compare it to one of the older shorts, like "The Old Man Of The Mountain", or the snow white one. Fleischer got absolutely nuked. They even tried to replace her with Buzzy, and also some girl named Sally Swing one time.

[@Collyhumanrobot]

That show is annoying sheesh 🙄

[@lkramberg]

Loved Betty and her gang for decades, and now I can add Buzzy Boop as another favorite. Too bad that only one other Buzzy short was made and its still lost. Thanks all for the find and restoration and giving us one more Fleischer film to enjoy.

[@davidwesley2525]

Actually the First Betty Boop cartoon to feature Buzzy Boop isn't Lost it is available on KZbin & I have it on my playlist. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@The_gaming_gazimon]

you mean this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2Tbfa2BbMqfr80

[@benhamel6550]

Bettys Cousin Buzzy is the other one it’s on KZbin

[@Wingnut353]

THIS... is the lost Buzzy Boop at the Concert, the other one was never lost, this one was found in Moscow in 2019 and restored at UCLA.

[@thishandleistaken425]

@@Wingnut353 *Russia

[@meanya4687]

I've never even heard of Buzzy Boop! What a fun short! I thought the opera singer was gonna be an antagonist but this had such a cute ending. What an adorable cartoon!

[@mar25947]

@@kkittycityy wow. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing.

[@bobbybickert]

@@kkittycityyNo, "Pudgy and the Lost Kitten" and "Honest Love and True" have been found. (Though "Pudgy and the Lost Kitten" has German subtitles and the opening titles of "Honest Love and True" have been replaced with different titles that are in French, plus the Paramount logo at the end has been replaced with a French Paramount logo.) But at least there are no longer any "lost" Betty Boop cartoons.

[@101Volts]

Buzzy Boop only appeared in 2 Betty Boop episodes, both from 1938; the self-titled episode "Buzzy Boop," and then this 2nd episode "Buzzy Boop at the Concert." This one was lost until 2019, so it's easy to see why many people hadn't heard of her.

[@thishandleistaken425]

​@@101VoltsThe first one was actually called "Honest Love and True"

[@101Volts]

@@thishandleistaken425 I looked it up, and no, that's a different episode (episode 75) that has Fearless Fred in it. (Buzzy Boop is episode 79.) Both episodes are public domain, so I'll go look for 75 now, since I haven't seen it.

[@nevaehhamilton3493]

It's hard to imagine that this was actually a lost film. Thanks so much to the lost media finders for tracking this masterpiece down.

[@101Volts]

There may yet be hope for other "lost media" that hasn't been seen for over 80 years.

[@toucan3144]

a huge thank you to asifa, ucla film archive, jerry beck, and everyone else involved in rediscovering this film, bringing it to the united states and getting it scanned and uploaded on the internet for people from all walks of life to see and enjoy

[@shielasatinitigan3492]

😂kowesidqeeiowrowedes

[@davidmackenzie8441]

Don't forget the Russian students who found it in the first place!

[@SoenyCentral]

At long last I can finally watch this Betty Boop Short! I must say Buzzy Boop sure is a mischievous funny little girl.

[@davidwesley2525]

In the first Buzzy Boop cartoon , Buzzy was more athletic than the Boys she was playing with & was a Better marbles player. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@violetacarrillo291]

R.I.P Jr Henson 1934-1990

[@a.linden]

As a young person looking to enter the animation industry, I'd love to make stories with a similar feeling to this. It just seems so fun and it doesn't take itself seriously at all, I grew up on these kinds of cartoons and I loved them so much. I'd like to share that with future kids.

[@Wolf-sh9ze]

They really need that kind of stuff compared to most of the trash produced nowadays

[@lingsang_in_the_trees]

@Nada2wii we have cuphead the Netflix animated series

[@hircenedaelen]

@@nada2wii853 I think Buzzy is an extremely relatable character

[@caidalee1994]

Good to see how that generation felt about my profession 😭😅 At least she wasn’t a villain, and let the show go on with some fun. Then again, there are funny opera stories as well, like Mozart writing an aria for a soprano he didn’t like who tended to lift her chin for high notes and dip it for low notes. He wrote it with lots of jumps up and down up and down, so when she sang it, she would end up bobbing her head like a chicken! Love from a classical soprano!

[@marajones1828]

That’s actually really hilarious! I admire sopranos - forever an alto 😢

[@caidalee1994]

@@marajones1828 listen, y’all hold us down and keep the song from floating away into screechy/reedy territory. We need the warm tones of altos!

[@homeofsapiens5783]

@Caidalee The Night Queen is actually my favourite aria and got me into classical music - apparently the soprano was his sister-in-law, which makes it doubly funny!

[@yuanyeo9681]

Betty Boop invites her tomboyish cousin, Buzzy to a concert, where they had to hear the opera female singer Madame Shrill sings - much to Buzzy's chagrin! But When the singer sings, the audiences are fallen asleep (, including her pianist); until Buzzy takes the stage, turning the boring concert into a jazz-liked entertaining show - much to everyone's delight! 😊😊😊

[@sonicfanboy3375]

A tomboy in the 1930's?

[@yuanyeo9681]

@@sonicfanboy3375 It seems so...

[@101Volts]

@@sonicfanboy3375 The phrase might not have existed at the time, but Buzzy's far from what you'd call "the girliest character in the room." Though, I saw a 1950s Robin Hood episode that also kinda knocked that out of the water when a Scottish Woman wasn't acting so feminine as Robin expected (with Robin having lived in England most of his life,) either. I forget the episode title, it's the one when Robin went up to Scotland.

[@raggedyanarchist]

I'm glad that after building the singer up to look like she was going to be the antagonist, she turned out to just be a cool lady.

[@xibalbalon8668]

Sad to think this was lost for 80 years by now, it's pretty cute

[@reiahnnajackson3353]

85 years old now!

[@AverageDonaldDuckFan]

I love how even for the time, the singer isnt seen as ugly and Buzzy takes on more of a "un-ladylike" role in a positive way.

[@lonniebishop9062]

A lost Max Fleischer cartoon has been found! Outstanding restoration!

[@joanhill4666]

As a Fleischer (And lost media) fan, I am glad to see that this lost cartoon has been found...and uploaded on my birthday! ✌😊

[@candiigurl7893]

I'm pushing 30 and have known about Betty Boop since I was a kid. I loved watching the shorts on VHS. Not once have I heard of Buzzy until now. It's crazy how media can be lost for so many years. The hard work that was put into this hasn't been appreciated until now. Thankfully, there are fans of the craft who're willing to unearth these gems for everyone to enjoy. Thanks for uploading this cartoon!

[@gabrieldjatienza6971]

Buzzy Boop and Sally Swing , two would have been spinoffs from Betty Boop

[@christianslavey8076]

No matter how much time passes, these cartoons are still so much fun!

[@julianhermanubis6800]

They tried several spin offs from Betty Boop, including Popeye, Henry, and the Little King, but Popeye was the only one that succeeded. It was fun seeing this almost lost film, though. Any vintage Fleischer movie that's new to me is a fun event.

[@steamboatwill3.367]

Little King did get his own series by the neighboring Van Beuren Studio.

[@bobbybickert]

@julianhermanubis6800 The difference is that Popeye, Henry and the Little King (and also Little Jimmy) were existing comic strip characters, while Buzzy Boop was an original creation of the Fleischer studio like Professor Grampy, Wiffle Piffle and Fearless Fred.

[@shoknifeman2mikado135]

Easily the BEST Betty Boop cartoon I've ever seen, ironically, Betty herself is a secondary character in her own film, much the same as what happened to Mickey Mouse after Disney was told, to tone him down, a few years earlier.

[@simday1396]

She's so Cute in the background with her little cousin.

[@stephencowdery6314]

Restoration work aside, this is simply a great cartoon!

[@BB-TheCandleFairy]

I’ve seen pretty much every Betty Boop cartoon so when I saw this thumbnail I got really excited cause it meant there was finally another that I haven’t seen! Thank you so much for rediscovering and restoring this and posting it to KZbin, it means a lot to us! Plus I’m just glad to see more of Buzzy Boop, we didn’t get much toons with her in them.

[@foxhound13]

I like that the female opera singer wasn’t beaten up or swingled or something. She just joined in and the little girl accepted her in.

[@popeyeandthejeep7459]

No limited animation techniques used in this Era. Characters are constantly in motion. Lot of work went into these classic cartoons.

[@theuhh]

I love how Buzzy Boop is like the mini version of Grampy!

[@davidtoback714]

Yea.

[@davidwesley2525]

@@davidtoback714 without the Bald head & Beard. 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@AHHHH255]

something about this episode is just so joyful

[@amaikarai5007]

I learned that this episode was considered lost media until recently. It's pretty amazing that we get to watch it.

[@kellymiles8534]

6:55 first animation of a person getting sturdy

[@LannyLeArtist]

Lol

[@aniyahcookies733]

This is what getting sturdy was in the 90's

[@hiimwiredp632]

It’s so weird that this was lost media

[@andynonymous6769]

This one actually made me laugh out loud when the opera lady did the splits

[@I_like_fnaf23]

i love how betty is so chill with buzzy being sucha menace🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@SubsonicSparkle]

And she was never seen again for 84 years 😢

[@sunkissedmami9233]

Oh wow, I love how they joined together in the end😂

[@gleelee2008]

Buzzy is my new favorite cartoon character! and those fantastic dance sequences! oh my!

[@domagojcapko4152]

I expected this is gonna be like that Tom and Jerry episode, but it was so adorable in the end! Buzzy is also so adorable!

[@sahrazalam382]

Betty Boop retired from her career and had a kid which was buzzy Boop and now buzzy Boop takes her mother's career which makes the tradition pass on

[@Thomasnmi]

Not quite 😊

[@davidwesley2525]

@@Thomasnmi Buzzy Boop is Actually Betty Boop's mischievous Cousin. 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@Indigo_LaCrown]

Cartoons have come a long way in 85 years

[@PookiezZZZ]

No wonder why people enjoyed cartoons back then

[@shx3p]

DAMN SHE STARTED THROWING IT BACK 5:45

[@hungrywarnergaming5263]

I laughed waay too hard on that part. XD

[@SleMels135]

The way Madam says -Scram- with annoyances is hilarious

[@EinsamPibroch278]

Their dancing is amazing.

[@ursomajor5607]

You can tell in these old cartoons that they were really experiencing with sound, lol.

[@davidwesley2525]

You gotta Love 💘 Buzzy Boop , always getting into mischief . This time Buzzy made the Opera much more entertaining. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@samanthadean1083]

Really wish Buzzy had survived to have a coloured version!!!

[@Dtoons]

Wow. The only other Buzzy Boop cartoon! This is amazing!

[@dimmkah]

The quality is amazing.

[@mary-janerobb6612]

That was pretty great, thanks for sharing this classic piece of film history with us all.

[@jpfizzle1]

2:40 that is an intense phonk walk lol 🏃

[@aincrixdraws]

Now we gotta make a meme with that lmao

[@chantelle5189]

That is so bloody clevver !! The work that must of gone into this !!

[@Fangdanglo]

Watching cartoons from this era brings me comfort inside

[@madamvaudelune3298]

There were LOTS of fat women entertainers at this time. Trixie Freitas, Sophie Tucker, Kate Smith, Bessie Smith, etc. Big Girls sang and danced and raised the roof, for real.

[@Mart_Alec]

Ong it's the opposite version of Wednesday

[@TokimoSoda]

Thank you so much for uploading this, I’m so glad this has finally been found !

[@dsantamaria713]

This was great! ❤

[@poshuaa]

Sis was breakdancing before anyone else 😂

[@modelblue429]

Amazing job restoring this cartoon guys. Well done

[@I-Wish-i-kissed-a-Girl]

2:54 Anyone else did this as a child or is it just me? Cuz i had

[@rockinyouallnight]

Buzzy Boop for the win!

[@justwaiting5744]

Thank you so much for uploading this. I desperately wanted to see the screening months ago, but I contracted COVID and had to miss it. I'm so happy I finally get to see it. The restoration looks beautiful. I think it's the most pristine Betty Boop cartoon I've ever seen.

[@KittyHiPur]

Amazing restoration! What a brilliant animation!

[@Sonicsis]

Yay for archiving projects! Thanks!

[@cindylira9503]

the pianist its so funny!!!hahaha...btw,i love to see old cartoons like this

[@AndreaRodriguez-se7bz]

The woman at the opera is so beautiful ❤

[@davidwesley2525]

Betty or Buzzy ? 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆💖💖💖

[@salomeheredia9885]

I love how they both can dance so well tuned with fun amd crazy moves 💃🏻👏🏻 but these ladies got the voice 👀🎶

[@Silencebound]

Beautifully done with high 1080p video resolution which are supposed to be more celebrating it.

[@jayminyoel7911]

It’s scary that a late-30s cartoon, released throughout multiple theaters and featuring recognizable characters can just disappear.

[@dubsar]

1938. Entertainment to the masses. They would need it for the horrors of the decade that followed. 2024. A nauseating feeling of déjà vu.

[@CheetahFoxx]

Betty was just so much better before the Hays Code.

[@davidwesley2525]

The Hayes Code Really came Down Hard on Betty Boop.

[@jamalboi4469]

buzzy boop is so cute and sweet ☺☺☺

[@davidwesley2525]

And very Mischievous. 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁💘💘💘

[@UniverseGeek-xi5wz]

7:19 oh my goodness. oh my damn. oh my goodness. She goin ham

[@LannyLeArtist]

LOL

[@Mysteriouslittlefluf]

Buzzy when she playing in the audience sounding like a Furby

[@stafonvoncamron]

That was nice that Buzzy helped her out.

[@otchyibarra0361]

And she said she hates concerts now she likes them

[@Nyax50Lopez]

I love the black and white cartoons. Thank God my dad bought DVDs back then which were $1 for a collection of black and white cartoons which might've cost like $5 today. Man how years pass by

[@REISEBOFFI]

Can we just notice the fact that buzzy did the dance Betty used to do?

[@maciekur]

A cheerful hip-hip hurrah for Jerry! ^_^

[@user-rh2ot6ix8d]

I have no idea how the singer dancing in those heels, but SHE DID IT-

[@TigerTigerII]

I adore the side-to-side sway dancing from these old cartoons :D

[@RavenWoodsDE]

And now keep in mind that they had to animate that all frame per frame.

[@MistyEyedMuse]

Mans just assaulted the piano like it was nothing

[@Thewritingelf]

They needed to make another short of Buzzy ! Easily one of the best characters I've seen in a Betty Boop film !

[@RodneytheOperaRat]

Madame Shrill does have an amazing voice for a soprano

[@mayajjubilee5797]

Wooooow, it's been so long since I've seen Betty Boop.

[@denisearroyo4481]

love this animation. I never heard of buzzy boop until today and I'm glad I did. She was a modern day child . Spunky and fun. And I love how Betty Boop has always stretched the line for what a lady or even a girl should or can do!!!

[@rickypedia999]

Bruh, how do you make EVERYONE fall asleep at the concert _including_ your own music accompaniment?

[@stellaneko7659]

This was adorable i loved it

[@HelloPKXD]

A huge thank you to Asia,ulca film archive,jerry beck,and everyone else involved in rediscovering this flim bringing it to the united states and getting it scanned and uploaded on the internet for people from all walks of life to see and enjoy the that buzzy dancing.

[@tgi3197]

I could see this done live action in the 40's with Ethel Murman as the singer and Shirly Temple as Buzzy. That would have been cool.

[@user-lw2fh6ri3n]

4:39 her hair 💀💀 tbh i would fall asleep too

[@Goose-berrys]

Wtf is buzzy boop soooooooo adorable?????!!!!!!!

[@davidwesley2525]

Buzzy Boop is so adorable is because she is Betty Boop's cousin. Cute Looks run Her Family. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

[@Goose-berrys]

@@davidwesley2525 true😂😂

[@bobbybickert]

Some of the music playing while Buzzy and the singer are dancing together is also heard in "Let's Celebrake" when Olive Oyl's grandmother and Popeye are dancing after both of them eat spinach. I wonder if it was an existing piece of music or original music written by Sammy Timberg?

[@jacquelinetoback2263]

It’s amazing to see something this rare! 😊

[@marieozburn4812]

The song that the opera singing is singing is “the last rose of summer” originally it was a poem by Tomas Moore I had to Sind it for my sing class

[@Ravens93]

Such classics never dies ♥

[@claireschweizer4765]

"Madame shrill" im a mezzo but this made me yell *HA!!!* out loud 🤣

[@noahsmith-pl1uo]

I love betty boop