In other words, Esther Jones was the original Betty Boop. Historian Charles Solomon summed up the judgment succinctly: “The Fleischers won the case by proving that a Black entertainer named Baby Esther had previously used the phrase before either Kane or Questel. Ultimately, the judge ruled against Kane, and she walked away without a dime. Interestingly, Kane’s attorney cross-examined Bolton and asked whether “Baby Esther” had been paid for her loss of revenue - and Bolton confirmed that she had not. A 1934 article in The New York Times reported on Bolton’s testimony, wherein he stated that he coached “a little Negro girl” to sing the “Boop, Boop-A-Doop” that Betty Boop ultimately made famous. Kane became so popular, in fact, that when the Betty Boop cartoon debuted in 1930, it all but completely mimicked Kane’s style.Īnd as the cartoon became wildly successful, Kane felt slighted by the “Boop, Boop-A-Doop” - and without a shred of self-awareness or irony, proceeded to file a $250,000 lawsuit against Max Fleischer, Betty Boop’s creator, just two years after the cartoon vixen debuted on the big screen.Īccording to the New York Daily News, Kane felt exploited by Fleischer and the Paramount Publix Corp.īut Kane’s lawsuit ultimately backfired on her, because Bolton - Jones’ manager - was called to testify on behalf of Fleischer and the Paramount Publix Corp. So, Helen Kane continued to swipe her whole act from “Baby Esther,” and became infinitely more popular than the original. But, whereas the Black performers of today can rally people to their cause using the power of social media, Black performers of yester-year - like Esther Jones - weren’t quite as lucky. In the 1920s - and beyond - it was quite common for white performers to steal the acts of their Black counterparts without credit or compensation. Betty Boop, Boop-A-Doop - An Infamous Trialīetty Boop, seen in one of Max Fleischer’s 90 theatrical cartoons. As the Supreme Court of the State of New York would later find out, Kane was in attendance at the aforementioned Everglades Nightclub performance, where she had front-row seats with Shayne and Bolton.Īnd Jones’s performance inspired Kane to incorporate it into her own act - an act that would forever be immortalized in the Betty Boop cartoons. Jones also had a booking agent named Tony Shayne, who regularly booked another aspiring singer and dancer named Helen Kane. “The crowd in the place continually applauded the little dancer.”
“The child is small for her age and said to be an exceptional black-bottom dancer,” read the report. A 1928 article in Variety marveled at Jones - by then 7 years old and going by “Baby Esther” - and her performance at the Everglades Nightclub in New York City. In 1924, when she was barely 4 years old, Lou Bolton stepped in as her manager, and Jones’ bookings - and profile - increased exponentially. In her performances, Jones danced, made funny faces, and used the phrase, “Boop, Boop-a-Doop.” But word of Jones’s performances quickly swept New York City, and it wasn’t long before she was performing regularly in the Big Apple. Her parents, Gertrude and William, were her original managers. The courts ruled against Helen Kane stating she did not have exclusive rights to the “booping” style or image, and that the style, in fact, pre-dated her due to video evidence of Baby Esther performing in a nightclub surfaced.Įsther Jones passed in 1934 but she lives on through Betty Boop’s character.Wikimedia Commons Esther Lee Jones, also known as “Baby Esther,” seen here in a publicity image circa 1930.īorn in 1919 or 1920 in Chicago, Illinois, Esther Jones was a born performer who first took the stage at age 4. Sounds familiar? Esther was the inspiration for the very famous cartoon character “Betty Boop”.įinding any records of Baby Esther became extremely hard after Helen Kane, a woman who adopted Esther Jones style, made an attempt to sue Maz Fleischer, cartoonist who created Betty Boop. She was very popular at the Cotton Club in Harlem and known for singing in her baby voice with her signature phrase “Boop-oop-a-doop”. In celebration of Black History Month is going to reflect and share interesting facts about our culture.ĭoes Esther Jones look familiar to you? Ester Jones, better known as “Baby Esther”, was a singer and entertainer in the late 1920s. Most Black history has been hidden and white washed, so we have to tell our story for generations to come inherit much knowledge and awareness.