Comments on: Fleischer Friday: The Old Man of the Mountain

By: Boop Oop a Doop

Boop Oop a Doop — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:10:28 +0000

Betty Boops voice was by Bonnie poe in this cartoons

but the singing part sounds like mae questel…… weird isnt it…

By: Chris Z

Chris Z — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:52:28 +0000

It was not until I watch this cartoon again did I take in the ending in context of the events leading up to it…

Betty Boop’s radiant sexuality and the Old Man’s disheveled look and perverse behavior make this cartoon seem very strait forward. Beautiful women put her self in a precarious position gets sexually assaulted then is rescued but…As Jill points out Betty is never really afraid of the man and she saunters up the Hill with an intent. This is after all the “animals” are frighten off the mountain.

I defiantly now believe this short is an empowerment to Betty’s Sexuality, she distracts the Old Man long enough for the animals to rally and stand up for themselves, Cheers to Betty!

By: I Bless the Links Down in Africa (I Bless the Links!)

I Bless the Links Down in Africa (I Bless the Links!) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:10:01 +0000

[...] Okay With Me regularly analyzes older cartoons. Here’s a great review of a Betty Boop [...]

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:34:06 +0000

I don’t think the undercurrent ruins the cartoon. I would feel differently if the would-be rapist weren’t painted from the very beginning as the bad guy. There’s a kind of empowerment in all the animals attacking the guy– and Betty’s dress smacks the old man all by itself, which is kind of awesome.

What’s more unsettling to me is that Betty doesn’t seem particularly frightened of him until he actually starts to run after her. The way she’s dancing and singing with him, it almost looks like there’s going to be a consensual seduction.

By: Amanda Phillips

Amanda Phillips — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:08:49 +0000

I don’t think the cartoon is ruined by the undercurrent of sexual assault. I mean, really, this isn’t far from being the cartoonified, slightly allegorized (“he’ll eat you up” being the stated threat) version of Law & Order SVU. I don’t think it’s a secret that we enjoy watching sexual menace unfold, as long as it is criminalized so that we can assuage our guilt by telling ourselves that what we really enjoy is not the menace itself, but the punishment of the molester/rapist.

If part of your question is “Is it ruined for child viewers?” I’d say not anymore than “Little Red Riding Hood” is ruined for kids by the sexual allegory there, meaning kids will probably just take the cartoon for its word and believe the threat is cannibalism, not rape.