Seymour Kneitel's Poor Cinderella (Fleischer, 1934), was the first color film for both Betty and Fleischer. A large scale spectacle, it showcased Max Fleischer's new three-dimensional process, in which animation was photographed against minature sets.

(For the rest of its existence, the Fleischers were unable to come up with any other original cartoon characters that gained any substantial degree of popularity. Its other major stars were Popeye and Superman, both of whom had gained their initial fame in comic strips and comic books!)

It's also interesting that Betty's early films were basically designed more for adults than for kids. (When Max Fleischer's son, Richard was trying to peddle the idea of Betty Boop feature a few years ago, he found it difficult to convince Hollywood executives that her films were originally not made for kids.) And when the Production Code Administration clamped down on her risque ways, many felt that the changeover took much of her spunk away. (Lillian Friedman, the first women animator, who worked on many of Betty's films, agreed with this assessment.) A number of her later films (especially the ones featuring Grampy), however, are not without their charms. But for most, films such as Bimbo's Initiation, Snow-White and the spectacular Poor Cinderella are what Betty is all about. And for now, the best place to find them on video is in this collection, which is priced at US$69.95 for eight tape boxed set.

Harvey Deneroff has written extensively on the Fleischer Studios, where his father, Joe Deneroff, worked as an inbetweener in both New York and Miami., including a number of Betty Boop films.