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{{Short description|American singer (1904–1966)}}

factoids

| birth_place = The Bronx, New York City, U.S.1966268|4}}| death_place = Queens, New York City, U.S.| resting_place = Long Island National Cemetery| occupation = Singer, actress| yearsactive = 1919–1950s

• {{marriage|Joseph Kane|1924|1928|reason=divorced{edih}
• {{marriage|Max Hoffmann Jr.|1933|1935|reason=divorced}}
• {{marriage|Daniel Healy |1939}}

}}}}Helen Kane (born Helen Clare Schroeder, August 4, 1904BOOK,weblink Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and On Trial, James D. Jr., Taylor, 10 November 2017, Algora Publishing, 9781628942996, 19 September 2021, Google Books, – September 26, 1966) was an American singer and actress. Her signature song was "I Wanna Be Loved by You" (1928), featured in the 1928 stage musical Good Boy. The song was written for Good Boy by the songwriting team Kalmar and Ruby. Kane's voice and appearance were thought to be a source for Fleischer Studios animators when creating Betty Boop. Kane attempted to sue the studio for claims of stealing her signature "boop-oop-a-doop" style, but the judge decided that the proof of this was insufficient, thus dismissing the case.BOOK, Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and On Trial, James D. Jr., Taylor, 15 September 2017, Algora, 978-1628942972, Fleischer Studios later admitted that Kane had been the inspiration for Betty Boop. BOOK,weblink 295, Robert, O'Meally, Uptown conversation: the new jazz studies, 2004, Columbia University Press, 978-0231123518,

Early life

Kane attended St. Anselm's Parochial School in The Bronx, New York City. She was the youngest of three children. Her father, Louis Schroeder, a German immigrant, was employed intermittently as a wagon driver; her Irish-immigrant mother, Ellen (born Dixon) Schroeder, worked in a laundry.Taylor Jr., James D. (2017). Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and On Trial. Algora. pp. 5–7Kane's mother reluctantly paid $3 (approximately a day's pay) for her daughter's costume as a queen in Kane's first theatrical role at school. By the time she was 15 years old, Kane was onstage professionally, touring the Orpheum Circuit with the Marx Brothers in On the Balcony.BOOK, Mitchell, Glenn, The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia, Reynolds & Hearn, 2003, London, 162, 1-905287-11-9, She spent the early 1920s trouping in vaudeville as a singer and kickline dancer with a theater engagement called the "All Jazz Revue". She played the New York Palace for the first time in 1921. Her Broadway days started there, as well with the Stars of the Future (1922–24, and a brief revival in early 1927). She also sang onstage with an early singing trio, the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce, later known as The Three X Sisters.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}} Kane's roommate in the early 1920s was Jessie Fordyce. The singing trio act might have become the Hamilton Sisters and Schroeder, but Pearl Hamilton chose Fordyce to tour as a trio act "just to see what happens" at the end of the theatrical season.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}

Music

Kane's career break came in 1927, when she appeared in a musical called A Night in Spain. It ran from May 3 through Nov 12, 1927, for a total of 174 performances, at the 44th Street Theatre in New York City. Subsequently, Paul Ash, a band conductor, put Kane's name forward for a performance at New York's Paramount Theater.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}} Kane's first performance at the Paramount Theater in Times Square proved to be her career's launching point. She was singing "That's My Weakness Now", when she interpolated the scat lyrics "boop-oop-a-doop". This resonated with the flapper culture, and four days later, Helen Kane's name went up in lights.{{clarify|date=March 2019}}{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}} In Oscar Hammerstein's 1928 show Good Boy, she first introduced the hit "I Wanna Be Loved by You". Then it was back to the Palace, as a headliner for $5,000 a week. She rejoined her friends from vaudeville, The Three X Sisters (formerly The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce) for one night. In a 1935 live stage performance, she harmonized with their unique banter to a novelty tune, "The Preacher and the Bear".{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}} Kane blended several fashionable styles of the late 1920s. These included scat singing, a kind of vocal improvisation, and also blending singing and speech. Sprechgesang ("speech-song") was fashionable at this time in Germany's Weimar Republic in both nightclubs and in serious music.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}} Kane recorded 22 songs between 1928 and 1930. After 1930 and up to 1951, she recorded four sides for Columbia Records in addition to the Three Little Words soundtrack single recording of "I Wanna Be Loved by You".WEB,weblink Helen Kane – Boop-Boop-A-Doop, Amazon.com, She also recorded four songs that comprise a 1954 MGM 45Ep entitled "The Boop Boop a Doop Girl".

Films

In early 1929, Paramount Pictures signed Kane to make a series of musicals at a salary of as much as $8,000 a week (equivalent to over $120,000 in 2020).{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}} Her films were:

• 1929: Nothing But the Truth, a comedy starring Richard Dix
• 1929: Sweetie, a college musical, which starred Nancy Carroll, Jack Oakie and Stanley Smith
• 1929: Pointed Heels, which starred William Powell and Fay Wray
• 1930: Paramount on Parade, an all-star extravaganza
• 1930: Dangerous Nan McGrew, with Stuart Erwin, Frank Morgan, and Victor Moore
• 1930: Heads Up, starring Buddy Rogers and Victor Moore
• 1931: A Lesson in Love, a musical short film

Although Kane was not the "star" of most of her pictures (with Dangerous Nan McGrew being the one exception), she was so popular that in the case of Sweetie, her name appeared over the title on the marquee when the movie premiered at the New York Paramount (although Nancy Carroll was the true star). Kane provided all the fun, and Jack Oakie and she danced to "The Prep Step", a big hit along with "He's So Unusual". They even performed this dance at the first Hollywood Bowl fundraiser on August 7, 1929.LA Times, Jul 30, 1929, page A1 Another hit from this picture was Nancy Carroll's "My Sweeter Than Sweet".In the opening credits of Pointed Heels, Kane and William Powell are billed on the same line just below the title, with Fay Wray and the rest in smaller letters underneath. She had equal billing with Buddy Rogers in Heads Up!, and their faces appeared in all the ads. In Dangerous Nan McGrew, Kane received top billing in the film's credits.

Kane v. Fleischer

File:Helen Kane and Betty Boop - Photoplay, April 1932.jpg|thumb|267px|right|This comparison between Kane and Betty Boop was published in PhotoplayPhotoplayIn 1930, Fleischer Studios animators introduced what was alleged to be a caricature of Helen Kane,BOOK, Jeff, Lenburg, 2006, Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film and Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators,weblink registration, New York, Applause, 'Natwick, Myron H. (Grim)', 256, 9781557836717, with droopy dog ears and a squeaky singing voice, in the Talkartoons cartoon Dizzy Dishes. "Betty Boop", as the character was later dubbed, soon became popular and the star of her own cartoons. In 1932, Betty Boop was changed into a human, the long dog ears becoming hoop earrings.In May 1932, Kane filed a lawsuit against Max Fleischer and Paramount for damages of $250,000 (equivalent to $4.7 million in 2020), alleging infringement, unfair competition and exploitation of her personality and image.NEWS,weblink Birth of the Boop, The Sun (New York City), The New York Sun, May 2, 1934, NEWS,weblink 'Boop-A-Dooping' Floors Court Stenographer In $250,000 Suit, New York City, New York, The Morning Herald, May 2, 1934, XXXVIII, 32, Before his death, cartoonist Grim Natwick admitted he had designed a young girl based upon a photo of Kane. Margie Hines, Mae Questel, Bonnie Poe, Little Ann Little, and Kate Wright provided the voice for Betty Boop. They had all taken part in a 1929 Paramount contest, which was a search for Helen Kane{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}} impersonators.The trial took place in April and early May 1934,WEB,weblink 18 Apr 1934, 8 - St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Newspapers.com, 19 September 2021, and lasted approximately two weeks. It was claimed in court that Kane based her style in part on Baby Esther, a child African American dancer and entertainer of the late 1920s, known for impersonating Florence Mills. Variety stated Esther was seven years old,WEB,weblink JPG, Variety, July 11, 1928, 33, $100 Fine for Minor, . Esther had arrived for the first time in New York City in mid-1928, playing in a pocket-sized nightclub called The Everglades.BOOK,weblink Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and On Trial, James D. Jr., Taylor, 10 November 2017, Algora Publishing, 9781628942996, 19 September 2021, Google Books, Variety, July 11, 1928, pg 33 Theatrical manager Lou Bolton offered testimony during the Kane v. Fleischer trial to convey the impression that Helen Kane adopted Baby Esther's boops to further her own popularity as a singer. Esther's act at The Everglades included an impersonation of the late Florence Mills.WEB,weblink JPG, Variety, July 4, 1928, 42, Baby's Managers Held in $500 Bail for Trial, Under cross-examination Bolton said that he had met with Kane at the club after Esther's performance, but could not say when she had walked in.''Helen Kane and Betty Boop. On Stage and On Trial. James D. Taylor Jr. Algora Publishing, New York. 2017'' pp. 187–188 Bolton also stated that Fleischer's lawyers had paid him $200 to come to New York.BOOK,weblink Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and On Trial, James D. Jr., Taylor, 10 November 2017, Algora Publishing, 9781628942996, 19 September 2021, Google Books, The Fleischers used as defense a film of Baby Esther, made in 1928, featuring her singing three songs that had earlier been popularized by Helen Kane – "Don't Be Like That", "Is There Anything Wrong with That?"" and "Wa-da-da" – which writer Mark Langer says "was hardly proof that Helen Kane derived her singing style from Baby Esther".WEB, SOCIETY FOR ANIMATION STUDIES NEWSLETTER, 18, 1, 2005,weblink "Birth of the Boop", However Jazz Studies scholar Robert O'Meally stated this evidence might very well have been fabricated by the Fleischers to discredit Kane, whom they later admitted to have been their model for Betty Boop.BOOK,weblink 295, Robert, O'Meally, Uptown conversation: the new jazz studies, 2004, Columbia University Press, 978-0231123518, O'Meally also questioned if there was some sort of deal between Fleischer Studios and Bolton, and questioned if Esther was ever paid for her presumed loss of revenue.Other attempts to discredit Kane at the trial came in the form of phonograph recordings of Annette Hanshaw and the Duncan Sisters, and a piece of 1915 sheet music that was entitled Bou Dou BaDa Bou (which was actually French, and was not "scat" because it was someone's name).WEB,weblink Félix Mayol - Bou-dou-ba-da-bouh lyrics + English translation, Lyricstranslate.com, 19 September 2021, The five women who did the Betty Boop voice in the cartoons also testified, claiming they always 'booped' that way, even around the house. Based on the totality of the information presented before him and without a jury, Judge McGoldrick found "insufficient evidence to support the plaintiff's claim" and found in favor of the defendants on May 5, 1934.Taylor Jr., James D. (2017). Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and On Trial. Algora. p. 208.WEB,weblink Sally Kaiser, Individually and as Ancillary Exectrix of the Last Will and Testament of Emanuel W. Kaiser,

Later years

With the hardships of the Great Depression biting, the flamboyant world of the flapper was over, and Kane's style began to date rapidly. After 1931, she lost the favor of the moviemakers, who chose other singers for their films. She appeared in a stage production called Shady Lady in 1933,WEB,weblink JPG, Variety, July 4, 1933, 46, Legitimate (stage), Broadway Review, Shady Lady, weblink" title="https:/-/web.archive.org/web/20211202210438weblink">weblink sang weekly on the radio, and made appearances at various nightclubs and theatres during the 1930s.In 1950, she dubbed Debbie Reynolds, who performed "I Wanna Be Loved by You" in the MGM musical biopic of songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, Three Little Words. She did not appear in the film's credits, but was credited on the soundtrack album and 78RPM records.She appeared on several TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s, principally Toast of the Town, later known as The Ed Sullivan Show. Kane's final public appearance was on the Sullivan Show on St. Patrick's Day 1965.In addition, Kane was given a tribute in 1958 on This Is Your Life with Ralph Edwards. It brought a tearful reunion with her old friend, actress Fifi D'Orsay, and a lifelong fan who once sent her money when she was down on her luck. Renewed interest in Kane brought her a one-record contract with MGM Records and appearances on I've Got a Secret and You Asked for It. She sang on all of these TV shows.

Death

Helen Kane battled breast cancer for more than a decade. She had surgery in 1956 and eventually received two hundred radiation treatments as an outpatient at Memorial Hospital. She died on September 26, 1966, at age 62, in her apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City.NEWS, Associated Press,weblink Obituary: Helen Kane, The Blade (Toledo), Toledo Blade, September 27, 1966, May 28, 2009, New York, Her husband of 27 years, Dan Healy, was at her bedside. Helen Kane was buried in Long Island National Cemetery, in Suffolk County, New York.BOOK,weblink Helen Kane and Betty Boop: On Stage and On Trial, James D. Jr., Taylor, 10 November 2017, Algora Publishing, 9781628942996, 19 September 2021, Google Books,

Discography{| class"wikitable"

! || Single || Billboard charts || Release date || Remarks1|"Get Out and Get Under the Moon"| 7July 16, 1928|2|"That's My Weakness Now"| 5July 16, 1928|3|"I Wanna Be Loved by You"| 2September 20, 1928|from the musical Good Boy4|"Is There Anything Wrong in That?"|September 20, 1928|5|"Don't Be Like That"| 16December 20, 1928|6|"Me and the Man in the Moon"| 8December 20, 1928|7|"Button Up Your Overcoat"| 3January 30, 1929Follow Thru (musical)>Follow Thru8|"I Want to Be Bad"| 18January 30, 1929Follow Thru (musical)>Follow Thru9Do Something (1929 song)>Do Something"| 12March 15, 1929Nothing But the Truth (1929 film)>Nothing But the Truth10|"That's Why I'm Happy"|March 15, 1929|11|"I'd Do Anything for You"|June 14, 1929|12|"He's So Unusual"|June 14, 1929Sweetie"He's So Unusual" was later Cover version>covered by Cyndi Lauper on her album She's So Unusual13|"Ain'tcha?"|October 29, 1929|from the movie Pointed Heels14|"I Have to Have You"|October 29, 1929|from the movie Pointed Heels15|"I'd Go Barefoot All Winter Long"|March 18, 1930|16|"Dangerous Nan McGrew"|April 12, 1930|from the movie Dangerous Nan McGrew17|"Thank Your Father"|April 12, 1930Flying High (musical)>Flying High18|"I Owe You"|April 12, 1930|from the movie Dangerous Nan McGrew19|"Readin' Ritin' Rhythm"|July 1, 1930|from the movie Heads Up!20|"I've Got It (But It Don't Do Me No Good)"|July 1, 1930|from the movie Young Man of Manhattan21|"My Man Is on the Make"|July 2, 1930|from the movie Heads Up!22|"If I Knew You Better"|July 2, 1930|from the movie Heads Up!23I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat (song)>I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat"|between 1950–51|with Jimmy Carroll & His Orchestra24|"Beanbag Song"|between 1931–51|with Jimmy Carroll & His Orchestra25|"Hug Me! Kiss Me! Love Me!"|between 1931–51|with George Siravo & His Orchestra26|"Aba Daba Honeymoon"|between 1931–51|with George Siravo & His Orchestra27|"When I Get You Alone Tonight"| 1954|with Leroy Holmes and his Orchestra28|"When My Sugar Walks Down The Street"| 1954|with Leroy Holmes and his OrchestraThe release dates of recordings 1 to 22 are derived from the cover notes of the CD Helen Kane - Great Original Performances - 1928 to 1930 (RPCD 323).WEB,weblink 1928-1930, Amazon.com, In 1954, MGM records issued the last Helen Kane recordings as a 45-rpm Ep X1164 called "The Boop-Boop-A-Doop Girl!", orchestra directed by Leroy Holmes, and the songs are "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street", "When I Get You Alone Tonight, Do Something" (from Nothing But the Truth) and "That's My Weakness Now".

References

{{Reflist}}Bibliography

• New York Times, "Helen Kane Dead; Boop-A-Doop Girl", September 27, 1966, p. 47.

Further reading

• Helen Kane and Betty Boop. On Stage and On Trial. James D. Taylor Jr. Algora Publishing, New York. 2017. {{ISBN|978-1-62894-297-2}}. Biography.

External links

{{commons category|Helen Kane}}

• {{IMDb name|0437318}}
• {{IBDB name}}
• Helen Kane: The Original Boop-Boop-a-Doop Girl
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100219095623weblink">Helen Kane appreciates art
• {{Find a Grave|2696}}
• Helen Kane at TCM
• {{webarchive |date=2013-01-25 |url=https://archive.today/20130125092348weblink |title=Helen Kane at Hollywood.com}}
• Helen Kane at Allstars

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