Barnacle Bill (1930)

Just what I expected

hyped garbage

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Barnacle Bill characters are Bimbo (Barnacle Bill), and Betty Boop (the object of Barnacle's affections, voiced by Mae Questel). Director: DAVE FLEISCHER. Animators: Seymour Kneitel, Rudy Zamora. Song, "Barnacle Bill, the Sailor". Producer: Max Fleischer.Copyright 31 August 1930 by Paramount Publix Corp. 1 reel. COMMENT: This first use of the catchy "Barnacle Bill, the Sailor" (with risque lyrics that were cleaned up for the song's subsequent use in a Popeye cartoon), is an inventive offering that presents Bimbo in a more flatteringly aggressive light than usual and allows Fleischer to put his talent for surreal gags to good use (we particularly like the chairs tiptoeing out of Betty's room so that the sofa-which joins in the chorus of the song- can amble in). The final sequence with the lightning is delightfully bizarre, though we wish that Betty could somehow have joined in the climax. Her role here, as in other Bimbos, amounts to just a little more than a guest appearance.

Fleischer were responsible for some brilliant cartoons, some of them still among my favourites. Their visual style was often stunning and some of the most imaginative and ahead of its time in animation.The character of Betty Boop, one of their most famous and prolific characters, may not be for all tastes and sadly not as popular now, but her sex appeal was quite daring for the time and to me there is an adorable sensual charm about her. That charm, sensuality and adorable factor is not lost anywhere here, nor her comic timing. She is definitely more interesting here than Bimbo, who is fun enough but is again stuck in a standard role with not much special to do. Do enjoy their chemistry though, that stops Bimbo from being completely bland.Betty, Bimbo and Fleischer have done much better than 'Barnacle Bill'. It's pleasant enough and is a decent cartoon, but it's not a great one and doesn't stick in one's head as much as other offerings of theirs. For me, while a long worst from being one of Betty's worst cartoons (pretty much all her lesser efforts being when the Production Code was enforced, the material became tame and Betty while still engaging lost her trademark identity), it is far from one of her best either.Admittedly, the story never was one of the best assets in a Betty Boop cartoons and it is very flimsy and predictable in 'Barnacle Bill' and the momentum is not always there.However, the animation is outstanding, everything is beautifully and meticulously drawn and the whole cartoon is rich in visual detail and imagination. Every bit as good is the music score, which delivers on the energy, lusciousness and infectiousness, great for putting anybody in a good mood.On top of these, 'Barnacle Bill' is amusing and charming with a delightful Betty and adorable and fun chemistry between her and Bimbo. All the gags are well-timed and fun, if not ever hilarious or creative.All in all, decent. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I enjoyed this cartoon for what it is worth, as I do most of the cartoons of this era I watch. Here we have the second appearance of Betty Boop, released less than a month after her first cartoon, "Dizzy Dishes". In that and this cartoon, she is a dog (as one can tell from the dog ears). Here, she is not the main character, but she appears enough to glean more of her personality than "Dizzy Dishes". We have here the first appearance of Bimbo, who calls himself "Barnacle Bill", in this episode. He is an annoying character in the way that he is very arrogant.The episode starts in a cartoony way (normal for the time), where the crew are singing about being on the sea. The ship briefly docks and the captain calls all the crew (one of them looking suspiciously like Mickey Mouse) and tells them that they cannot leave the ship. Barnacle Bill, however, has other ideas...Later in the episode, Barnacle Bill meets Betty Boop as a dog and says some rather horrible things to her in his singing, which is why this cartoon is not particularly suitable for children (although I am not sure if this cartoon was directed at family, children or adults).It is a cartoon worth watching all the same and I recommend it to people who like old cartoons with singing pretty much instead of dialogue. Enjoy "Barnacle Bill"! :-)

Not officially released as a Betty Boop short, but that's Betty and the early Bimbo. Bimbo stayed a canine throughout, while Betty became human. Bimbo comes across as a less than likable sort here, but then neither was Barnacle Bill the sailor (pay attention to the lyrics of the sea chantey). Bimbo was a more or less marginal character, for my tastes, although he was head and shoulders above most of the supporting characters in later years. Koko the Clown was the most effective bit player they used in the Betty Boop series. Bimbo spends most of his time making eyes and sighing at Betty in most of his appearances. The later design on the character was a marked improvement over the original character they show here. This is on the Betty Boop collection that's well worth having. This short is nothing special, but worth a look once.