Betty Boop With Henry The Funniest Living American (Betty Boop With Henry) (1935) - Betty Boop Theatrical Cartoon Series

In search of yet another Popeye-type success

In printed form, Henry was essentially a visual gag character who had ironic experiences. He was essentially mute, which added to his charm. What is interesting is that his placement in this Betty Boop vehicle is an attempt at a pilot for a series as Popeye was a spin-off from a Betty Boop cartoon. The trouble is that the story material could have been used for any child character, as it is a series of innocent situations. But the sitations and gags are not bizzare and central to Henry--a driving force in his comic strip adventures. This is ironic considering the fact that the Fleischer Studios was founded on the odd and what is now sited as "surreal." But as their cartoons started to shift towards cute story formulas, much of the bizzare imagery disappeared.
Although a cute cartoon, Henry is not a strong enough character, and his story material simply was not unique, or funny enough to inspire a series. It did surve its purpose, to bring a smile and fulfill contractual obligations with Paramount and King Features.

Actually, in 1935 Henry probably WAS the funniest living American. But apart from the terrific opening gag, the Fleischers have more-or-less turned his cartoon debut into a sappy one (it's another Pudgy cartoon, with Betty sobbing her eyes out when Henry's made a mess of things).

What a Weird Kid

Though not a great cartoon in its own right, lacking any vestige of the Fleischer's innovative styling, this is neverthelwss intriguing just because Henry is such a bizarre character and, as in Betty's encounter with the Little King, it's always strange to see stylistically incpmpatible characters inhabiting the same cartoon. betty's song is fun, though -- and there are lots of "bald" jokes here.