Betty Boop's surreal stage act in Stopping the Show

Is it worth your time?

If you have a weird obsession with animation history or just want to see something that feels like it crawled out of a dusty basement, sure. Watch it. If you prefer your cartoons to make sense or possess a coherent narrative, skip this. It’s mostly just a collection of random clips glued together by a thin thread of "entertainment."

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Stopping the Show (1932) through its definitive frames.

It starts with a Paramount newsreel and a Bimbo cartoon. The newsreel is dry as toast, but watching Koko the Clown is always a trip. The way he moves—sort of fluid but also like he’s glitching in reality—is something else. 🤡

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Stopping the Show (1932) through its definitive frames.

Then Betty Boop finally shows up. The whole vibe changes instantly. It’s not just a cartoon anymore; it’s a performance. She does these impressions of Fanny Brice and Maurice Chevalier that are just... bizarre. You can tell the animators were experimenting with how much detail they could cram into her expressions.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Stopping the Show (1932) through its definitive frames.

The pacing is all over the place. One second you’re watching a newsreel about some long-forgotten event, and the next you’re being serenaded by a high-pitched caricature. It’s disjointed, but maybe that’s the point? It feels less like a movie and more like a collection of ideas that didn't have anywhere else to go.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Stopping the Show (1932) through its definitive frames.

Honestly, the whole thing feels like a precursor to the strange, avant-garde stuff you see in Lulu, minus the actual plot. It’s short, punchy, and leaves you wondering what exactly the audience back then thought they were witnessing.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Stopping the Show (1932) through its definitive frames.

Small things I noticed:

• The background characters look like they’re waiting for the bus rather than watching a show.
• The singing voice doesn't always sync with the mouth movements, but does it even matter?
• The transitions are practically non-existent. It just jumps.

It’s not trying to be The Heart of Humanity, and thank goodness for that. It’s just a weird little artifact. If you like your film history with a side of uncanny valley, you’ll dig it. Otherwise, you’ll probably just be confused by the sudden switch to musical theater. 🎶

I’m still not sure if I liked it, but I definitely didn't look away. There’s something hypnotic about the way she gestures while singing. Almost like she’s trying to hypnotize the audience into liking the act.

It’s an odd, jagged little piece of work. Perfect for a rainy afternoon when you’ve run out of modern stuff to watch.