Betty Boop: 'Red Hot Mamma' (1934)

This cartoon was banned in the UK at the time, because it made Hell seem frivolous, and funny.

From Wikipedia: Red Hot Mamma is a 1934 Fleischer Studios Betty Boop animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer. It's a snowy winter's night, and a shivering Betty is trying to sleep. Shutting all the windows isn't enough, so she lights a roaring fire in the fireplace and falls asleep on the hearthplace rug. The heat of the flames soon turns two roosting chickens into roasted chickens, and causes Betty to dream that her fireplace has become the gate to Hell itself. Betty explores the underworld, and sings "Hell's Bells" for Satan and his minions. When Satan tries to put the moves on Betty, she fixes him with a (literally) icy stare, freezing him and all of Hell. When she falls through a hole and onto an icy surface below, Betty wakes up to find the fire out with the windows open and her bed frozen, and she goes to bed, this time under a pile of warm quilts.

[pepperducks]

she deadass walked into hell and smacked the fire

[beanzie]

She literally caused hell to freeze over, the absolute queen

[commando]

betty boop has some of the most legit smooth animation of its time with seemingly minimal corner cuting.

[adore_attract]

Personally I love the way she's animated in this, very womanly yet delicate, it's just satisfying to me. Also we're gonna ignore that betty literally almost died of heat stroke?

[davidwesley]

BETTY BOOP gave the demons the cold shoulder literally when they tried to make a move on her.

[squidwardwithblondehair]

Betty is such a badass dead as walking into hell, telling a flame to go away then smacking it, giving the cold shoulder to demons and the cold stare to Satan like..??? So iconic

[rauloliveira]

Minute: 3:53

Lyrics:
​Hell's bells ringin' in my ears. 
    It's certainly hot,  
    The rhythm that swells,  
    Now somebody's got 
    A-hold of those bells; 
    They start to ring,  
    They start to sing,  
    And somebody yells,  
    It must be Hell's bells!

[CarlosZNSM]

What I absolutely love about Betty Boop animation is how everything is in constant motion and very smooth at that.

[kiraalialeeonfairythegreenone]

No AI. No Photoshopping.
Frame by frame dedication and hard work. 👏👏👏👏

[hellskitchen]

I watched Betty every morning before school in the 50's and Popeye when I got home ..I was so spoiled!

[olegakimov]

the message is actually simple. The fireplace makes you burn out, then when it burns out, you freeze to death.

[mystik.mermayde.aotearoa]

Watching in 2025 and i can't believe this is 91 years old!! Amazing!!

[squidwardwithblondehair]

Betty just trying to sleep is such a mood

[kisha]

Sis for real walk in hell like it was no big deal😂

[willo]

Sitting here watching this at 2:34 am the night before I need to go to online school

[must-love-cats]

Even though Betty Boop was far before my time period I still love her.

[johnnyfreedom]

Who remembers watching Betty Boop on the old black and white TVs? God am I getting old or what

[xdashlydia]

Is it wrong that I want to sing "Hell's Bells" in counterpoint with "I'm Mr Heat Miser" now?

[Zi_on]

2:40 She spanked the flame 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[ldcraig]

I'm sure folks at the time thought that Betty belonged in Hell because she was kind of the "It Girl, " like Clara Bow. Whatever "it" was, she had "it, " all sexual connotations intended by the audiences at that time. But in spite of how racy her toons were (in this example, showing her backlit silhouette while still wearing her nightgown), Betty was still innocent (pure). This cartoon shows that when she beats back the demons with her "cold shoulder" and even Satan himself with her "icy stare". She didn't succumb to the temptations of Hell, proving she didn't belong there.