The Voice of Betty Boop, Mae Questel

Book excerpt: Betty Boop is an iconic figure that will endure through the decades. Recognizable from cartoons and film shorts, she can be found adorning almost everything from motorcycle merchandise to household items and clothing. Just about anything you can think of, her sexy little figure can be seen on it. But few people know the voice that helped make her into the icon she is.Mae Questel was an American actress and vocal artist who put the boop in the boop boop a doop. It was because of Mae Questel that Betty Boop has a characteristic voice heard and remembered by millions. Historian James D. Taylor provides a look into the life of a wonderful woman and the contributions she made to American pop culture. She was dedicated to her work and remained active until the last ten years of her long life.Woody Allen, Lou Hirsch, Doris Roberts and Bob Newhart shared their accounts of Mae Questel with the author, and he listened to hundreds of hours of old audio recordings and viewed many hours of film to accumulate material for this biography. With every hour, he says, his respect grew for this admirable and talented woman who entertained millions of people.