Taking the Blame (1935)

Taking the Blame Review

Taking the Blame is a 1935 animated short film from the Betty Boop series. It is a very familiar, but fun cartoon.

Betty brings home a cat as a playmate for her pet puppy, Pudgy. The cat manages to get Pudgy blamed for all his misbehavior. This is one of those typical early cartoons that depicted dogs as wonderful beings and cats as pretty much evil. Thus, it’s one-note and silly. Still though, it was a treat for a dog lover such as myself. The plot is basic, but the execution is very strong.

Pudgy has never been more endearing than he was here and simply seeing him get tortured by this horrendous cat was heartbreaking. I rooted for the little guy throughout the cartoon and the ending proved to be quite satisfying. The cat ended up being surprisingly capable and a huge nuisance. Betty fighting the cat was hilarious. The animation, on the other hand, is only fine this time around.

Taking the Blame has a familiar, basic premise, but it’s so entertaining and endearing that it ended up being a solid little pet-centric cartoon.

My Rating – 3.8