The Hot Air Salesman

The Hot Air Salesman
Name	The Hot Air Salesman

 

Name	The Hot Air Salesman (1937)

Wiffle Piffle is an annoying door-to-door salesman, selling a variety of useless gadgets. As he cheerfully walks from house to house, both arms are continuously moving as if flapping in the breeze. As he stops at each house, he is immediately turned away. Betty Boop is the first to listen to his sales pitch, where he promises such wonders as a "woolen hammer and rubber nails", a "sieve that never leaks" and some "brand new antiques". Betty politely tells him "Nothing today, kind sir". Apparently, this is the most favorable response he has gotten, so he goes around to the side door to try again. Betty is somewhat more insistent in telling him "Nothing today, kind sir".

Quotes

• Betty Boop: "I suppose you fellas have to have your way."
• Betty Boop: "You nutsy-doopsy! Are you trying to break up my house!?"
• Wiffle Piffle: "Oh, you'll thank me for this Betty."

Characters

• Betty Boop
• Wiffle Piffle

Cast & Crew

• Mae Questel as Betty Boop
• Jack Mercer as Wiffle Piffle
• Max Fleischer (Producer)
• Dave Fleischer (Director)

Music

• "We'll Have A Bushel Of Fun" (Instrumental)

Trivia

• Was released on the 12th of March in 1937.
• Wiffle Piffle's home appliances include, A mousetrap shaped like a wedge of cheese contains a mechanical cat that slugs the mouse with a blackjack. A smaller home version of the "spot remover" first seen in Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions (1933). A rocket that does the laundry, first spinning the clothes around in the sink then rocketing out the window to hang them out to dry. A "superheterodyne vacuum cleaner" that is so powerful, it pulls the whiskers off a portrait.
• The gag of an overly powerful vacuum had been used before, and the surprise in this cartoon occurs when it is switched to reverse. Wiffle Piffle loses control of the vacuum cleaner and its powerful exhaust wreaks havoc, knocking over the furniture and finally blasts a piano through the wall.
• Betty learns that she was better off saying "Nothing today, kind sir" and sends the salesman on his way. The unflappable Wiffle Piffle gathers his hat and sample case and continues on his way.
• Last of only two appearances of Wiffle Piffle in the Betty Boop series. He had previously appeared in 1937's Whoops! I'm a Cowboy. Otherwise, he appeared only in the Screen Songs series (aside from a cameo in the Popeye cartoon Brotherly Love).
• Wiffle Piffle is a well-dressed but odd-looking character. His short cartoon body is topped by an unusually long neck and a large circular head. He wears a suit with a vest and a black top hat.
• Wiffle Piffle later appeared as a background character in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.