Title: Pleased to Meet Cha!
Studio: Fleischer
Date: 03/22/35
Credits:
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Animated by
Willard Bowsky and Harold Walker
By arrangement with
Segar
Series: Popeye
Running time (of viewed version): 6:39
Commercial DVD Availability: Popeye v1d2
Synopsis: Popeye and Bluto vie for Olive's attention, and somehow it comes to blows.
Comments: A lightly Seussian home. Cool keyhole wipe (wipe?). Bluto's a back door man. Interesting high angle. Bluto talks to the camera. Segar-y Bluto at times. Does the title revolve around the cha cha (Hot Cha Melody coming out this month implies it may have been big at the relevant time). Some... unusual... walking. That familiar fish is on the wall. Maybe a real one hung in the Fleischer offices. I wonder if these tricks were based on actual unpleasant bar tricks. Olive ends up on Popeye's lap, moving her knees together and apart. The ending Paramount Mountain lasts for a really long time (13 seconds, 10 without music). They got away with showing Olive's leg up really high. (Many many spell check marks on proper names in this entry)
The Fleischers had started lightening up Popeye's personality by early 1935, but William Costello really fails to take advantage of the chances to add any funny ad-libs, the way Jack Mercer would have done if this cartoon had been made a year later (though if you like some Popeye-cized scat singing of Big Crosby's "Love Is Just Around the Corner" this is the cartoon for you).
ReplyDelete