The Paneless Window Washer

The Paneless Window Washer (1937)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Bluto is in the window washing business where his racket is to get windows dirty so that he can clean them. He gets to the window's of Olive Oyl but she rejects his service because Popeye is going to do the cleaning. Soon the two men are battling over the proper way to clean a window.

Here's another very good entry int he Fleischer series, which included some very good shorts. This one here is extremely fast-paced and best of all is the fact that there's plenty of fights and violence to keep things very entertaining. Once again the animation itself is wonderful and especially a sequence where Popeye is beating Bluto every which way he can and Bluto's body just floats around like a feather.

Bluto runs a window cleaning service. The problem is that he also supplies the grim on the windows. He would be fine, crooked as he is, if he would leave Olive and Popeye alone. But he can't and soon the two are going at it. There are some clever fight scenes. And, eventually, the spinach comes out. One thing already mentioned is that Olive is not the object of Bluto's affection, as she usually is. It's one of the better of the series, in my opinion.

Bluto has a window-cleaning business and a racket. He squirts dirt on the windows and then offers to clean them. This works until he gets to Olive Oyl's stenographic office. There he finds that Popeye is already on the job of cleaning her windows. So they fight.

And that's it in this Fleischer studio Popeye. Usually there's a build-up to the violence, but it starts almost immediately here, and winds up with Bluto beating up Olive Oyl. This is the only movie in which he does that, and it's shocking and unfunny, even as the variety of ways that Bluto and Popeye beat each other up on the close-packed skyscrapers continues to astonish.

Bluto, owner of the "Paneless Window Washing" store, drums up business by squirting mud all over the windows of the tall building across the street. He then goes over there, with his ladder, and yells out in each window that he's a window-washer, and thus gets business. However, on the 20th floor, where public stenographer Olive Oyl is busy typing, Bluto is rebuffed with a voice that says, "No, thank you." It's Popeye, who's also in the office. "Whaddya mean?" retorts Bluto.

"Because I'm washing 'em," replies Popeye.

The war is on. Both Bluto and Popeye try to outdo each other, showing what tremendous window-washers they are....and they perform some amazing (and funny) feats! After those clever bits, the two of them get into a big fight, as usual, except this time both of them are punching each other despite being on different buildings! (You have to see it.)

This early black-and-white Popeye cartoon was very entertaining and fun to watch. There is something about these primitive-looking '30s cartoons that are unique.

Dave Fleischer and Fleischer Studios were responsible for many gems. Ones that were amusing and charming. Over-cuteness did come through in some efforts and the stories were always pretty thin, but appealing characters, outstanding music and visuals that were inventive and with innovative animation techniques more than compensated.

'The Paneless Window Washer' is classic Popeye the Sailor and far from painful. It is great and never less than very funny and most of them even hilarious, for me one of my favourite Popeye cartoons and one of the best Popeye/Olive Oyl/Bluto outings. Have always enjoyed many of the Popeye cartoons a good deal and like Popeye very much, Fleischer's efforts were always well animated and scored with lots of entertainment value and great chemistry between Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto. 'The Paneless Window Washer' has much of makes the Popeye series so appealing in its prime era and does nothing to waste the three main characters or make them less interesting.

The story is an interesting and beautifully paced one, never being dull, if formulaic (not uncommon with the Popeye cartoons). The humour and gags make it even more entertaining, the best parts are properly wild and are hilarious. The ending is one of my favourite endings of all the Popeye cartoons.

All the characters are great, though Olive Oyl's material is not quite as great as Popeye and Bluto's she is far from squandered. It is more with Popeye and Bluto where the cartoon especially entertains. The two of them are spot on and their chemistry drives 'The Paneless Window Washer' and has so much energy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable enough but for me Bluto is here the funnier and more interesting character.

Furthermore, the animation is beautifully drawn and with enough visual detail to not make it cluttered or static and lively and smooth movement. The music is also outstanding, lots of merry energy and lush orchestration, adding a lot to the action and making the impact even better without being too cartoonish. Fleischer's direction is always accomplished and his style is all over it.

Voice acting is dynamic and of very good quality on the whole, Mae Questel is a good fit for Olive Oyl, the voice that most sticks in my mind for the character and who voiced her the best. Gus Wickie is even better and gives Bluto so much life, but Jack Mercer and the way he mumbled and delivered his asides is especially good.

In conclusion, a Popeye classic and far from painful. 9/10