Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh

The big chief is singing about how he needs a squaw. Popeye and Olive Oyl wander by with a unmoving donkey and Olive winds up being courted by Ugh-Amugh-Ugh. When she refuses to leave, Popeye and the chief start to fight.

This looks like it was started as a hhigh concept cartoon ("what if instead of fighting with Bluto over Olive, it's an Indian chief"), and so the gags seem much less well thought out than usual; indeed, what makes them funny are the unusual size of them. An Indian starts a fire by rubbing two sticks together; eventually Popeye will use two logs; he bends two trees together shoot an arrow to strike the sun. Still, the excellence of a joke lies in its telling, and the Fleischers' staff offers their usual fine execution.

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

'Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh', for this period of the Popeye series, came over as disappointing. Worth watching certainly, but somewhat lacking. 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 and Olive Oyl. 'Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh' has enough 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 humour and gags are entertaining and there is a lot of good nature and charm here. The best parts are hilarious, especially with the spinach and some of Popeye's truly priceless lines.

All three characters are great, though Olive Oyl's material is not quite as great as Popeye and Wimpy's. The two are spot on and their chemistry drives 'Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh' and has so much energy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable enough and Olive likewise.

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. Jack Mercer is the Popeye most familiar to me and he fits the character perfectly.

Unfortunately the stereotypical supporting characters are what particularly bring down 'Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh'. They are not very funny or have much personality, and they are not very appealing or subtle in design or behaviour. Stereotypes are not always a bad thing but these are likely to make the toes curl today and are of the time.

Do think there are more consistently funnier Popeye cartoons, that are cleverer and more inventively timed. Here the story seemed routine and lacked the consistent energy or creativity of the best Popeye cartoons from that period. Did find it on the bland side.

Overall, decent but unexceptional. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh (1938)

** (out of 4)

Popeye and Olive Oyl are out riding a donkey through the desert when they come across a group of Indians and soon Popeye and the chief are battling.

The title itself is rather stupid and I must say that the short itself is too. I have no problem saying that this here is the weakest Popeye short up to this period and you have to give the series a lot of credit because it took four years and dozens of films before they delivered a rather lame one. I'm not against the stereotypes that are on display here but the biggest problem is that they simply aren't funny and there's really nothing in the film that is funny. Even the violence and fighting is pretty boring. Fans of the series will still want to watch it but others should stay clear.

This was okay but not as strong as the rest in this "Popeye The Sailor Man Collection Volume One 1933-1938." It's too bad it didn't end on a strong note, but I heartily recommend getting this DVD set because 90 percent of the cartoons are fabulous, and there are a lot of extras.

In this story of Popeye versus the Indians, tribe members are all dancing and singing around a fire with "Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh" singing a song with a message that every tribe needs a princess. "Big Chief gotta have a squaw," they all say, dancing in late '30s fashion.

Take one guess who that squaw will be? Yup, here comes Olive Oyl and Popeye, out for a trip in the desert. When their stubborn mule literally kicks Olive 100 feet in the air, she goes flying right into the lap of the tribe and the chief is impressed. He has his princess! After giving her lots of jewelry, Olive is now impressed, too.

When Popeye comes to rescue her, he is rebuffed. "Hey, now I'm having a good time," she says. "I don't want to leave; g'wan home."

"Ah, just like a person of your sex," retorts Popeye. "I guess I have to stay here and protect you." He gets the chief upset by calling him, "Big Chief Ugly Mug." and "the last of the Mohi-coughs."

The chief sets up a few contests to show his group's superiority, but gang up on Popeye and soon have him tied to a post and are to roast him! The best part is when he gets his spinach, breaks loose and then shows the Native Americans a think or two about building fires and shooting arrows. Overall, however, this didn't have the laughs the previous ones did in the past couple of years (1936 through this one.)

However, I was sorry to see this collection finish and I've certainly enjoyed watching these Dave and Max Fleischer Popeye efforts. Hopefully, there will be a Volume Two.

This is an exceptionally funny cartoon, in spots, but it will never see print, for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it uses what are commonly referred to as "racial stereotypes". Never mind the fact that the title character is for all practical purposes, Bluto with a headdress and no beard. There is a hilarious line by Popeye that makes no sense if you have no knowledge of an old-time radio show popular in the 1930s nd a visual gag that calls to mind the more surreal days when literally anything could happen in a Fleischer cartoon! Very good short! Catch it if you can! Recommended.