Wimmin Is a Myskery

We know from the beginning that Olive is dreaming. She is to give Popeye the answer to his proposal in the morning. But in the dream, the four nephews show up and it's a disaster. They pretty much destroy her house, attack her, play cruel tricks, and so on. It's non-stop action from the get go. It would be like having a pack of wolverines in your house. Needless to say, Olive has a tough decision to make.

Popeye questions popion, I mean pops the qustion to Olive Oyl. She must have time to think. The sailor man goes away, and Miss Oyl goes to bed, to dream of their four children.

Jack Merce,r who voiced Popeye and Margery Hines, who did the honors for Olive were married at the time and that might have been why the Fleischers came up with this cartoon. It's quite a change of pace for the series, and it's Miss Oyl who bears the brunt of damage for a change.

The four kiddies were popular enough that they were reintroduced to the series a couple of years later, only as nephews. In future episodes, whose nephews they were varied.

When the short begins, something very unusual is happening....Popeye is FINALLY asking Olive Oyl to marry him. Instead of giving him an answer right away, she tells him she needs a night to think about it. During the interim, Olive has a dream in which she is now the mother of Popeye's demonic children.

This episode in the Popeye series is interesting because it's the first time you see Popeye's familiar nephews...though here they play Popeye's children in the dream sequence. The name of one of the children is different but other than that they are essentially the nephews....and brats like Popeye's nephews. These awful kids returned two years later for "Pip-eye, Pup-eye, Poop-eye an' Peep-eye".

Overall, an enjoyable and well animated Popeye cartoon. Neither brilliant nor a must-see but important for fans due to the kids.

Wimmin is a Myskery (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Olive is at home getting everything cleaned up and as soon as she finishes the last room she hears a loud bang. She rushes into the kitchen and sees that Popeye's four nephews have wrecked the place. From here it's a battle as the boys cause one issue after another.

WIMMIN IS A MYSKERY is an extremely fast short in the series as it pretty much features action from the first sequence to the very last. If you're a fan of the series then there's no question that you'll enjoy what's on display here as you will find that wonderful animation that you expect and you'll also get some good laughs. Popeye doesn't show up until the very end but there's plenty of fun action without him.

1940 was a much better year than expected for the Popeye series. Am saying this because in the early 40s Fleischer Studios went through a drastic decline, with a lot of average at best and even weak cartoons. On the most part though, for this period the Popeye cartoons were surprisingly good and the best quite impressive. While there wasn't really anything in 1940 on the same level as the best of the 30s efforts but it is a good example of the Popeye series being the best of the studio's theatrical series during its worst period.

'Wimmin is a Myskery' is another immensely enjoyable Popeye cartoon, and don't let the title put you off if you find it dubious. Is it one of Popeye's overall best? No, it's not quite on par with the best of the late-30s period where the series was ats best. To me though, 'Wimmin is a Myskery' is towards being one of the better cartoons of what was a pretty solid year for the series in the only halfway watchable theatrical series of when Fleischer Studios' quality declined.

Is 'Wimmin is a Myskery' a flawless cartoon? No, and there are very few if any Popeye cartoons that fit under that distinction. Did think that Popeye was a little too underused.

Have also always found it quite odd when somebody else other than Mae Questel voices Olive and never properly got used to it. Of the other voice actresses, Margie Hines is the better of the two, being closer to the girlish tone of Quetel's voice (Bonnie Poe for my tastes was too mature) but still doesn't fit the character design as seamlessly and Questel has always had more energy.

On the other hand, 'Wimmin is a Myskery' has so many great things. The animation is neatly and expressively drawn (especially in the dream) and still very much like the work that goes into the backgrounds. The music, appropriately like its own character, is as beautifully orchestrated and characterful as ever.

The story, while simple, is also not as predictable as other Popeye cartoons, was not expecting the ending and not many Popeye cartoons have a dream sequence like the one here. The gags are numerous and they are often very funny and timed beautifully. Pace wise, there is a lot of energy throughout. While Olive carries 'Wimmin is a Myskery' well, it's the kids (later to be Popeye's nephews in succeeding cartoons) that steal the show. They are amusing and are not annoying, the brattiness not overdone too much.

Summing up, very well done. 8/10