Lumberjack and Jill

. . . ribald jokes in the boys and girls rooms of primary schools across America for many decades. LUMBERJACK AND JILL portrays Olive Oil as a fickle flirtatious tawdry tart, easily bamboozled by braggarts and bozos such as Brute-O. When the latter miscreant fills her cook stove with gasoline and it explodes, she's quick to call Popeye a brainless baboon, blaming him for his jealous business partner's skulduggery. Therefore, when this camp tramp finds herself affixed to a log with splayed legs, rapidly approaching a sawmill's whirring giant circular blade feet first toward the conclusion of her sad tale, most kids will be rooting for the saw rather than the oppressive Olive.

Popeye and Bluto run a lumbering company. They have advertised for a cook and Olive makes her way to the camp. She is immediately put on by Bluto who abuses Popeye and eventually tries to romance Ms. Oyl. Somewhere, I believe, spinach will be involved. Rally not much freshness here.

The Famous Studios, more the earlier ones than the more variable later ones, Popeye cartoons were generally amusing enough and all the 40s efforts were well made (a bit more mixed for the 50s ones). To me though Fleischer's Popeye cartoons were funnier and fresher (even when the stories were formulaic the material was often very inventive) and they looked better, or at least looked better than the later Famous Studios output where time and budget limitations showed.

1948 was a pretty disappointing year for the series, with the exceptions of 'Olive Oyl for President' and 'Symphony in Spinach'. At this still early stage of 1949, the series already feels like a slight improvement, but it really isn't the series at its best here and 'Lumberjack and Jill' has enough of what it is that make the Popeye cartoons appealing but not one of the best representations. 'Lumberjack and Jill' is not a great cartoon, but it is a long way from bad at the same time.

'Lumberjack and Jill's' animation is bright and colourful as usual for the late-40s efforts and there is some lovely background detail. Don't have any issue with the music either and never did throughout the series, which is typically merry and sumptuous, adding to and enhancing the action and even gestures and expressions. There are some amusing moments, though nothing here is hilarious or particularly inspired.

Popeye is an enjoyable titular character as always, will never get enough of his asides, while Bluto matches him, betters him even, in comic timing while being a suitably formidable foil. Their chemistry is nice though on occasion the antics are on the repetitious aside. The voice acting is also fine, Jack Mercer being spot on. Jackson Beck voices robustly.

However, 'Lumberjack and Jill' is very predictable, despite a different setting this was a bit repetitive, and never feels particularly inspired. It could have done with more energy and certainly more gags, what was there never really rises above amusing. The first half can be quite dull, taking too long and while things do pick up in the second half, the wildness isn't quite there.

Olive is very bland and has very little to do other than being a plot device.

Concluding, not bad if not great. 6/10.

Popeye and Bluto are lumberjacks in their lumber camp. They are looking to hire a new cook and Olive Oyl arrives. Only Bluto has nothing but romantic intentions. He starts wooing her by putting Popeye down.

I actually like Popeye is not chasing after Olive. I like Bluto being a predator. It would work better if Olive isn't that into him. As far as a Famous Studios cartoon shorts, this one is one of the better ones.