El Lavador de Ventanas

This is a comparatively rare short, in that Popeye and Bluto aren't fighting over the "honor" of having Olive Oyl for a girlfriend (a battle which never ceases to amaze me-Olive is a vain, shrewish, flighty and not terribly intelligent woman. But then Popeye and Bluto aren't prizes either. C'est le vie.) but rather Bluto's questionable business tactics. Window washer Bluto creates work by splashing mud far and wide. Popeye one ups him at his stock and trade and the battle for the ages has another, very funny and quite creative installment. Having temporarily de-commissioned the U.S.S. Popeye and ever the gentleman, introduces his hands to her neck, but Popeye eats his vegetable and rides to the rescue. Excellent short, well worth watching. Recommended.

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 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 and Popeye are rival window washers. Bluto uses underhanded methods to get work. Olive Oyl refuses to hire him since she has already hired Popeye. The two battle on the outside ledge of the highrise building. This is simple Popeye fun. Bluto is bad and Popeye fights him. It's simple and fun.

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