The 'Hyp-Nut-Tist'

"Hyp-Nut-Tist", The (1935)

*** (out of 4)

Popeye and Olive go to see a hypnotist and once there he puts Olive under a spell, which doesn't sit too well with her boyfriend. The entire running gag of this short is that the hypnotist keeps putting Popeye under various spells to where he thinks he is various animals and this small gag works well enough for several laughs with the best coming when Popeye thinks he is a donkey. The animation is very nice throughout and it all leads up to Popeye pulling out the spinach to get even.

On DVD from Warner.

I think cartoons about hypnotism are funny to watch, because of this Popeye short and the 1945 Donald Duck short "The Eyes Have It." This is the third favorite Popeye short by Seymour Kneitel and Roland Crandall. William Henning animated the short, but his specific scenes are uncredited. This short may also mark the first appearance of Gus Wickie as Bluto.

In this short, Popeye takes Olive to a stage showing of Bluto, a hypnotist who also levitates objects. Popeye distracts Bluto by using his pipe to levitate a drum from the orchestra pit, causing it to land on Bluto's head. So in retaliation, Bluto pulls Olive on stage, hypnotizing her into thinking she's a chicken. When Popeye hits his breaking point, he storms on stage, and the cartoon takes a violent turn. Both characters engage in a comical war of wits, amusing the passionate crowd with their antics. I'd like it when Popeye paces in exasperation and toots on his pipe. Seeing Olive as a chicken makes him pace faster, and he exclaims, "That's all I can stand, 'cause I can't stands no more!" I also love this quote: Bluto: "ABBA DABBA!" Popeye: "Aw, Abba Dabba yourself!"

In my final opinion, I found this Popeye cartoon to be another entertaining one with excellent animation throughout.

Popeye takes Olive Oyl to a Hypnotist, and he takes her up on stage, and puts her in a tranze. Popeye is trying to knock the hypnotist out, and save Olive Oyl, at the same time. This is a good cartoon. I hope all Popeye lovers watch it.

This Fleischer Studios short is very clever and funny. Popeye and Olive go to a theater to watch Bluto the Hypnotist and hilarity ensues when a skeptical Popeye distracts Bluto, leading to a series of gags which get better and better until our hero calls upon his magic vegetable. A must for any lover of classic animation.

This was one of the last shorts that had Costello voicing Popeye. He soon wore out his welcome at Fleischer Studios with excessive demands that led to his firing. I always preferred Jack Mercer's version of Popeye (more wit and less brass), but this is one of the best with Costello, helped greatly by Gus Wickie, who was, by far, the best Bluto voice.

Popeye and Olive Oyl go to see Bluto in his stage show. He's a hypnotist who also makes things levitate. After Popeye distracts him, he makes Olive come on stage and hypnotizes her into thinking she's a chicken. After the sailor man objects, he and Bluto get into it.

It's all a lot of fun, even if the typical plot of the Popeye cartons for the next couple of decades was settling into concrete. Particularly under the Fleischers, there would be occasional effort to make other sorts of stories, usually adventurous ones, but it was too easy to redo the same thing over and again, concentrating on some variety in the gags. Here the gags are very good.