I Wanna Be a Life Guard

Popeye and Bluto spot Olive Oyl at a swimming pool and apply to Wimpy for the open position of lifeguard. They compete for the job by beating each other up.

By this point, most of the Popeye movies had settled into a pattern of the sailor man and Bluto beating each other up, with Bluto winning until Popeye eats some spinach. Even so, the variety of ways of pummeling each other, the incidental gags that Dave Fleischer insisted on crowding into the cartoons, and the songs, with the music written by Fleischer family member Sammy Timberg, keep them enormously entertaining. This one is up to that high standard.

Olive Oyl in a bathing suit? Wow! Gumby has more curves than Olive.

Anyway, through a knothole, Popeye gets a glance of this "hot babe" in a public swimming pool which helps him decide to answer the poster on the wall asking for lifeguard help.

Olive does a belly flop from the high platform, making a big "X" in the pool. Popeye's reaction? "Oh, gosh, ain't she swell?" Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, except Bluto has always thought the same.

What is wrong with these guys?

Bluto, the big bully, comes along and takes a look for himself and says, "Wow, oh baby, what a pip!"

I love the dialog in the 1930s Popeye cartoons, especially when Popeye and Bluto start mumbling. With English subtitles you can understand what they say and many times it is very funny.

No sense going into the story as you can figure it out. Both want the job and a closer look at Olive....and the battle is on! Whoever is the better swimmer will get the job.

There are a number of good sight gags in here and I guarantee you'll laugh when you see Popeye's bathing suit!

I Wanna Be a Life Guard (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Popeye and Bluto walk past a pool and notice Olive Oyl swimming so they then take notice of the sign saying the place is hiring a lifeguard. Soon the two men are put to work to see which one deserves the job.

Once again we're treated to a rather catchy and fun song that takes the title and adds a few good laughs. This is another extremely well-drawn episode that features great detail in regards to the animation. The real fun happens once we get to the pool where Popeye and Bluto pretty much battle at every turn. There are some creative site gags including one with Olive Oyl diving into the pool and landing like a rock. Fans of the series will enjoy this one.

There is a help wanted sign at the local swimming pool. Popeye is interested especially after he spots Olive Oyl through a hole in the fence. Bluto is passing by at the same time and is immediately interested in Olive. The two strong swimmers compete to win the job with Wimpy and some lady swimmers watching.

It is the classic Popeye characters in a simple standard competition story. I don't like Popeye turning into an octopus which looks rather weird. A dolphin would be cuter. I like the old fashion bathing suits and I really love ending this with the fountain formation. This is good if unremarkable.

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.

'I Wanna Be a Life Guard' for me is among my favourites from this particular period of the Fleischer output. Despite liking many of Popeye's cartoons almost all the best came from the Fleischer era, Fleischer's efforts were always well animated and scored with lots of entertainment value and great chemistry between Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto. 'I Wanna Be a Life Guard' has everything that 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). Sense is not a strong suit but in all honesty nobody looks for that and it is so easy to overlook. The humour and gags make it even more entertaining, avoiding the trap of repetition and actually being quite creative in the competition of who's the better swimmer (especially Popeye). The mumbling is oddly not too hard to understand and is very funny.

All the characters are great. Although Olive Oyl is a little underused as she did tend to be around this point she is fun to watch and one can see what Popeye and Bluto see in her. Popeye and Bluto are superbly characterised and their chemistry drives 'I Wanna Be a Life Guard' and has so much energy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable and his role here is imaginatively handled and Bluto is even funnier and more interesting.

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. Jack Mercer gives Popeye so much character and my favourite of the Popeye voice actors (the longest serving one too for a reason). It is hard to imagine anybody else as Olive Oyl other than Mae Questel while Gus Wickie brings a lot of amusing and imposing character to Bluto.

Overall, a terrific Popeye cartoon as one can hope. 9/10 Bethany Cox