Assault and Flattery

In Judge Wimpy's court, Bluto charges Popeye with attacking him and tossing him into a pig pen. In response, Popeye offers as testimony long clips of 1949's A BALMY SWAMI.

It's one of several techniques to produce a ''cheater', a cartoon that holds production costs down by cannibalizing an earlier movie. Here, as in many of the Popeye cartoons, it simply serves to show how much better the earlier cartoon was. Character designs are fuller in the earlier movie, and the background work is more detailed. True, this permits better work on the new sections, but the issues with the artwork are still not as good as they had been a mere four years earlier.

When Bluto sues Popeye, the creators simply put a bunch of footage from past cartoons together. In every one, Bluto gets his, but, of course, Popeye was provoked. It's the same old stuff because it's the same old stuff.

All rise for Judge Wimpy and he has given an order for a hamburger.

Bluto has bought a claim of being beaten black and blue by Popeye for no reason.

Popeye in his defence gives an account of how Bluto humiliated him in a hypnotist act and then Bluto went after Olive Oyl.

Popeye just had to fight back to save Olive and he needed a dollop of spinach.

A moderately amusing cartoon short. It looks a bit cheap as it splices footage from other Popeye cartoons.

It's "the case of Bluto versus Popeye, with Judge Wimpy (eating a hamburger) presiding." It seems Bluto has enough "beatings," charging Popeye The Sailor Man with assault and battery.

Bluto comes to court bandaged from head to toe and gives his testimony. "He always beats me up for no reason," says poor Bluto. He then tells of two episodes in which Popeye crushed him. When Popeye protests each time, the only thing the judge can say is "Order in the court!" and then stuff another whole hamburger in his mouth.

The spinach-eating sailor man then gets on the stand to tell his story, the one where Bluto is a magician-hypnotist.

I get the feeling this was another of those 'toons that was mainly footage from past ones. If not, this is the normal entertaining short, but if it is - and you've seen the scenes shown here - then it's a waste of time. I hadn't seen anything shown here in this one, so it was fine....but nothing really laugh-out-loud funny in the final seconds.

Bluto takes Popeye to court for all the beatings. Wimpy is somehow the Judge. This is another clip show but at least, this one has a fun premise. It's funny to see Bluto wrapped in bandages. I want more from this premise. As always, clip shows are basically cheating the viewer of original content. I wouldn't mind Popeye being found guilty. Wimpy should definitely be Popeye's lawyer. This would be better if it gets rid of the clips.