What -- No Spinach?

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.

While maybe not quite classic Popeye, though it is close, 'What- No Spinach?' is still very good and very funny, using the diner setting cleverly. 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. 'What- No Spinach?' 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), though with a lot of variety and creative moments. The humour and gags make it even more entertaining with very amusing to hilarious gags that cleverly utilises the diner, and the cartoon is hardly devoid of them.

All three characters are great, Popeye and Bluto are spot on and their chemistry drives 'What- No Spinach?' and has so much energy, while playing it straight against Wimpy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable but for me Bluto is here the funnier and more interesting character. Stealing the cartoon though is Wimpy, always a very entertaining character who should have been in more cartoons and this is one of his funniest appearances with the best line.

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.

All in all, nearly a classic but not quite. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Popeye goes into Bluto's diner and tries to order roast duck. However, Wimpy is the waiter, and he tries to mooch everything... especially the hamburgers.

Lou Fleischer provides Wimpy's voice, and yes, he was a relative of Max and Dave: their brother. There was a lot of nepotism in Hollywood at the time; Universal was famous for it under 'Uncle' Carl Laemmle. The Fleischers had brothers-in-laws, nephews, and such on the payroll, but they definitely earned their keep.

As is often the case with the Fleischer cartoons in this period, you had to keep an attentive eye open for all the throwaway gags that Dave instructed his staff to put in.

The man reason that the early Popeye cartoons were popular was that the characters were depicted as ordinary working-class types in everyday urban surroundings, which many in the Depression era could identify with. This more or less ended when Paramount bought out the series in the early 1940's and put their own take on it.

Very popular among viewers were the asides mumbled by the voice of Popeye Jack Mercer. The quick-witted Mercer would often ad-lib these asides randomly. Some needed to be edited out, because they wouldn't get past the censor, but most were left in as-is. Mercer continued to voice Popeye, except when overseas during World War 2, until his death in 1984.

Gus Wickie was the voice of Bluto in about 20 of the early cartoons. When the Fleischer brothers moved from New York City to Florida, Wickie decided to stay in The Big Apple, where could more-easily find work as an entertainer.

In this cartoon, and others in the series, Wickie was also allowed to ad-lib asides, which were also popular with the public. Neither Wickie's predecessor, William Pennell, nor his successor, the talented Jackson Beck, opted much for the same ad-libbing,

Also, the character of Wimpy had a more prominent role in this cartoon than in others during the era.

The interaction and dialog between the three is among the best in the series.

After Popeye, Wimpy was the most popular character in E.C. Segar's "Thimble Theater" comic strip, but in the Fleischer and Famous Studio cartoons, he was usually just a bit player. This film marks the one time he took center stage.

And it's 100% Wimpy. It takes place in a diner, Wimpy's favorite hangout in the strip. The only difference is that here, Wimpy is an employee, not a patron, but he's still trying to filch free hamburgers from the proprietor, Bluto (who is more or less subbing for Rough House, the greasy spoon cook from the strip). When Popeye enters and orders a roast duck, Wimpy tricks the two into fighting so that he can pilfer some food.

Bluto's a bit more aggressive than Popeye, but they're not playing hero and villain this time, just two straight-men for J. Wellington Wimpy, the comic compilation of the worst traits of W. C. Fields, Stan Laurel, and Oliver Hardy.

It's clear from the film why the cartoonists preferred the more action-oriented Popeye, but it's nice to know that they gave Wimpy his due at least once.

Bluto runs a greasy spoon. For some reason, Wimpy is hanging around, eating up all the profits. When he sabotages all the efforts of his boss, Popeye, a customer, is furious. Soon he and Bluto have it out. There are great sight gags and it is quite original.