The 'Hyp-Nut-Tist'

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.

"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.

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.

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, 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' is still very good and very funny, using the dance setting very 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. 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' 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, especially everything with the various animals when under hypnosis, and the cartoon is hardly devoid of them.

All three characters are great, though Olive Oyl's material is not as great as Popeye and Bluto's, though she is used very nicely. Those two are spot on and their chemistry drives 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' and has so much energy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable but for me Bluto in the role of the hypnotist 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 most part, William Costello and especially William Pennell give Popeye and Bluto so much life. Mae Questel fits and voice Olive Oyl well, much better than Bonnie Poe.

All in all, very enjoyable if not quite classic Popeye. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Popeye and Olive Oyl go to see The Great Hypnotist. She loses the coin flip and has to pay the admission. There are various magic tricks. Popeye distracts the performer and ruins a trick. Olive Oyl gets pulled into the act and hypnotized to be a chicken. Popeye grows tired of the humiliation and fights back.

It's really funny that she's a chicken. That's a great gag at the cartoon's expense. This is all fine but I just have one question. Is it gentlemanly to do the coin flip? It seems like a bad boyfriend move or it could be a cute private ritual. I don't know. I don't have the balls to try it.