Stealin Aint Honest

Stealin Ain't Honest (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Fast and fun short has Popeye and Olive Oyl discovering a treasure map but sure enough Bluto spies on them and discovers the location. Now it's a race to the gold.

STEALIN Ain't HONEST runs right at five-minutes so it's a very short film and it runs extremely fast as it seems every is on speed and rushing through things. This makes for an entertaining film even though the story itself really wasn't anything fresh or original. There were several funny moments but the highlight is obviously the violence where Bluto and Popeye are beating each other to a pulp. As you'd expect the animation is top-notch.

Popeye and Olive Oyl are on their way to Olive's secret gold mine -- with more signage posted than a 1960s jaunt to South of the Border -- when Bluto steals their map and a march on them.

The Fleischers never did a bad Popeye cartoon, but this one comes pretty close, with most of it being Bluto hitting Popeye (and occasionally Olve) until Popeye eats some spinach. The gags are certainly funny, but they seem to be afterthoughts, added inorganically because the audience is expecting them, like that parrot that shows up all of a sudden to get off a zinger. Still, there are the usual large number of them, and the last one is pretty good, so you end the movie feeling pretty good.

Olive has a treasure map and it doesn't take much to convince Popeye to sail there and go look for the loot. Actually, she says she already owns the little island and the rights to anything found are hers. Bluto, naturally, butts in. He comes from out of nowhere in his little speed boat, photographs the map and then races to the island, slightly ahead of Popeye and Olive.

From that point, its another race to see who can find the treasure. Sight gags are the main thing here, as nuggets and gold bars are found and quickly turned into coins and bags of money with just one slug from the ax of Popeye. Just grabbing the gold turns it into gold. You have to really stretch your imagination in this one, but it's a cartoon so who cares if it doesn't make sense? These are three very greedy people who can't love this money any more than they do here, but the fun is watching them fight over it.

Yes, it's a bit dated but it was still entertaining. Most Popeye fans should enjoy it to some degree.

Not one of the finer members of the Popeye canon. Popeye and Olive fight Bluto over access to a gold mine, which lamely is full of gold coins lying on the ground. Popeye and Bluto have some half-hearted fighting over the gold, while Olive prances around like an idiot putting it in her basket. Also, this is one of the more dated Popeye cartoons, heavily laden with references to early standard tunes and the frequent use of the word "claim jumping."

Like to love a vast majority of the Fleischer Studios Popeye output, the late-30s cartoons being particularly good and where the high quality was the most consistent. 1940 saw Fleischer Studios starting to decline significantly, the cartoons were mostly well made and scored but they tended to not be very funny, too cute with un-compelling stories and characters. The Popeye cartoons though were among the better ones from this period, in its best theatrical series in the early 40s bar none.

'Stealin Ain't Honest' may not one of the best Popeye cartoons overall though or one of the best of the 1940 output. Considering that Fleischer Studios' pre-40s output was mostly decent to brilliant, it is a little disappointing. At the same time though, despite a couple of major problems there are a lot of well done things and 'Stealin Ain't Honest' actually compares favourably amongst the 40s Fleischer Studios output in general. If there is an interest point, it is that this is a rare instance of Tedd Pierce voicing Bluto.

Do agree that it has not held up (am trying to say something a little more kind than describing something as dated, know a lot of people that hate that word) as well as other Popeye cartoons, with very of the time references sprinkled frequently throughout. Don't think many people today will have heard the term claim jumping too, a term not heard very much at all these days from personal experience. Am still not completely crazy about Margie Hines Olive and Tedd Pierce as Bluto, while an improvement over Pinto Colvig, could have sounded more sinister.

Olive has hardly anything to do and her material is very weak (neither amusing or interesting), to the point that one cannot be blamed if they feel that her presence wasn't necessary. She is also characterised in a way that makes one wondering what Popeye and Bluto, much better characterised, see in her. It is formulaic story-wise and the energy is stronger and more alive elsewhere.

The animation though is neatly and expressively drawn (especially with Popeye) and still very much like the work that goes into the backgrounds. The music is as beautifully orchestrated and characterful as ever. The voice acting from Jack Mercer is on point as always. And don't worry, despite the title the cartoon is not thick on saying that greed is wrong, it's not like 'Never Sock a Baby' that was pretty heavy-handed in this respect.

Popeye is amusing and likeable and Bluto is equally fun in comic timing and a good contrast in terms of personality. Their chemistry is fun to watch, not as energetic as before and since but drives 'Stealin Ain't Honest'. The gags don't feel too predictable and we are not short-changed when it comes to the number of them. The final third has the excitement not there as much before.

All in all, nice but could have been much better. 7/10