Axe Me Another

Ax Me Another (1934)

*** (out of 4)

Minor short has Bluto throw Olive Oyl into a river after she tried to serve him spinach. After hearing the news, Popeye challenges him to a lumberjack competition. Here's another short where we see the two men doing various obstacles while one tries to out do the other. Naturally Bluto takes to cheating but Popeye has his spinach on him. There are a few nice laughs here and there but I believe this is the third time we've seen this type of story in the short time that these Popeye cartoons had been going. There's some nice animation, which is to be expected but a stronger storyline would have made for a stronger film. The highlight has to be the scene with Popeye and Bluto at the top of a tree.

Popeye spots Olive Oyl drowning in the river. Bluto threw her in the river because he didn't like her spinach -- is that a euphemism? -- which raises the Sailor Man's ire. He and Bluto get into a logging competition, which Popeye is easily winning until Bluto cheats. Popeye eats some spinach...

Wait, haven't we seen this before? Yes, it's the plot of ninety percent of the Popeye cartoons, to the point where they become boring. Of course, this is early in the day, and we're still under the direction of Dave Fleischer. This means lots of gags, with some of them very amusing. Plus Bluto has a French accent here.

Popeye hears screaming coming from the waters. He spots Olive Oyl trying to survive a river of logs. He struggles to get his half-finished boat into the water. Pierre Bluto is the terrible lumber camp head who threw Olive into the water after not liking her spinach. Popeye has to take him on in lumberjack challenges. His constant reply to Bluto is, "I'll do anything that you do."

I like some of the log driving gags. I like building the boat to start. The baby high chair is funny. There are some good stuff here. I just have a bit of problem with the sound. Some of it has the booth recording emptiness. I need it to sound like the outdoors.

When Olive is accosted by Pierre Bluto, Popeye must make like a lumberjack, competing with the big guy again. Even before the obligatory spinach scene, Popeye has the upper hand. It's original and fun and there is a new kind of dialogue under the breath of our sailor-man.

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, 'Axe Me Another' is still extremely well done and never less than very funny, its best parts being hilarious. 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. 'Axe Me Another' 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). The humour and gags make it even more entertaining, 'Axe Me Another' makes lumber-jacking fun to watch and interesting, avoiding the trap of repetition. Its best moments are the fist-fight and the ending.

All three characters are great, though Olive Oyl is a bit underused and her material not as great as Popeye and Bluto's. Those two are spot on and their chemistry drives 'Axe Me Another' and has so much energy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable but for me Bluto 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. Sammy Timberg's 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, Mae Questel is a good fit for Olive Oyl, the voice that most sticks in my mind for the character and who voiced her the best, but William Costello and especially William Pennell are even better and give Popeye and Bluto so much life.

Overall, not quite classic but still great. 9/10 Bethany Cox