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.
