We're on Our Way to Rio

There were two main elements of "We're On our Way to Rio", which really struck me as wonderful. First, here was yet another lighter side of World War II, when Popeye ate his spinach from can marked SPINACH 17 POINTS. This must have been owing to the rationing; canned foods may have come under point system. (Another of the wartime Popeyes also had the seaman eating spinach from can with 17 POINTS printed on it.) The second thing that I remember oh so well was the music, the "We're On Our Way to Rio" theme sung by Popeye and Bluto (and later played instrumentally), the samba song that Olive sang as she danced (and played instrumentally as they both danced), and other melodies played only instrumentally. Winston Sharples did a stellar job, as with all the Popeyes and other cartoons for which he composed music; together, the melodies for this Popeye cartoon would make a ginger-peachy band arrangement! Such music, if arranged for band, could be titled "Brazilian Sojourn". All in all, a very wonderful Popeye cartoon.

Popeye and Bluto are riding a donkey to Rio. They are both taken with nightclub performer Olive Oyl. It's a cartoon short in color. The drawings look good. The main characters are bright and sharp although the background is deliberately kept a little blurry. One does have to get used to a Latina Olive Oyl. She definitely doesn't sound like herself. This is a relatively low stakes classic Popeye story as the two friends battle over Olive. It's a good standard Popeye.

This animated minimovie was a tropical delight and proof that the Famous Studios POPEYES were not just kid stuff. The funny thing is that, this is clearly a take-off on the ROAD movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, but when the two animated sailors were singing the wonderfully Cole-Porteresque/Rogers and Hammersteinian title song, the guy who voiced Bluto sounded for all the world like Gordon MacRae! Too bad he didn't sing more here -- maybe do a "soliloquy!" (Too bad also, that the creators didn't draw Bluto to LOOK a little like Gordon to boot, like they did in "Shaving Muggs" and "Parlez-Vous Woo.") I'm a POPEYE fan from way back (especially Famous Studios Popeye) and I am a big fan of Gordon MacRae's movies, looks, and voice (in his heyday), and I say, ya gotta love a Bluto who sings like Gordon MacRae!

I truly love this cartoon! Brings back a lot of nostalgia growing up!

World War II brought cultural exchanges between the two America's. Many film studios dabbled into Latin American culture during this time. This lively Popeye short was one of his first in Technicolor and it benefits greatly with a brilliant use of color. Popeye and Bluto ride into Rio on an Ox and go to a nightclub, where they oogle over the Samba dancer (Olive Oyle). I can only wonder if this sequence was inspired by Tex Avery's RED HOT RIDING HOOD which caught moviegoers by storm the previous year. (A South American themed Avery short with Red, the Wolf, and Droopy would have been interesting).

The gags and timing are nicely executed. Popeye's impromptu Samba dancing is both impressive and funny. I wonder who voiced the Samba dancer. It couldn't have been Olive Oyle's regular voice at that time.

An excellent contibution to America's wartime Good Neighbor policy. Well worth seeking out and now available on Blu-Ray fully restored.