The Spinach Overture

Last Saturday I watched this Popeye cartoon on TCM at someone's apartment in New York City. The sailor man has a band with Olive and Wimpy as members. Bluto, with the long hair associated with symphony conductors at the time, shows him up with his more classically professional playing. Because of that, Popeye's bandmates leave him to join Bluto. Then a spinach can comes into play...This was quite an amusing cartoon from the Fleischer period of the character. Oh, course, that theme song also gets played along the way...

Spinach Overture, The (1935)

** (out of 4)

Popeye is trying to lead his band to play a new song but he keeps messing up so Bluto steps in to try and show him up but soon Popeye is taking some spinach and coming out on top. This here is probably the weakest film I've seen in the series as I felt it ran too long and really didn't have many laughs. There were a few scenes that put a smile on my face but and I honestly don't remember laughing once. The fighting between Popeye and Bluto is mainly them playing on various musical instruments and none of it comes off well.

Spinach Overture was a well put-together Popeye cartoon, with Popeye leading his amateur band, Olive Oyl playing harp, Wimpy as drummer, and two others, playing Von Suppe's Poet and Peasant Overture. The Rehearsal Hall was in a high-rise office building; trouble was that in the NEXT room, Maestro Bluto, conducting a symphony orchestra, JEERED at Popeye, sought to outdo him, first playing violin and leading the combo, then on piano. Popeye, after his band was invited by Bluto to come next door, ate his spinach, played the piano superbly, THEN-- took over as orchestra conductor, coming out on top. What is also significant about this Popeye is that in 1948, Famous Studios produced Symphony in Spinach, about a musical rivalry between Popeye and Bluto, in a Rehearsal Hall ALSO in a high-rise office building. Not only had this remake of Spinach Overture the same basic theme. Some of the gags in the Fleischer version repeated in the Famous remake, like Popeye's punching Bluto with trombone slide. Both Popeyes involving musical rivalry are excellent; the Spinach Overture is the more amusing of the two

Popeye is rehearsing his band -- Wimpy, Olive Oyl, her brother Castor, and Oscar -- and pretty off-key in their rendition of the "Poet and Peasant Overture. In comes Bluto, who shows off his musical chops and steals the players away. Fortunately, Popeye has a can of spinach hidden in the spinet.

It's a good, if standard plot for the Popeye cartoons, but it is enlivened by its side. Whoever is playing the piano does a nice jazz version of von Suppe's music.

If you don't recognize Castor Oyl and Oscar, don't worry. They were characters in Elzie Segar's THIMBLE THEATER comic strip, where the Popster, Olive, and Wimpy originated.

Not only is Olive Oyl her fickle self, but so are three other members of Popeye's band, who all abandon him when Bluto shows him up as a musician. It's up to Popeye to mend his wounded pride and show that overgrown Stokowski who's who!

It all started when Popepe was conducting music with his little four-piece band which included Olive Oyl on harp; Wimpy on drums, and other guys on flute and clarinet, when they were drowned out by the neighbors next door. Those "neighbors" turn out a full orchestra, conducted by a long-haired, tuxedo- wearing Bluto

The big, hairy ape marches into Popeye's room, boots him over to the wall and says, "Let me show you how to make music." He then plays the violin, conducts the band and everything sounds 200 percent better. They have piano contest and Bluto blows him away there, too. Olive and the band leave to join Pluto. "Better practice," says a sarcastic Olive as she leaves.

It's a wonder Popeye ever stayed true to all his friends who were so disloyal to him, especially Olive.

The really funny part of this cartoon occurs after his "friends" all leave and Popeye downs a can of spinach. Presto! He is now the world's greatest piano player and conductor!

From that point, the sight gags are extremely funny (and the music is great, too!). This turned out to be another outstanding mid 1930s Popeye episode.