"Here I come to save the d-- ... um ... which one needs saving, anyway?"

[Geezil]

Maybe this thread came about by stream-of-consciousness, moving back and forth between the Oscars© and Popeye, Vol. 2. (Or, maybe it didn't.)

Anyway, this has to do with the classic cartoon "schtick" of the "helpless" female character who might not be quite so much the underdog as she lets on. (You know ... the one who cries out for her hero to save her even as she's in the process of beating the bejeebers out of the villain, leaving the viewer to mull over exactly who needs rescuing here.)

The earliest example that comes to mind just now is Olive Oyl (armed with a frying pan) vs. Bluto in Blow Me Down (1933).

And now comes the part where you get a chance to add to this list ... examples from pre-sound and non-theatrical animated films would be just fine, too. Have fun!

(OK, I can guess which other specific example you're all thinking of already ... no extra points for being the first to post that one.) ;)

[Jon Cooke]

(OK, I can guess which other specific example you're all thinking of already ... no extra points for being the first to post that one.) ;)



To quote that coward, bully, cad and thief Dan Backslide: "HELP TOM! HELP DICK! HELP LARRY!"

That was the first one I thought of, anyway. ;) :D

[Matt the Y]

I just thought of another classic example from "The Scarlet Pumpernickel"; it's from when Daffy "rescues" Melissa from the wedding ceremony even though Melissa flees from the ceremony in terror while actually carrying Daffy under her wing! ("Scarlet, oh, save me, Scarlet! Oh, please! Save me!!!!!" "So, what's to save?!") :daffy:

[David Gerstein]

Hmm. In Disney's PIONEER DAYS, Minnie is captured by an Indian warrior and tied to a stake by a burning fire. Mickey rushes to her rescue and wrestles with the warrior, but is plainly losing—when Minnie tears herself loose and dumps coals from the fire into the warrior's clothes.
So Minnie rescued Mickey and came out as the real hero, though perhaps she wouldn't have been able to do it without the element of distraction.

[Cartman]

M
The earliest example that comes to mind just now is Olive Oyl (armed with a frying pan) vs. Bluto in Blow Me Down (1933).

Another instance of Olive defending herself is in I YAM WHAT I YAM when she kicks away the Native Americans.

Olive ends up rescuing Popeye in HILLBILLING AND COOING.

[Matt the Y]

Another instance of Olive defending herself is in I YAM WHAT I YAM when she kicks away the Native Americans.

Olive ends up rescuing Popeye in HILLBILLING AND COOING.

Doesn't Olive rescue Popeye in the climax of "Cops is Tops" as well (I haven't actually seen this short but I have heard of it)?

[Cartman]

Doesn't Olive rescue Popeye in the climax of "Cops is Tops" as well (I haven't actually seen this short but I have heard of it)?
Actually it's Popeye who rescues Olive from the guy who is swimming in the park.

[Matt the Y]

Actually it's Popeye who rescues Olive from the guy who is swimming in the park.

Are we thinking of the right short? "Cops is Tops" is the short in which Olive wants to become a police officer and Popeye keeps following along to keep her out of "trouble" (even though, more often than not, it's Popeye who winds up in trouble, not her).

[Vdubdavid]

Yeah, you've both got the right short. Popeye did get in trouble for most of the short, but he comes to the rescue when the swimming scofflaw proves too much for Olive to handle.

IMHO the climax to "Cops is Tops" was clumsily done.

[Larry T]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned, "Eatin' On The Cuff" yet...!!!

[The Spectre]

Yeah, "Eatin' on the Cuff" has the male character in distress and the female character rescuing him... and yet, for some reason, she proclaims him "My hero!" at the end, to which he replies "T'weren't nothing". What's up with that? It's played entirely straight rather than as some sort of joke, it looks like it was inserted by someone who hadn't seen the rest of the cartoon...