Cartoon Discussion Of The Week (09/06/09) - Seein' Red, White, 'N Blue

[Marty26]

This week's CDOTW will be for one of the more unusual cartoons in the Popeye The Sailor catalogue: Seein' Red, White, 'N Blue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qfcPJS5IBc

Despite the obvious World War II era plot, this actually feels a bit more like a 1930's cartoon than a 1940's cartoon. Not only because it's in black and white, but also because of its character designs, minimal dialogue, and wacky set designs. This cartoon is also unusual in that Bluto is not a villain but actually the main character, with he and Popeye eventually joining forces to bust a few Japs (the real antagonists of this cartoon - and obviously the reason why this cartoon was and probably still is rarely seen on television). Bluto, as always, is very funny in his constant attempts at nullifying his draft. Popeye, on the other hand, stays more on the sidelines here. And really acts more as a side character than a star.

Overall, this is a pretty offensive but no less humorous cartoon. If largely because of how unorthodox its plot is for a Popeye cartoon.

Question: Did Popeye The Sailor and Betty Boop ever appear in the same cartoon?

[nickramer]

Question: Did Popeye The Sailor and Betty Boop ever appear in the same cartoon?
Yes they did. Popeye made his screen debut in the Betty Boop cartoon, "Popeye the Sailor" (1933).

[Marty26]

Yet another odd Betty Boop pairing. As if pairing her with Ko-Ko The Clown wasn't odd enough.

Though, to be fair, I guess in those days "established pairings" were still in their infant stages. So people were still experimenting with different ideas.

[frizfrelengfan]

I like this cartoon (together with "You're a Sap Mr. Jap") as a WWII propaganda cartoon. The early Famous cartoons are OK, then they deteriorate as they get into the '50's.

[cartoonfan4ever]

It's a good propaganda cartoon. I really like the part where they crash through the sidewalk and the devil gets mad and chews them out for intruding on his home.

[Marty26]

Yeah, that was funny. As I said, though, it's a little odd that Popeye and Bluto aren't actually enemies here. And that Popeye sort of plays second fiddle. Or may be I just haven't seen enough Popeye cartoons?

[Ray Pointer]

Or may be I just haven't seen enough Popeye cartoons?

Shame on you, Marty! The answer is quite obvious since you did not know that POPEYE was introduced in a BETTY BOOP cartoon, which was largely about him and started the series in 1933. As long as you have been participating in this forum and you ask a question like that, one wonders if you were asleep "in school," or absent? This has been dicussed in great detail. Perhaps you need to do some "extra credit assignments because it seems you have not done your homework!:sailor::D

[Jack G.]

I really like the part where they crash through the sidewalk and the devil gets mad and chews them out for intruding on his home.That part was funny. I also liked the Jim Tyer climax.
Bluto's line, "Now who do I know that can write?" was funny.

[LocoCrow]

Seein' Red, White, 'N Blue actually feels a bit more like a 1930's cartoon than a 1940's cartoon.

That could also be because part of the plot is similar to – and also borrows a couple jokes from – the earlier Fleischer short "Hospitaliky."

But, yeah, this is probably my favorite Famous Studios Popeye cartoon (next to "We're On Our Way to Rio" and "Shape Ahoy") mainly because of its more jazzy feel. It doesn't rely on dialogue too much, and it's nice to see Bluto as something besides an antagonist. The Japanese spies were a bit of a put-off, but the animation is still good, and I love what finally becomes of Tojo and Hitler.
As Famous made more and more Popeye shorts, they began to feel less like the Fleischer cartoons and a little more like Warner Bros. Not that it's a bad thing, but it took away from what made the Fleischer cartoons unique.

[Marty26]

Shame on you, Marty! The answer is quite obvious since you did not know that POPEYE was introduced in a BETTY BOOP cartoon, which was largely about him and started the series in 1933. As long as you have been participating in this forum and you ask a question like that, one wonders if you were asleep "in school," or absent? This has been dicussed in great detail. Perhaps you need to do some "extra credit assignments because it seems you have not done your homework!:sailor::D

Well, I'll watch both this and Beware Of Barnacle Bill probably tomorrow (which I last saw probably 20 years ago but still remember that song). Should definitely be an interesting history lesson.

[tristar]

Hilarious propaganda short. The early Famous shorts (c.1942-1946) were almost as good as the Fleischers, and they were still good up until 1950-or-so.

What I really didn't like about post-47(?) Famous was Olive Oyl's redesign. I think it took a large part of the fun away.

[frizfrelengfan]

It's a good propaganda cartoon. I really like the part where they crash through the sidewalk and the devil gets mad and chews them out for intruding on his home.You get to hear Jack Mercer, using his natural voice, as the devil.

[Mr. Semaj]

I vaguely remember seeing a much shorter (colorized) version on TBS back in 1996, where it ends after the car accident.

Very funny ending (Bluto can't spell his own name :p), and some cool gags throughout. The one with the devil was particularly unexpected.

[Studio Toledo]

You get to hear Jack Mercer, using his natural voice, as the devil.
That was my favorite part of that short, if only for the dialogue!

I vaguely remember seeing a much shorter (colorized) version on TBS back in 1996, where it ends after the car accident.
That version was confusing, if only because it didn't have the ending. I otherwise had to see it sooner or later from a tape of WWII cartoons I paid a huge price to see sometime in the 90's! The same version that's up on YouTube at the moment since that cartoon obviously got copied over and over.

Very funny ending (Bluto can't spell his own name :p), and some cool gags throughout. The one with the devil was particularly unexpected.
It's more the kind of weirdness of the Famous cartoons of that period that make ones like this stick out the most in my mind just for that.

[J Lee]

This was really the cartoon where the Jim Tyer style was unleashed in the animated world for real ("You're A Sap Mr. Jap" has Tyer's style, but the places where it's used are more 'controlled' than the fight frenzy here, which would be how Tyer's style would be best used from there on). And you can see the Warners influence in the other takes and reactions, even if most of the West Coast hires had left the studio by then.

The Japanese charactures do take you out of the story a little, but it was the middle of WWII and the negative portrayals here aren't as bad as either "Your A Sap..." or "Scrap the Japs" were (parodying the Jello ads or an end gag is way better than going down a toilet or morphing them into rats). Too bad the really wild and loose animation started to tighten up almost as soon as Famous moved back to New York (that's not to say the 40s cartoons still weren't good, or that Tyer's style when working with Izzy Sparber was limited but the animation and timing in the B&W Popeyes is overall much funnier than what was to follow).