Reviews

Marry-Go-Round was eloquent of Shorty's nature. He had pinups of Dorothy Lamour while Popeye had pictures of Olive Oyl-- HIS girl back home. As it happened, the ship to which Popeye and Shorty were assigned was stationed not far from where Olive Oyl was running a boarding house. (Was it for war-industry workers?) There was ALSO good luck in that as Popeye was trying to work up courage to propose, the Boatswain gave a "Now hear this" whistle and announced that Popeye and Shorty would have shore leave. Popeye half-heartedly, with Shorty egging him on, tried to propose; Olive was not so happy to see Popeye as she was multi-tasking, as boarding-house owner. Shorty got into the act, which peeved Popeye. Shore leave over, Popeye had Dorothy Lamour's pictures while Shorty had Olive's! for only the second of three Popeyes with Shorty, this one was stellar. It was only the second Popeye, excluding the 3 Fleischer specials of the Thirties, that would be color; Her Honor the Mare was first. All in all, a stellar cartoon.

Planet Mouseola is an example of the later Fanmous Studios cartoons, where Seymour Kneitel and Izzy Sparber were among the few familiar faces in that enterprise. It was filmed in 1960, after the last of the Popeyes were produced, and had outer space as is theme (as the title implied). THAT was a prevalent theme in cartoons at that time, with the United States' forging ahead with the space program. Trouble is that that theme was so repetitious as to turn some people off! Nevertless, this cartoon stood out, characters being a cat visited by a mouse who said he was from another planet-- the Planet of Many Mice! (He really put a wine glass over his head to SIMULATE a space helmet.) The mouse put the feline through a lot of tests, finally put him in a rocket that got him out of the way. Famous Studios did not set the world on fire with Planet Mouseola, but made a more amusing cartoon related to outer space than a lot of others with that theme, and was not a mere fill-in-the-blanks approach to cartooning with standardized story themes, prevalent among the newer Famous Studios cartoon

"Spinach Roadster" was illustrative of the relationship between Popeye and Bluto, which varied from one episode to another. Bluto was made originally, by Max and Dave Fleischer, Popeye's nemesis, though he appeared in only one or two episodes in the Thimble Theater comic strip of Elzie Segar's, BRUTUS being the REAL heavy then; he and Popeye were later often friendly rivals instead. In this Popeye cartoon, Bluto and Popeye were showcasing their cars. Popeye opened by driving his tin Lizzie, singing a new song, "When I'm at the Wheel of my Automobile", with anchor as brake, naturally as he WAS a sailor. Bluto drove up in his sharp new car, offering Olive a ride, but she was already going with Popeye, in what Bluto called "that piece of junk". Popeye got that rattletrap started and drove off with Olive; Bluto was determined to sabotage the jaunt. First, Bluto changed the sign that read Route "D" to say DETOUR, arrow pointing toward a rock-strewn by-road. (Route "D" IS really only make-believe, as it is not likely that there IS a place where letters instead of numbers are used for routes; I once envisioned that sort of place, but it was just fantasie.) Popeye negotiated it, causing rocks to fall on Bluto. So, Bluto caused the gas to run out and sabotaged the jalopy, driving away with Olive. Popeye opened his repair kit to find FOUR CANS OF SPINACH, naturally. These gave him strength and got his car running. Popeye finally punched Bluto and his car, so he pedaled away boo-hoo-ing on a scooter, sniveling about loss of his fine car (showing him to be adult-sized baby, which, sadly, many supposed grown-ups are in reality); Popeye triumphantly drives on with Olive. Amusing way of illustrating what Popeye and Bluto are li

About half a century ago, I saw "Oh, Duchess! on television, and loved it. I do not remember a LOT of it,but did find it hilarious. What I recall most about this short was the opening scene, with an accordionist playing "Funiculi, Funicula" on the dock, near where the Duchess, Polly Moran, peddled fish. Though there was no special reason why that tune was chosen, I found "Funiculi, Funicula" among my favorites, as boy and as man. I also remember the scene where Polly threw a fish at someone. All I remember about her was that she was a character and a half. Yes, the movie was all about her appearing to be a real duchess; I do not remember enough about the movie to determine whether she was just showing off. Whatever, the movie was quite amusing.

I remember seeing "The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming" when it came out in 1966. My impression was that it was meant to be funny, but I believe that it was overdone. Some aspects were amusing, such as when the Russians asked Walt about the area (military bases, town fuzz, etc.) Pete, going into fourth grade (or had been promoted, could not tell which), declared that Daddy was acting like Arnold Benedict! (He obviously meant the Revolutionary hero-turned-renegade Benedict Arnold.) Another laugher was the Russians' stealing the Ford station wagon that the Whittakers had borrowed/rented, and have it run out of gas, followed by strains of "Long, Long Way to Tipperarie". There also were pleasant aspects of the flick, like the Whittakers' summer house, which reminded my of my grandparents' summer home in Little Deer Isle, Maine, and of cottages that my family rented in Ocean Park, Maine. One aspect of the costuming also stood out, that Elspeth wore wheat jeans much like those that I often wore in those days! I did not think much of Alison Palmer; some people to whom I described the movie thought she was a dud! I noted that the book, The Off-Islanders by Nathaniel Benchley, was basis for the movie; some aspects of the book were omitted. On the whole, I liked the book better than the movie.

Spree Lunch is an amusing take-off on Fleischer Popeyes of the Thirties. Popeye and Bluto are, as in Penny Antics (1955) and Cuskomers Wanted(1939), are friendly rivals, this time as proprietors of diners. Popeye opens his diner, and in chef's hat, sweeps and sings, then-- along comes Bluto-- with HIS diner, across the street! Popeye calls Bluto's action unethical; Bluto declares that there is nothing wrong with competition. War of words continues until, along comes J. Wellington Wimpy! (Who else?) the two restauranteurs vie for Wimpy's patronage, using this and that means, until the two diner owners get tee'd off at each other and throw food. Wimpy comes out on top, helping himself to the food. He will repay them Tuesday, I suppose. This cartoon has echos of We Aim to Please(1934) and What-- No Spinach?(1937), as those are cartoons in which Wimpy takes advantage of the brawling between Popeye and Bluto. Quite amusing; too bad that later Famous Studios episodes had overstandardized story formats.

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

Kickin'the Conga Round was one of the later Fleischer Popeyes, before Max and Dave were bounced. Here, Popeye and Bluto are on a Navy vessel in South American waters. Both were granted shore leave; Popeye seeks out the girl whom he loves, Senorita Olive Oyla, whose phone number is Conga 1-2-3. Though Bluto gets to her first, Popeye lets Bluto have it, and escorts Olive to la Cafe Conga. She urges Popeye to join in the dancing; he replies "I don't dance no conja", so Bluto asks her to dance. So Popeye orders spinach, which a waiter brings him and he eats, turning the "conja" into a brawl with Bluto. Olive calls for help, so two members of the Shore Patrol come and arrest Popeye and Bluto. They must have been put in the brig. Not only is this cartoon funny, but it illustrates that which is NOT funny! If one wants to be sailor(air person, soldier, etc.), one must not only do assigned duty but be on BEST behavior at ALL TIMES, yes, even on liberty or leave. Such misdeeds as brawling, getting drunk, etc. are just as inimical to military discipline as being AWOL or failing to salute. So, here is word to the wise for one who aspires to military service.

In this Popeye, there is a different nemesis, Professor I Stare, a Svengali-like hypnotist. He calls Olive Oyl, commands him to "Come to me" (after trying to hypnotize a goldfish, which squirted water in his face). Olive falls into a trance, and walks like a zombie, with Popeye following, to save her. This hypnotist WAS bent on CONTROLLING her, which is NOT the purpose of hypnosis at all! Hypnosis is, itself, neither good, bad, nor indifferent, and is useful for medicinal purposes AND for amusement. Trouble is that too many cartoons about this subject cast hypnosis in unfavorable light. In REAL life, hypnotists do NOT try to control people, turn them into automatons (as this one did to Olive Oyl). Nor do hypnotists act like certain make-believe characters like fairies, witches, yookoohoos (magicians who are artists in transformation), etc., turning people into what they are not. Yet other Popeyes make people think that hypnotists are villains, "The Hyp-Nut-Ist", "Fistic Mystic", "Balmy Swami". Again, hypnosis DOES have value as medicinal tool as well as entertainment, but is NOT COERCIVE! In real life, hypnosis subjects are volunteers; if the hypnotist is competent, he/she will not harm the subject. It is BRAINWASHING that is immoral and indecent, something to be AVOIDED at all cost. Hypnotism is another matter; I agree that this casting of hypnotism in negative terms is for amusement, but should not be basis for condemnation. Whatever impressions and conclusion the viewer receives, "Nix on Hypnotricks" was quite amusing.

Baby Wants a Bottleship was really superb for the final Popeye produced by Max and Dave Fleischer. The word play Baby Wants a Bottleship was fitting for the title, as Swee'Pea wanted nothing more than to roam aboard the battleship U.S.S. Pennsyltucky (cross between Pennsylvania and Kentucky) to which Popeye had been assigned. On shore leave, Popeye was asked by Olive Oyl to baby sit Swee'Pea while she went shopping. He gave Swee'Pea a tiny boat that he had whittled, which the babe threw away, and, when Olive was out of sight, crawled onto the Pennsyltucky, squalled when Popeye put him back in the carriage, then when put to sleep, crawled back onto the ship. Popeye pursued the baby until he was fired by a gun that Swee'Pea had activated, was buffeted about (and perhaps bowled over ten pins), then knocked out. Olive, returning from shopping, got Popeye to eat his spinach and save Swee'Pea. Popeye gave him another tiny boat; Swee'Pea squalled. He gave Swee'pea a bigger boat. No go. A BIGGER BIGGER boat. Didn't like that either. A BIGGEST BIGGEST BOAT. Swee'Pea squalled yet again So, with Olive, he steered the Pennsyltucky-- DOWN MAIN STREET-- to "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man", then "Volga Boatmen". This is somewhat suggestive of Swee'Pea's cartoon debut in Little Swee'Pea, when after his trip to the zoo, Popeye gave him a wooden monkey(which made the babe squall, but that time, he went no further (did not offer teddy bear, stuffed dog, stuffed elephant, etc. instead). All in all, a fitting way of illustrating Swee'Pea, just as J.Wellingron Wimpy's passion for hamburgers, agreeing to pay for them Tuesday, showed HIS nat

I remember Little See'pea as the debut cartoon for the Segar-created baby Swee'Pea. (Sock-a-Bye Baby was not Swee'pea's debut, though I at first thought that the babe whom Popeye was baby-sitting WAS Swee'pea.) This cartoon showed what Swee'Pea was like; when Popeye took him to the zoo (because Olive Oyl was too busy with housecleaning to go with Popeye), Swee'Pea crawled in and out of mischief, with Popeye in pursuit. With the aid of spinach, he spanked the hippo and threw him into the ground, then twirled a leopard, which lost its spots. The punching of the crocodile into suitcases, seen in several other Popeyes, was absent. At the end, Popeye gave Swee'pea a toy monkey, which led him to SQUALL! Olive Oyl thought that Popeye had FRIGHTENED Swee'pea, hit him with her broom. The REAL nitty-gritty was that Swee'Pea was squalling because he did not have his way. This was seen in later Popeyes featuring Swee'Pea, like Baby Wants a Bottleship and Thrill of Fair. All in all, a fine cartoon debut for Swee'Pea.

Surely, Birthday Blues is eloquent about Our Gang members and their families. Dickie and Spanky's daddy was at first disagreeable, to point of giving Dickie severe spanking for bringing strange children into the house, without his permission, and making such a mess that the kitchen looked like the municipal dump! Dickie told Mom that he did that to raise money to buy her birthday present, which Dad had forgotten to do for second straight year, and when Gordon Douglas delivered a dress for $22.50, Dad made Mom send it back. (If he could not afford to pay for it, one wonders how the family could afford the water cooler!) The beauty in this Our Gang-er is that Dad became a lot nicer, learning a good lesson from his son. What this episode ALSO brought out is the increased understanding not only about the kids in Our Gang, but about boys. All boys are not identical to each other because EVERYBODY-- boy and girl, man and woman-- is UNIQUE! There are no two boys who are exactly alike, nor any two girls either, nor any two grown men or women. Dickie's and Stymie's experimenting in the kitchen may not have been THAT prevalent among boys in the Thirties (before feminism), but there WERE boys who liked to cook even then! MY father learned to cook from his mother and his maternal grandmother. So, what Dickie and Stymie did HAD parallel examples in REAL life even then. One cannot blame Donald Haines' calling the cake a fake, as HIS "prize" was a MOUSE TRAP! Another kid drew a trick snake (which somehow I used to think was a live baby alligator! All in all, a wonderful Our Gang-er, teaching that there have always been INDEFINITE ways for boys to be boys, often good-natured instead of mean-spirited.

In the Fifties, the Famous Studio cartoons were mostly mediocre, with standardized story formats. Not ALL of the Famous Studios cartoons were that way. Penny Antics was an excellent remake of Fleischer's Cuskomers Wanted (1939). The story was much the same, with Popeye and Bluto as proprietors of penny arcades at an amusement park. Business was slow, until J. Wellington Wimpy happens in. Popeye and Bluto loaned Wimpy pennies (which he promised to repay Tuesday), and, as in Cuskomers Wanted, treated Wimpy to flashbacks from former cartoons: Silly Hillbilly(when Bluto was flung into washing machine), Wotta Knight (when Sir Popeye had lighted coal placed in armor by Sir Bluto), and Fistic Mystic, when Swami Bluto's attempt to turn Popeye into canary backfired. As Popeye's penny-arcade shows had Bluto getting the bad end, Bluto was teed off, so he and Popeye began slugging it; as in predecessor, Wimpy cashed in by charging admission to the boxing match. With most Famous cartoons at this time using formulas, just filling in blanks, Penny Antics really stood out, as superb remake of a former Fleischer cartoon

Symphony in Spinach is a fine example of how Famous Studios remade Fleischer-produced episodes of the Thirties. Like Spinach Overture, Symphony In Spinach was about musical rivalry between Popeye and Bluto, and was set in a high-rise building with Rehearsal Hall on top floor. In this case, it was Popeye's and Bluto's answering an ad by Olive Oyl, who wanted a good musician for her band, one with class who doubled in brass; Popeye boasted that he could pay both instruments! He played "Life on the Ocean Wave", Bluto "I'm in the Mood for Love" on various instruments, after Popeye's attempt to blow his own horn by declaring that he had played in the sympathy orchestra. Bluto pushed Popeye down the letter chute, but Popeye ate spinach and soared back up with "a special delivery for that tin horn". One gag in "Spinach Overture" was repeated, namely Popeye's using a trombone slide to punch Bluto, finally winning the audition with his one-man band, playing"I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" (what else?). All in all, a fine remake of a Flesicher episode. This cartoon stood out, as the Famous Studios cartoons of the Fifties mostly lapsed into mediocrity.

"Woods are Full of Cuckoos" was amusing, using animals (mostly birds) to parody celebrities, like Walther Finchell (Walter Winchell),the Master of Ceremonies for the Woodland Community Swing, Bing Crrowsby (Bing Crosby), Dick Fowl (Dick Powell), Sophie Turkey(Sophie Tucker), Eddie Gander (Eddie Cantor), and many others, whom I readily identified. There was the dispute over which page in the song books they should turn to(22, no, 44, no, 36, no, 18, etc.). The fox sang "Swanee River" instead. which was embarrassing. Then came the song, "The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos", the title song, which I believe HAS a message about Christian faith and living. The message is acceptance of the fact that there are all kinds of people in the world. Many act, look, speak, and think in ways that do not make sense. But the song ends "but my heart is full of love". THAT is Christian, as it shows that one can take people as they come, even if they ARE cuckoo! It shows lack of judgementality about others, basic to being a real Christian

Pest Pilot repeats the theme of previous Fleischer-produced and directed Popeyes, to wit, the cantankerous nature of Poopdeck Pappy. In this one, Popeye turns from sailor to aviator, operating an airport with the caption "Airplanes is the Safest Things on Earth". Poopdeck Pappy displays his usual cantankerousness, such as he surely did in King Features' Thimble Theater comic strip, insisting that he IS young enough to pilot a plane. Popeye is unwilling to chance it, but Pappy pleads so his son locks him out; Pappy gets a plane that he finds outside, and takes it into the air, eventually crashing. Pappy was not hurt, so Popeye decides to give him wings, and let him operate a riding lawn mower! All in all, another fine example of what Pappy was like. It is notable that Poopdeck Pappy appeared only once or twice in the FAMOUS STUDIO Popeyes, while Eugene the Jeep did not appear at all, and J. Wellington Wimpy appeared in a few. The difference between the Fleischer and the Famous Studio Popeye cartoons thus has become manifest

"Sock-a-Bye, Baby" could not have been more appropriately titled. Indeed, after "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" at the beginning CAME "Rock-a-Bye Baby". It was all about Popeye's baby-sitting an unknown baby, and his socking whoever or whatever attempted to disturb the baby. Was it Swee'Pea? That was not given, with the Segar-created babe appearing a year or so later in "Little Swee'Pea". Neither was Olive Oyl in this cartoon; she may have been shopping or something like that, and asked Popeye to mind the baby. As funny as the street harpist's waking the baby was the music school segment, when a trombonist played "Pop Goes De Weasel" (and Popeye hit him on the "Pop"), and punching a pianist whose pianers kept getting smaller, finally punching the players in the school band, who were playing "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-Ti-Ay", a trumpeter, a tuba player, a horn player, a flautist, a bass drummer, a side drummer, a cymbalist, even a concertina player! Even funnier was Popeye's smashing a radio, with his fist traveling a long way to the station where a singer singing "You Came to Me From Out of Nowhere" was knocked out. THAT part was repeated in "Quiet!Pleeze" in 1941. This also inspired a buddy and me to pretend to be singing over the radio, Station B-E-A-D (or something like that), and pretending to be bowled over when listeners smashed radios. It was also funny when the banjo strumming made the baby squall, but Popeye played "Go to Sleep My Baby". All in all, a wonderfully funny cartoon, and well put together

Problem Pappy, (which showed a question mark with the title and copyright date MCMXLI[1941]), was very fittingly titled. It showed just how cantankerous Popeye's 99-year-old father was, as did several other Fleischer produced and directed cartoons of the 1940-41 period. At half past noon time, Popeye, loving son as he was, knocked on Pappy's bedroom door to find a note: "I wuzzent in last night. Pappy". Popeye made a frantic search, found the salty old sailor sitting and juggling on a flagpole atop a skyscraper! Popeye sternly warned him to come down "..before I sends for a hospital to come and get you!" (By that, he meant committing Pappy to a mental hospital, which, in the 1940's, could be done more easily than today.) Pappy refused, so Popeye said "If you ain't coming DOWN, I'M COMING UP! Pappy still refused, and greased the flagpole. Only an electrical storm, accompanied by score from Rossini's William Tell Overture, led Pappy to come down, with a lightning bolt opening spinach can for Popeye, who swung with his father on lightning bolts to safety. Popeye tucked the cantankerous old man in bed, and brought milk but found Pappy sleeping on a flagpole! An excellent example of how cantankerous Poopdeck Pappy was.

Quiet!Pleeze had an appropriate opening, of Popeye's cantankerous father, Poopdeck Pappy, suffering from wicked hangover, to mournful strains of "How Dry I Am", popular song mourning of inebriation and feeling blah. Indeed, Pappy WAS in such bad mood that when a cat padded along, as felines do, he barked "Quit that stamping around!"(There is a silly version of "How Dry I Am", about which I do not think.) Pappy would NOT ADMIT that he had been drinking too much, said he had hangover, checking himself to mean headache. He asked son Popeye to keep things quiet so he could rest. Some of the means used in Sock-a-Bye, Baby, filmed in 1934, were repeated in this cartoon, the punching of a building under construction, causing it to collapse, as punching the radio, which knocked out the singer. (A buddy of mine and I pretended to be punched when radio listeners smashed radios.) Popeye returned to the apartment, to find Pappy, after his nap, PARTYING AGAIN! Pappy told his son that he felt like a million, just needed rest and quiet, but had NOT really learned his lesson! The cartoon ended with Popeye HIMSELF in bed, no doubt because his father's unwillingness to co-operate made him sick. Surely, This was amusing variant of Sock-a-Bye, Baby, which showed what Poopdeck Pappy was like. As sidenote, Poopdeck Pappy did not appear much after 1941; after the Fleischer brothers were bounced in 1942, and the studio became Famous Studios, Poopdeck Pappy appeared only once or twice. (Eugene the Jeep was not in the 1942-57 Famous Studios cartoons at all, and J Wellington Wimpy was in only a handful.) At all events, I loved this cartoon as much as Sock-a-Bye, Baby, even if ALL the means that Popeye used to quiet things did not appear, like the music-school episode.

"Shiver My Timbers" is another fine illustration of the Our Gangers' propensity for playing hooky. In this one, Billy Gilbert is luring them away from school, by telling them windjammer stories. Miss Crabtree is understandably peeved, telling them that they were playing truant for the last time. She first wanted to report their behavior to the Gang's parents, who would have punished them severely. However, there came a change in plans. The Gang that very night got an opportunity to sign on as pirates, and were treated to psychological brutalities by the crew, to make the whole thing scary, to get them to change their minds. It did not work out as the crew expected, thanks to the resourcefulness of the kids. Indeed, there was no evidence that the Gang repented and went back to school; nevertheless, their getting a taste of pirate life was a fitting punishment. Quite enjoyable, all in all.

Fish Hooky was a stellar illustration of how the Little Rascals felt about school. Several Our Gang shorts had the kids playing hooky, or attempting to do so. In this one, it was almost the end of the school year, and Our Gang alumna Mary Kornman portrayed their teacher, who sought to reward them by treating them to a picnic at the beach. Unfortunately, some of the kids were anxious for school to be out, so Farnia and Joe, more former Our Gang members, portraying children old enough not to be required to attend school, submitted false absence notes to Miss Kornman for Wheezer, Stymie, Dickie, and Uh-huh. Spanky told them of the picnic, so they changed their minds too late, missing the bus. Mickey Daniels (ANOTHER ex-Little Rascal) portrayed the truant officer, who warned them of possible sentence to reform school, describing it as more like STATE PEN! He drove them to the beach, revealing his badge, so they led him on chase. Finally, he brought them to Miss Kornman, begging that they NOT be sent to reform school. Mickey agreed to let them go this time, but warned NOT to let it happen again! So, they learned their lesson, missing out on part of the fun, which was appropriate punishment, but eventually being able to enjoy this lovely picnic. It shows how the kids were not fond of school, and that playing hooky can cause unexpected consequences.

Mush and Milk was one of numerous school-oriented Our Gand comedies. This particular episode had, as its setting, Bleak Hill Boarding School, which bore sign saying it offered LOWEST RATES and "MOTHER'S CARE(?)" I wonder if the Dickens novel Bleak House furnished inspiration. The "MOTHER's CARE(?) logo proved what a dump this boarding school was, with Louise Emmons portraying the disagreeable old crone who headed the school, a dasmal dame if ever there were one. "Dasmal dame" is a woman who plays DOMINEERING MOTHER. Cap was sharp contrast; he was kind and understanding; Gus Leonard was just the actor for that sort of role. (He did stellar job later in "Lucky Corner" as Scotty Becket's grandpa.) Gus did not mind the silly answers that the kids gave in class, and surely appreciated Spanky's getting up to answer the phone, when James Finlayson, as Mr. Brown of First National Bank, told Cap that his back pension had arrived, something that he had long waited for (but which the crone who ran the school SCORNED). Cap's receiving this wonderful news, and his treating the kids to day at amusement park, calls to mind recent developments in MY life, to wit, improvement in living standard after settlement of Mom's estate, in form of larger apartment, new car, etc. Surely, Mush and Milk was heartwarming, especially with Cap's confidence that things would turn out all right, something that the Little Rascals came to believe.

Popeye's Junior Headache was one of the 1960-61 King Features made-for-television Popeyes that I remember well. Diesel Oyl was interesting play on words; that brat was Olive Oyl's niece, whether she was part of the Thimble Theater comic strip I do not know, as that was before my time. If Diesel Oyl WAS part of the strip, she may have been daughter of Castor Oyl(Olive's brother), coming under Aunt Olive's care when Castor was lost at sea. At all events, she was a brat if ever there were one! Popeye was understandably reluctant to baby-sit Diesel, as he was fatigued and needed rest. Olive Oyl insisted, and Popeye found the assignment a nightmare from the start. He tried first to tell Diesel a story "Once there was a witch..", Diesel interrupting "Which witch?". Popeye shot back "How does I know which witch?" Popeye pleaded with Diesel to let him sleep (to dream up ending to this fairy tale); Diesel said "NO! I want to play horse", which Popeye did not want. He grabbed SPINACH can but Diesel had switched the labels AND EATEN the spinach! So, this Popeye WAS amusing to a degree. There was SOME benefit to this brand-new Popeye series in that it made for variety after three years of seeing the oldies produced by Paramount/Famous Studios between 1933 and 1957, syndicated by Associated Artists Productions to television stations. What led King Features to produced this new Popeye cartoon package was that the original contract that Paramount, under Dave and Max Flesicher, had negotiated with King Features and Elzie Segar (who died in 1938), was only meant for the showing of the Popeyes in theaters. King Features was miffed when in 1957, Associated Artists Productions brought Popeye to television, not part of the original arrangement. King Features wanted to regain the limelight, hence the new Popeye series. One must remember that in the 1930's, no one anticipated that Popeye would be brought to television as there were no televisions-- NOT EVEN MUNTZ TV's! So, King Features did have a point, even though they understandably did not anticipate television. So, though I prefer the old Popeye series(1933-57), some of the new Popeyes were funny, including this one.

In Little Sinner, Spanky could not have learned by any better means how bad it is to play hooky from Sunday School. Spanky WAS SUPPOSED to go to Sunday School, and was warned by Alfalfa (his BEST FRIEND no less) that kids who skip Sunday School are BAD! Yet he and Porky just went ahead and went fishing instead. They climbed the fence to get to the water where they could fish, but COMPOUNDED their bad behavior by TRESPASSING! (It was private property, owned by a grouch, portrayed by Clarence Wilson, who played OTHER disagreeable types in other Our Gang-ers, like Mr. Crutch in Shrimps for a Day, and School Superintendent Alonzo K. Pratt in Come Back Miss Pips.) Spanky and Porky would not co-operate BUT-- were brought to their senses when some African-Americans let off an ominous chant during a baptism, and the sun went into total eclipse! The eerie darkness and the spooky singing frightened the Sunday-School truants, so they headed back to the church; the pastor asked Spanky if he learned a good lesson; Spanky replied "And how!" Little Sinner is eloquent of how naughty it is to fail to attend Sunday School when parents want them to go, as much is as truancy from REGULAR school, a common misdeed on part of Little Rascals. Over the years, parents have punished children who refuse to attend Sunday School (or go but behave badly) by depriving them of Saturday movies, etc. In this case, Spanky's going ahead and skipping Sunday School and seeing what it was like, with the property owner justifiably telling them to go away and Spanky's witnessing solar eclipse (with its eerie gloom) and hearing weird music, taught him a good lesson for sure. Mercifully, MY childhood, whatever problems I encountered, was NOT marked by behavior like Spanky's.

"Readin' and Writin'" was the last of the Robert McGowan directed Little Rascals school-oriented flicks in which June Marlowe portrayed their pretty teacher, Miss Crabtree. Some of the kids, like Breezy, Stymie, Wheezer, and Dorothy De Borba were going for the first time. Breezy's dasmal-dame mother nagged him about wanting him to be President! (Was she so sure that he'd get elected?) Breezy wanted to be a streetcar conductor instead, saying "Boy do they pick up the nickels!"(in 1931, a trolley-car ride WAS often five cents!) It was clear that Breezy WANTED to be expelled from school! That explains the myriad misdeeds that he committed, coaching Dororthy to tell Miss Crabtree she was deaf and Wheezer and Stymie to address Miss Crabtree as "Crabby", gluing her books shut, tacks on seats, blowing the car horn, throwing something at Sherwood and worst of all, bringing Dinah the Mule into the classroom! Breezy ADMITTED that he did that to get expelled; Miss Crabtree gave him very fitting punishment, to memorize the sappy poem about picking daffodils, that Sherwood had recited; Brisbane refused so was expelled, and "Crabby" said he'll never become President. (He could hardly become a streetcar conductor either!) At first he was overjoyed, but then his conscience caught up to him, spookily warning him to learn that poem, that there was no one to play with as all the children were in school, that there was no place for him to go, as he couldn't go home. (What would Mom say?) Breezy tried fishing, but the voice came eerily, LEARN THAT POEM. Then he called to order the Secret Order of the Winking Eye, by himself; again, the mysterious voice called LEARN THAT POEM. THAT led him to apologize to Miss Crabtree and recite the poem, in tears, the kids laughing at him. This was the punishment that was best for him; turning a child over one's knee, and spanking him so hard as to be unable to sit for days, is NOT the best punishment in the whole wide world (as used to be thought). MissCrabtree made the punishment fit the crime, appropriate as he had DELIBERATELY misbehaved with INTENT to get expelled. This proved that Breezy was NOT really a BAD BOY, just rebelling against misparenting by Mom. He called Sherwood a sissy, though there really IS no such thing as a sissy! Apple-polisher was what Spud really was; he recited that sappy poem to please Teacher. I admit that this poem of Sherwood's was really sappy, but there are worse poems. All in all, a very fine