The Spinach Whisperer

...did I use that phrase already?  Seems like it.  Anyway, it's hard work being an icon.  There's constant maintenance involved, even for an animated character like Popeye.  Case in point: his latest chore for Olive.  See, Olive's got a pet dog that's just too feminine for Popeye.  Why, he even says so out loud!  "A he-man like I am can't take a sissy dorg like that for a walk!", complains Popeye.  No dice.  The things a guy does for love.
Alas, Popeye's worst fears are realized when Bluto comes walking down with the street with his dog: a roided-up bulldog, of course.  Sheesh!  Now if only they made cigars for dogs.  Needles to say, Bluto starts fighting with Popeye, and Bluto's dog starts fighting with Olive's... I mean, Popeye's dog.  Well, if spinach works on ducks, why not on dogs?  You'll never guess how it all ends.  Why, it's got an ending that even Guy Ritchie would love.  Reminds me of the emotional climax of his Rocknrolla, an ode to the user of recreational drugs.  I mean, what's the point of Heaven if you can't sit there, head swirling with endorphins, and snot drooling out of your nose?
Now, I will hold the Fleischers' feet to the fire on this one a little bit.  I mean, how many times does Popeye do the walk of shame past that Sweets Shop?  Also, Popeye seems to have a fetish for kicking Bluto in the back of the head in this one.  Just saying.  Still, not bad for the short just before the ultimate Popeye masterpiece: Popeye the Sailor meets Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.  What's not to like?  Four stars.

****
-so sayeth The Movie Hooligan