Dave Fleischer and Seymour Kneitel | Popeye the Sailor Man: Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky / 1936

infiltrating the women’s gym

by Douglas Messerli

 

Dave Fleischer and Seymour Kneitel (directors) Popeye the Sailor Man: Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky / 1936 [6 minutes]

 

In the 1936 animated short, Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky Popeye decides to open up a women’s gymnasium to keep Olive and her friends in good shape. It’s a successful venue, but happens to be next door to Bluto’s cabaret. Bluto, jealous of Popeye’s success with women, decides to challenge him by shaving and dressing up like Mae West.

      As one might expect, in drag Bluto decides to challenge his teacher to several gymnastic activities, beginning with climbing the ropes, which given his weight, Bluto loses out in his rush to the top vs. Popeye’s swing on ropes up to the ceiling. Olive and her women friends cheer Popeye on.

     But Bluto, playing a flirtatious female, challenges him next to a game of Medicine Ball, knocking over the former sailor several times in the toss, following it up with game of rope and weights which knocks Popeye out. Flouncing as a femme across the room, limp wrist and other hand to hip, he suddenly loses his wig, and the women recognize him for who he is.

     Recognizing the gig is up, Bluto grabs Olive’s rubber arms and attempts to pull her off for his own evil purposes, but her feet catch on the hand rings, as Popeye wakes up to spot Bluto’s wig on the floor.

       A dumbbell slid in the direction of his small cabinet containing his necessary spinach saves the day, knocking Bluto around the room through various athletic devices, as the women join him in singing about their attempt to remain in good health.

       Drag remains as a comic trope, and even the brutal Bluto is ready to enter into the role when necessary. The animated cartoon was remade as Gym Jam in 1950.

 

Los Angeles, January 26, 2024

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (January 2024).