8/10
Popeye Dances The Samba
27 December 2018
World War II brought cultural exchanges between the two America's. Many film studios dabbled into Latin American culture during this time. This lively Popeye short was one of his first in Technicolor and it benefits greatly with a brilliant use of color. Popeye and Bluto ride into Rio on an Ox and go to a nightclub, where they oogle over the Samba dancer (Olive Oyle). I can only wonder if this sequence was inspired by Tex Avery's RED HOT RIDING HOOD which caught moviegoers by storm the previous year. (A South American themed Avery short with Red, the Wolf, and Droopy would have been interesting).

The gags and timing are nicely executed. Popeye's impromptu Samba dancing is both impressive and funny. I wonder who voiced the Samba dancer. It couldn't have been Olive Oyle's regular voice at that time.

An excellent contibution to America's wartime Good Neighbor policy. Well worth seeking out and now available on Blu-Ray fully restored.
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