| Happy Birthdaze | |
| Number 120 | |
 | |
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Happy Birthdaze is Popeye's 120th theatrical cartoon, animated by Famous Studios, which was released on July 16, 1943.
Plot[]
Shorty attempting to commit suicide
Shorty plans to kill himself by blowing his brains out, because no one loves him and he does not receive love letters like his fellow sailors on their U. S. Navy battleship. However, Popeye stops him by grabbing his gun and inviting him to his birthday party at Olive's home, as they are on shore leave. Olive greets both sailors affectionately, after which Shorty uses the bathroom, causing a flood that washes Popeye out to the street where he is hit by a car. Popeye tries his best to calm down, but Shorty's eagerness to help Olive bake the cake ends ups causing Popeye to break eggs, pans and all cake-making items. After some more mishaps, Popeye goes to the bathroom to clean himself, but Shorty has once again caused a flood that drags him out to the street.
Meanwhile, the saddened Shorty laments his spoiling Popeye's party and tries to kill himself again, but is stopped by Olive. When Popeye comes back brandishing a baseball bat, Shorty is happy to "play games" with him, not only baseball but golf and hockey, inevitably dealing further abuse upon the one-eyed sailor. After a hole is left on the floor, Popeye kicks Shorty in but then covers it so Olive does not see it, yet when the latter comes rushing in after finishing the cake, she falls all the way down her apartment building and to the boiler room below. Popeye runs down to find her (and Shorty) inside an unused furnace, with Olive leaving both men inside as she tells Popeye never to see her again, goes back up and throws the cake down the hole to smash on top of Popeye's head inside the furnace. After Shorty blows out the only lit candle, a gunshot goes off in the dark, suggesting Popeye might have changed his mind about Shorty's original plan.
Censorship[]
- When the short is shown on Cartoon Network and its sister channel Boomerang (barring its appearance on Cartoon Network's The Popeye Show, where it aired uncensored) the ending was altered, having it end with Shorty singing the song and fade to the end title card, hence cutting out the gunshot and the indication that Popeye may have killed Shorty, including the "THE BITTER END" text (even though all three times where Shorty attempted to shoot himself with a pistol were not edited).
External links[]
- Happy Birthdaze at the Internet Movie Database