Popeye the Sailorpedia
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Parlez Vous Woo
Number 223
Popye-Olive
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Parlez Vous Woo is Popeye's 223rd theatrical cartoon, released on October 12, 1956 by Famous Studios.

Plot[]

An evening-gowned Olive Oyl is watching a show on TV featuring a classy French gentleman called the International, who delivers romantic monologues to his female audience. Olive is so caught up in the romance and enchantment of this fancy fellow that she forgets all about her date with Popeye, which annoys The Sailorman to no end. Her eyse shine and she stamps her lips with red ink to make herself attractive. When The International announces that some lucky eligible maiden may have a date to meet him in person, Olive is utterly delighted -- and Popeye is utterly fed up. Olive tells him to be quiet because of the announcement. She does not want to hang out with Popeye tonight because of her possible date with the International.

Bluto happens to be passing by Olive's house and sees Popeye with her, which makes him jealous. When he hears Olive telling the sailor that she is hanging out with the International, he gets an idea.

The doorbell rings and when Olive opens it, she is over the moon. There stands Bluto disguised as the International. The big man, who accidentally left his regular hat inside his top hat, proceeds to flirt with the enthralled brunette, who promptly lets him in. Bluto kisses Olive on the hand, causing her hair to stand up and her eyes to turn into hearts. Popeye kisses her on her other hand but only elicits an icy reaction. Bluto sets up a seat for himself and Olive and knocks Popeye out of the way. Popeye pulls the rug under Bluto and demands Olive forget the International and have a date with him, but she will not listen. Bluto uses a knife to cut Popeye's chair, causing him to spring him into the ceiling, and proceeds to dance with Olive. Popeye switches Bluto's dance partner with a broom to try and get Olive back, but she is not very interested in dancing with the sailor. Now Bluto does the switch with a mannequin, and walks off with the girl, but Popeye stops them.

The fancy Frenchman then challenges the squinting sailor to a sword duel. This intrigues the lovely Ms. Oyl -- until The International seemingly stabs Popeye in the chest, and then the raven-haired cutie's delight turns to abject horror.

PVWInternational

Bluto impersonates "the International," Olive's TV idol

However, Popeye is perfectly fine. What The International's sword hit was the can of spinach Popeye was toting in his shirt, and The Sailorman gulps down the high-vitamin plant-based nutritional aid and slashes at his dashing adversary with his sword, cutting away the spiffy tuxedo to reveal a sailor suit underneath. Olive realizes that the tuxedoed muscleman who danced with her and made flirtatious remarks to her was not her idol after all, but only Bluto in disguise, at which point she is extremely dismayed and disenchanted -- until Popeye downs another can of his wonder veggie and is transformed into the kind of elegant, tuxedo-clad French gentleman Olive has been fantasizing about, and goes back to him. Popeye kisses Olive on the hand, causing her to turn into melted butter from sheer delight. Popeye closes the cartoon laughing about Olive's romantic reaction.

Notes[]

  • In the public domain in the United States.
  • One of ten Popeye cartoons that could be viewed in the first-person shooter video game The Darkness.

Trivia[]

  • The International is a parody of The Continental, a radio show which began in 1951 then became a TV show in 1952, lasting from January 22 to April 17 of the same year. It starred Renzo Cesana as the Continental, a man who would speak directly to the women watching the show, as if inviting them to a romantic outing.
  • Olive melting after Popeye kisses her hand is similar to Popeye melting at the end of Wotta Knight.
  • Final cartoon in which Bluto shaves his beard. In this case, he also puts on a fake mustache.
  • Final cartoon in which Bluto disguises himself as a character Olive is smitten with. In this case, the International.
  • Final cartoon in which Olive has an especially attractive appearance. In the final 5 cartoons in which she appears, she has a normal appearance.
  • This cartoon is similar to Learn Polikeness in that Bluto takes the appearance of an attractive gentleman and acts prim and proper. The difference is that here Bluto disguises himself as a celebrity and speaks in a Metropolitan French accent.

External links[]

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