Never Kick a Woman (1936)

Never Kick a Woman Review

 Never Kick a Woman is a 1936 animated short from Popeye the Sailor series. It is one of the weirdest and most different entries in the series.

I really liked this entry. It has such a great premise in it. Popeye wants to teach Olive self-defense, but eventually she must fight a woman who is infatuated by Popeye. The execution of this unique premise could have been better and the humor is also lacking, but it is still such a fun entry in its weirdness and offbeat plot.

Popeye has his moments and I like the newly introduced female character, but this is Olive’s episode and she shines in it. After being basically a weak damsel in distress for many years, she finally learns to fight and defend herself and that development is so interesting and incredibly satisfying. It is interesting because this is the only instance where she eats spinach, not Popeye. And I really liked the fights with the ending where she even beats Popeye being hilarious and a perfect finale. It also has that inventive action scene in which Olive’s hairstyle, while being beaten, changes with every punch. That was hilarious. It is overall flawed, but so much fun.

Never Kick a Woman could have been better, but it is so refreshing in its action-oriented use of Olive and she shines in it with so many memorable moments.

 My Rating – 4.1