A Date to Skate

Director: Dave Fleischer
Release Date: November 18, 1938
Stars: Popeye, Olive Oyl
Rating:  ★★★★
Review:

Popeye invites Olive into a roller skating hall.

The unwilling Olive is no roller skate talent, however, and after some antics inside the hall, she accidentally skates outside and into the streets. It’s up to Popeye to rescue her. Unfortunately, he has forgotten his spinach, but luckily somebody in the audience can give him a can. This particular gag is rare but undeniable influence of the new Warner Bros. cartoon style on the Fleischer cartoons. The rest of the cartoon retains Fleischer’s unique and charming style.

‘A Date to Skate’ is in no way a classic, but it’s enjoyable from start to end, and gains particular speed when Olive is lost on the streets. There’s a great scene in which she manages to skate inside a department store, and another one in which she and Popeye make a long descend – a scene that seems to make use of a ridiculously long background painting, even though some parts are clearly reused.

Watch ‘A Date to Skate’ yourself and tell me what you think:

This Popeye film No. 66
To the previous Popeye film: Goonland
To the next Popeye film: Cops Is always Right

‘A Date to Skate’ is available on the DVD-set ‘Popeye the Sailor Volume Two’