''Seein' Red, White 'N' Blue'' is a 1943 American propaganda cartoon short featuring
Popeye The Sailor
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Dan Gordon and Jim Tyer. The cartoon revolves around Bluto trying to escape
the draft
Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...
, but ends up fighting alongside Popeye against some Japanese spies,
Hirohito
, Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...
and
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
.
The cartoon is noticeable for its direction being more reminiscent of a ''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'' or
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (; February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of America ...
cartoon, with wild, frenetic takes and
fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
breaking gags geared at adults. This cartoon's score also features an excerpt of the tune of " I Don't Want To Walk Without You" which was first heard onscreen in Paramount's movie ''
Sweater Girl
The term "sweater girl" was made popular in the 1940s and 1950s to describe Hollywood actresses like Lana Turner, Jayne Mansfield, and Jane Russell, who adopted the popular fashion of wearing tight, form-fitting sweaters that emphasized the wom ...
''. The song would be used again in a later Popeye short, ''Klondike Casanova,'' in 1946''.''
Plot
While Bluto is busy at work as the towns blacksmith, he receives a letter calling him for his draft service in the Navy. Bluto is very reluctant to join in and pretends to be ill. Popeye, who works at the draft bureau, is suspicious and sends a female dummy in to create an enthusiastic reaction from him. Even though his trick works, Bluto still refuses to join the Navy. In a desperate effort to get an exemption, Bluto jumps out of the window, with Popeye running to the base floor to catch him. They both crash deep into the ground, in fact so deep that Satan himself asks them to leave Hell.
Bluto tries to flee, but is hit in a car accident. Even though he is knocked out, the ambulance is only interested in the tires of the vehicle and carries them away on a stretcher instead of Bluto (a likely reference to the high demand for rubber during the war). Bluto then decides to get crushed by a falling safe while ignoring Popeye's frantic gestures. Both end up getting crushed but remained unharmed. Bluto then locks Popeye in the safe before throwing it off screen. It crashes inside an orphanage, where several
Imperial Japanese
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to 19 ...
spies are undercover, dressed as babies. With their cover blown, they proceed to beat up Popeye. Bluto then drops by to inform him that his arms are bandaged and that he finally will be able to escape the draft. But Bluto sees that Popeye is in trouble, he tries to help, but he too is knocked out by the spies.
Laughed and jeered at by the enemy, Popeye eats his spinach and gives some to Bluto (can and all). Both men defeat the Japanese and Popeye's fist reaches so far that he knocks out
Hirohito
, Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...
. The Emperor is hit so hard that he falls on the backside of his horse, (creating a pun on the word ''" horse's ass")'', and says: ''"It should happen to
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
!"'' Sure enough, it then transitions to Hitler, who gives a speech by saying: ''"B.O.!"'' ("body odor", a reference to a
Lifebuoy
A lifebuoy or life ring, among many other names (see § Other names), is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in water to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning. Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activat ...
soap commercial). Hitler too is punched so hard that he loses his mustache. A title card appears, asking: ''"Is there a doctor in the house?"'', with the word ''"doctor"'' crossed out and ''"undertaker"'' written in crayon. While he lies unconscious,
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
runs in and asks his Führer melodramatically ''"to speak to him"''. Hitler just says ''"B.O."'' again, whereupon Göring pulls his face away in disgust.
The cartoon concludes with Bluto finally deciding to sign up for the draft. When Bluto asks how to spell his own name, the imprisoned Japanese spies sing "B-L-U-T-O", in reference to the commercial jingle for
Jell-o
Jell-O (stylized in all caps) is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert ( genericized as jello) is the signature of ...