{"id":29741,"date":"2016-12-12T00:01:09","date_gmt":"2016-12-12T08:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cartoonresearch.com\/?p=29741"},"modified":"2016-12-09T20:50:29","modified_gmt":"2016-12-10T04:50:29","slug":"organ-grinders-swing-1937","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cartoonresearch.com\/index.php\/organ-grinders-swing-1937\/","title":{"rendered":"“Organ Grinder’s Swing” (1937)"},"content":{"rendered":"\"organ-grinderrs-swing-original\"\n

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Usually, theatrical cartoons have shied away from the politics of the time they were made. Thus, the cartoons do not become dated so quickly–and do not follow the progression from “dated” to “nostalgia” to “historical” that happens so often when topical references are used. <\/p>\n

(One glaring exception to this is the field of World War II cartoons, which are often as topical as all get-out–and some of which have not aged well due to attitudes that became politically incorrect after hostilities ended.)<\/p>\n

So, it came as a surprise when I viewed again Organ Grinder’s Swing<\/em>, a Popeye short from early 1937. That led me to several Wikipedia pages, and to an interesting connection. <\/p>\n

To encapsulate: Organ-grinder Wimpy arrives at the square where Popeye and Olive Oyl live in adjoining apartments, with his street organ and his monkey. Popeye and Olive like the music, and offer Wimpy some change (and some hamburgers!). However, neighbor Bluto becomes demonstrative in his dislike of the music being offered. Eventually, Popeye eats his spinach, becomes strong to the finish, and beats up on Bluto.<\/p>\n