(AND WE'RE NOT overlooking any puns here, whether or not intentional )
SOME VERY WISE man said that "Brevity is the soul of wit."; and perhaps, to carry the point just a little further, a very slim or nearly non-existent plot or scenario if you will, may well be the safest and shortest route to yuckland !
THIS BLACK & WHITE short proves the point very well. Taking the simplest of a premise, two "dogs in heat", Popeye and Bluto, who are mooning at lovely Olive while they sit idly at the counter of the diner she is apparently running. Olive sings a special song, written especially for this one reel, which just coincidentally bears the same title "...(I want) A CLEAN SHAVEN MAN !"
INSPIRED TO PROMPT action, the pair heads out to find the nearest barber shop is now came to a business hiatus, with the barber (Wimpy) having left a note explaining that he has gone out for a shave himself, and probably a hamburger or two.
BOTH BOYS FIND to be extremely grubby, with quantities of unwanted facial hair and being in need of having their ears lowered. (Mainly Bluto here). So, the agree to a mutual haircut pact and an otherwise rare truce. The project quickly degenerates into one of their pier 9 brawls, with both guys now 'clean shaven', but in such a condition !
MEANWHILE, OLIVE OYL comes along with a very bearded character (from the THIMBLE THEATER Strip by Elzie C. Segar, himself-name unknown). The now somewhat allied twosome finally do the right thing, they kick each other in the backside.
HAVE THEY LEARNED anything here ? We doubt it; but will have to wait for the next screening on TCM, Saturday !
SOME VERY WISE man said that "Brevity is the soul of wit."; and perhaps, to carry the point just a little further, a very slim or nearly non-existent plot or scenario if you will, may well be the safest and shortest route to yuckland !
THIS BLACK & WHITE short proves the point very well. Taking the simplest of a premise, two "dogs in heat", Popeye and Bluto, who are mooning at lovely Olive while they sit idly at the counter of the diner she is apparently running. Olive sings a special song, written especially for this one reel, which just coincidentally bears the same title "...(I want) A CLEAN SHAVEN MAN !"
INSPIRED TO PROMPT action, the pair heads out to find the nearest barber shop is now came to a business hiatus, with the barber (Wimpy) having left a note explaining that he has gone out for a shave himself, and probably a hamburger or two.
BOTH BOYS FIND to be extremely grubby, with quantities of unwanted facial hair and being in need of having their ears lowered. (Mainly Bluto here). So, the agree to a mutual haircut pact and an otherwise rare truce. The project quickly degenerates into one of their pier 9 brawls, with both guys now 'clean shaven', but in such a condition !
MEANWHILE, OLIVE OYL comes along with a very bearded character (from the THIMBLE THEATER Strip by Elzie C. Segar, himself-name unknown). The now somewhat allied twosome finally do the right thing, they kick each other in the backside.
HAVE THEY LEARNED anything here ? We doubt it; but will have to wait for the next screening on TCM, Saturday !