Way back during the Dubya years, I mentioned a perceived sadistic streak in some of the Famous studio cartoons.
In “Popeye, the Ace of Space” Olive isn’t present to be sexually assaulted by Bluto, which is the premise for most of the cartoons. Another example of the boys going at it without Olive being caught in the middle is “Friend or Phony” from 1952.
It makes sense that Bluto is dying as a result of Popeye’s addiction to his performance-enhancing drug of choice. But you have to likewise wonder how Popeye has survived Bluto’s ultra violence.
Here’s the cartoon, with the ever-naive Popeye being a sucker for Bluto’s never-ending scheming.