by Hal Erickson
synopsis
This "Popeye" cartoon is a loose reworking of the earlier Fleischer classic Bimbo's Initiation. Hoping to impress nurse Olive Oyl, Popeye tries to join the Bruiser Boy's Club, an organization where the members delight in beating each other senseless. The Club's motto is "Can You Take It?", and Popeye is determined to prove that he can. After a brief showdown with club president Bluto (including a grotesque "cigar duel"), Popeye is put through a sadistic hazing process in which he must navitage a treacherous maze of buzzsaws, hammers, automated boxing gloves, an "iron maiden", and even a cannon. Though he survives the ordeal, Popeye's membership bid is rejected--and that's when he turns the tables on his tormentors.
