Never Sock a Baby (1939) *** (out of 4)Popeye has to spank Swee'pea and before long it starts to bother him. His good conscience tells him he was in the wrong but his bad conscience says that he doesn't want the kid to turn into a sissy. Things take a dramatic turn when the kid runs away from the house.For the most part NEVER SOCK A BABY is a pretty entertaining Popeye short that has plenty of nice action once the ending comes. The final moments of the film are certainly the highlight and especially with the little speech Popeye gives at the very end. The animation is as great as always and the story itself is rather funny and there are some good laughs throughout.

"Never Spank A Baby" should have been the title, because that was message. It wasn't hidden, either, as Popeye says those exact words at the end of the cartoon. Earlier, an "angel" tells him a similar thing while the "devil" tells him the opposite. The Fleischer brothers weren't too subtle about this message. Maybe they got spanked a lot as kids. Whatever, it's pretty heavy-handed.The story, too, turns out to be one of these "it was all a dream" stories ruining the suspenseful ending. This had the unique twist of Popeye ready to pop in a mouthful of spinach at the last minute....only to have an empty can! Now, that's clever, and I was wondering what he was going to do next when - poof! - it was just a dream. Bummer.Along the way, we see Swee' Pea in a number of adventures as he crawls out of the window to leave home after being spanked. This could have been a memorable cartoon if they didn't wimp out at the end and were a little more subtle in their message.