Popeye the Sailor (film)

This article is about the 1933 cartoon. For the 1980 live action film, see Popeye (film).

1933 American film

Popeye the Sailor with Betty Boop

Directed by| Dave Fleischer
Produced by| Max Fleischer
Adolph Zukor
Starring| Billy Costello
William Pennell
Bonnie Poe
Music by| Sammy Timberg
Sammy Lerner
Tot Seymour
Vee Lawnhurst
Animation by| Seymour Kneitel
Don Figlozzi
Roland Crandall
Willard Bowsky
William Henning
George Germanetti
Orestes Calpini
Color process| Black-and-white
Color (1985 redrawn color version)[1]

Production
company

Fleischer Studios

Distributed by| Paramount Publix Corporation

Release date

* July 14, 1933 (1933-07-14)

Running time

| 7:37
Country| United States
Language| English

Popeye the Sailor (titled onscreen as Popeye the Sailor with Betty Boop[citation needed]) is a 1933 animated short produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Publix Corporation. While billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, it was produced as a vehicle for Popeye in his debut animated appearance.[2]

## Summary

[edit]

The cartoon begins with stock film footage of newspapers rolling off a printing press. The front page of one of the newspapers appears, with a headline declaring that Popeye has become a movie star. The camera zooms in on the illustration of Popeye, which then comes to life, as Popeye (voiced by Billy Costello) sings about his amazing prowess in his signature song "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man".[3]

On land with his nemesis Bluto (voiced by William Pennell), the two sailors vie for the affections of Olive Oyl (voiced by Bonnie Poe). Popeye takes Olive Oyl to a carnival and pays the peacock 10¢ but Bluto blows off all of the peacock's feathers. They play two games, the high striker and African dodger, with Popeye "winning" both times and then they watch Betty Boop (also voiced by Bonnie Poe) doing the hula. Popeye jumps up on stage, wraps the bearded lady's beard around his waist for a grass skirt, and dances with Betty, mimicking her movements. He is then bit by a snake, but then tranquilizes it with his pipe.

Bluto then abducts Olive Oyl and ties her to a railroad track, using the track itself as "ropes", in order to cause a train wreck to kill Olive, where a train is approaching. Popeye fights Bluto, but initially loses, but then eats spinach and then punches Bluto, causing him to get trapped in a nailed coffin. He then punches the approaching engine and its baggage car and coaches in the "face", and wrecks the whole train in a crushing halt and sparing Olive's life, because of the can of spinach he ate.

## Production notes

[edit]

* This short also introduces the song "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man", written by Sammy Lerner, loosely based on the first two lines of the "Pirate King" song in Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, The Pirates of Penzance. It would eventually become Popeye's theme song, with a portion of its instrumental appearing over the opening credits. For this cartoon, and at least one following it, the opening credits theme was an extended instrumental of "The Sailor's Hornpipe" (of which only the first bar was used in the later cartoons) followed by a vocal variation on "Strike Up the Band (Here Comes a Sailor)" substituting the words "for Popeye the Sailor" in the latter phrase. The song was sung twice in the opening credits of this cartoon, first by a deep-voiced singer who sounds like Bluto, and then by Bonnie Poe (as the voice of Betty Boop). It was also heard in the science-fiction film Alien Resurrection (1997) when it is whistled by Dom Vriess. "Barnacle Bill" is used as the recurring theme for Bluto.
* The animation sequence with Popeye singing was reused in the Screen Songs cartoon Let's Sing with Popeye.
* The locomotive featured is a 2-4-2 (American type steam locomotive). These types of steam trains with their wheel arrangement were used most common on U.S. railroads from the 1830s through 1928.
* It is the only Betty Boop cartoon to feature Popeye.
* It is also the only Betty Boop cartoon not currently owned by Paramount Pictures through Melange Pictures as it is owned by Warner Bros. through Turner Entertainment Co. as part of the Popeye cartoons.
* Unlike the other Betty Boop redrawn colorized cartoon shorts, the 1985 redrawn color version of the short was produced by MGM/UA Entertainment Co. as part of the Popeye cartoons.
* Popeye was one of several newspaper cartoons that the Fleischers animated (the others included Otto Soglow's The Little King and Carl Thomas Anderson's Henry).[4] In order to increase the chance of Popeye's success, the short was billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, though she is only featured briefly. The short has also been released as Betty Boop Meets Popeye the Sailor.

## Edits

[edit]

* When shown on MeTV in 2021, the African dodger scene was cut.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Popeye the Sailor (1933, Colorized)". DailyMotion: Pac-man-boy-97. 13 July 2017.
2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (2nd ed.). Checkmark Books. p. 54\. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
3. ^ "Popeye Lyrics". Toon Tracker. Archived from the original on August 7, 2003.
4. ^ Markstein, Donald D. "Popeye the Sailor". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved October 23, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Popeye the Sailor at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Popeye created by E. C. Segar

Characters|

| Main|

* Popeye
* Bluto
* Olive Oyl
* Wimpy
* Swee'Pea

|

Supporting|

* Alice the Goon
* Eugene the Jeep
* George W. Geezil
* Harold Hamgravy
* Castor Oyl
* Poopdeck Pappy
* Sea Hag

Authors and artists|

* E. C. Segar
* Max Fleischer
* Dave Fleischer
* Hy Eisman
* Seymour Kneitel
* Roger Langridge
* Bobby London
* R. K. Milholland
* Bruce Ozella
* Bill Pearson
* Bud Sagendorf
* George Wildman
* Doc Winner
* Bela Zaboly

Theatrical shorts|

| Fleischer Studios|

* Popeye the Sailor
* I Yam What I Yam
* Blow Me Down!
* Seasin's Greetinks!
* Wild Elephinks
* Let's You and Him Fight
* Little Swee'Pea
* Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor
* The Paneless Window Washer
* Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves
* A Date to Skate
* Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
* Ghosks Is the Bunk

|

Famous Studios|

* You're a Sap, Mr. Jap
* Scrap the Japs
* Me Musical Nephews
* Spinach Fer Britain
* Seein' Red, White 'N' Blue
* Pop-Pie a la Mode
* Olive Oyl for President
* Ancient Fistory
* Popeye, the Ace of Space
* Fright to the Finish
* Spooky Swabs

Feature films|

| Official|

* Popeye

|

Public domain|

* Popeye's Revenge
* Popeye the Slayer Man
* Shiver Me Timbers

Television shows|

* Popeye the Sailor
* The All New Popeye Hour
* Popeye and Son
* The Popeye Show

TV specials|

* Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter
* Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy

Video games|

* Arcade game
* Popeye no Eigo Asobi
* Popeye (Game Boy)
* Popeye 2
* Ijiwaru Majo Seahag no Maki
* Beach Volleyball
* Rush for Spinach

Other|

* Popeye the Sailor (radio series)
* Popeye Song Folio
* Popeye Village
* Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
* Popeye Saves the Earth

* v
* t
* e

Betty Boop films

1932|

* Stopping the Show
* Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee
* Betty Boop, M.D.
* Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle
* Betty Boop's Ups and Downs
* Betty Boop for President
* Minnie the Moocher
* I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You
* Betty Boop's Museum
* Crazy Town

1933|

* Betty Boop's Ker-Choo
* Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions
* Is My Palm Read?
* Betty Boop's Penthouse
* Snow-White
* Betty Boop's Birthday Party
* Betty Boop's May Party
* Betty Boop's Big Boss
* Mother Goose Land
* Popeye the Sailor
* The Old Man of the Mountain
* I Heard
* Morning, Noon and Night
* Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party
* Parade of the Wooden Soldiers

1934|

* She Wronged Him Right
* Red Hot Mamma
* Ha! Ha! Ha!
* Betty in Blunderland
* Betty Boop's Rise to Fame
* Betty Boop's Trial
* Betty Boop's Life Guard
* Poor Cinderella
* There's Something About a Soldier
* Betty Boop's Little Pal
* Betty Boop's Prize Show
* Keep in Style
* When My Ship Comes In

1935|

* Baby Be Good
* Taking the Blame
* Stop That Noise
* Swat the Fly
* No! No! A Thousand Times No!!
* A Little Soap and Water
* A Language All My Own
* Betty Boop and Grampy
* Judge for a Day
* Making Stars
* Betty Boop with Henry, the Funniest Living American
* Little Nobody

1936|

* Betty Boop and the Little King
* Not Now
* Betty Boop and Little Jimmy
* We Did It
* A Song a Day
* More Pep
* You're Not Built That Way
* Happy You and Merry Me
* Training Pigeons
* Grampy's Indoor Outing
* Be Human
* Making Friends

1937|

* House Cleaning Blues
* Whoops! I'm a Cowboy
* The Hot Air Salesman
* Pudgy Takes a Bow-Wow
* Pudgy Picks a Fight!
* The Impractical Joker
* Ding Dong Doggie
* The Candid Candidate
* Service with a Smile
* The New Deal Show
* The Foxy Hunter
* Zula Hula

1938|

* Riding the Rails
* Be Up to Date
* Honest Love and True
* Out of the Inkwell
* The Swing School
* Pudgy and the Lost Kitten
* Buzzy Boop
* Pudgy the Watchman
* Buzzy Boop at the Concert
* Sally Swing
* On with the New
* Thrills and Chills

1939|

* My Friend the Monkey
* So Does an Automobile
* Musical Mountaineers
* The Scared Crows
* Rhythm on the Reservation

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