Popeye the Sailor (1933 cartoon)
Encyclopedia
Popeye the Sailor is a 1933 Fleischer Studios
animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer
. While billed as a Betty Boop
cartoon, it actually starred Popeye the Sailor in his first animated appearance.
On land with his nemesis Bluto
(voiced by William Pennell), the two sailors vie for the affections of Olive Oyl
(voiced by Bonnie Poe
). They take the object of their desire to a carnival, where they watch Betty Boop
(also voiced by Bonnie Poe) who is performing a hula dance. Betty is topless, her modesty protected only by a lei. Popeye jumps up on stage, wraps himself in a long fake beard that he pulls from the "bearded lady"'s face, and joins in alongside Betty, watching her moves and imitating them.
Bluto abducts Olive Oyl and ties her to a railroad track, using the track itself as "ropes". Popeye defeats his enemy, and rescues Olive, punching the approaching steam locomotive in the "face" and bringing it to a crushing halt, thanks to his ever-reliable can of spinach
.
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
animated short, directed by Dave Fleischer
Dave Fleischer
David "Dave" Fleischer was an American animator film director and film producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his two older brothers Max Fleischer and Lou Fleischer...
. While billed as a Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
cartoon, it actually starred Popeye the Sailor in his first animated appearance.
Summary
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 William "Billy" Costello) sings about his amazing prowess in his signature song "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man."On land with his nemesis Bluto
Bluto
Bluto is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his Thimble Theatre comic strip . Bluto made his first appearance September 12 of that year...
(voiced by William Pennell), the two sailors vie for the affections of Olive Oyl
Olive Oyl
Olive Oyl is a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar in 1919 for his comic strip Thimble Theatre. The strip was later renamed Popeye after the sailor character that became the most popular member of the cast; however Olive Oyl was a main character for 10 years before Popeye's 1929...
(voiced by Bonnie Poe
Bonnie Poe
Bonnie Poe was an American actress, best known for providing the voice for the Fleischer Studios animated character Betty Boop beginning in 1933. She was also the initial voice for the character Olive Oyl in that studio's series of Popeye cartoons...
). They take the object of their desire to a carnival, where they watch Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
(also voiced by Bonnie Poe) who is performing a hula dance. Betty is topless, her modesty protected only by a lei. Popeye jumps up on stage, wraps himself in a long fake beard that he pulls from the "bearded lady"'s face, and joins in alongside Betty, watching her moves and imitating them.
Bluto abducts Olive Oyl and ties her to a railroad track, using the track itself as "ropes". Popeye defeats his enemy, and rescues Olive, punching the approaching steam locomotive in the "face" and bringing it to a crushing halt, thanks to his ever-reliable can of spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
.
Censorship
- Some airings on Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
were edited to remove the scene where Popeye and Bluto play the ball-toss game at the carnival. The reason for the removal of this scene is because the target is an African-American stereotype. This scene also prevented this short from airing on The Popeye ShowThe Popeye ShowThe Popeye Show is a Cartoon Network TV show that premiered on November 11, 2001. Each episode would include three unedited Popeye theatrical shorts from Fleischer Studios and/or Famous Studios. The show was narrated by Bill Murray , would give the audience short facts about the history of the...
due to the fact that producer Barry Mills would only allow uncut cartoons to air on the show. - BoomerangBoomerang (TV channel)Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. Boomerang specializes in reruns of animated programming from Time Warner's extensive archives, including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Network, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
airings have kept the ball-toss scene intact. However, the version Boomerang shows is the redrawn colorizedFilm colorizationFilm colorization is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia or monochrome moving-picture images. It may be done as a special effect, or to modernize black-and-white films, or to restore color films...
version, and has the opening and closing credit sequences removed completely.
External links
- Popeye the Sailor (1933) at IMDB