Spooky Swabs
Encyclopedia
Spooky Swabs is a Popeye
theatrical cartoon short, starring Jack Mercer
as Popeye and Mae Questel
as Olive Oyl
. Produced by Paramount Cartoon Studios (formerly Famous Studios
) and directed by Isadore Sparber
, it was released in 1957 and is the final cartoon in the Popeye series of theatrical cartoons released by Paramount Pictures
.
playing checkers. They see a ship adrift thinking they are rescued. But the ship is deserted and has a crew of ghosts with English accents (voiced by Mercer) who do not like the idea of returning to civilization so they wreak havoc on Popeye and Olive. While Popeye hid in the ship's galley
to avoid a mob of sword-wielding ghosts, he sees a jar of "ye king's spinach
". When Popeye consumed the spinach, he became invisible allowing him to punch the ghosts flat allowing Olive to sew them together to create a new sail. Popeye and Olive then sail off in the sunset as the short ends.
Because this cartoon is in the public domain
in the United States
, it's available on various DVD
compilations of theatrical Popeye cartoons as well as streaming video from various web sites. A restored authorized DVD release is planned from Warner Home Video
in the Popeye the Sailor series of DVD collections
.
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
theatrical cartoon short, starring Jack Mercer
Jack Mercer
Jack Mercer was an American animator, storyman and voice actor. He is best known as the voice of cartoon character Popeye the Sailor...
as Popeye and Mae Questel
Mae Questel
Mae Questel was an American actress and vocal artist best known for providing the voices for the animated characters, Betty Boop and Olive Oyl. She began in vaudeville, and played occasional small roles in films and television later in her career, most notably the role of Aunt Bethany in 1989's...
as 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...
. Produced by Paramount Cartoon Studios (formerly Famous Studios
Famous Studios
Famous Studios was the animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount acquired the aforementioned studio and ousted its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1941...
) and directed by Isadore Sparber
Isadore Sparber
Isadore Sparber was an American storyboard artist, writer, director and producer of animated films. He is best known for his work with Fleischer Studios and its successor, Famous Studios. His work appeared with different versions of his name including Izzy Sparber, I...
, it was released in 1957 and is the final cartoon in the Popeye series of theatrical cartoons released by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
.
Plot
The story involves Popeye and Olive on a life raftRaft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
playing checkers. They see a ship adrift thinking they are rescued. But the ship is deserted and has a crew of ghosts with English accents (voiced by Mercer) who do not like the idea of returning to civilization so they wreak havoc on Popeye and Olive. While Popeye hid in the ship's galley
Galley (kitchen)
The galley is the compartment of a ship, train or aircraft where food is cooked and prepared. It can also refer to a land based kitchen on a naval base or a particular formed household kitchen.-Ship's kitchen:...
to avoid a mob of sword-wielding ghosts, he sees a jar of "ye king's 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...
". When Popeye consumed the spinach, he became invisible allowing him to punch the ghosts flat allowing Olive to sew them together to create a new sail. Popeye and Olive then sail off in the sunset as the short ends.
Because this cartoon is in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it's available on various DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
compilations of theatrical Popeye cartoons as well as streaming video from various web sites. A restored authorized DVD release is planned from Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
in the Popeye the Sailor series of DVD collections
Popeye the Sailor (Warner DVD series)
Popeye the Sailor is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, which first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
.