Popeye the Sailor: Volume 1 (1933-1938)

This is it, Popeye cartoon fans! We have dreamed about it, wished for it, and hoped for it. Warner Brothers Video, by arrangement with King Features Syndicate, is issuing here the first 60 ORIGINAL Fleischer Studios Popeye cartoons. Wonderful! These fantastic cartoons are being released in chronological order of their theatrical release, FULLY RESTORED from the original negatives in beautiful black and white, UNCUT, with all Paramount titles restored. Volume 1, 1933-1938, is a 4-disc collector's edition. Also included in this release are the first two Three-Color-Technicolor two-reel specials: "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor", and "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves". If that isn't enough, 5 hours worth of bonus materials are included: Audio commentaries from Mark Kausler, Jerry Beck, Mark Evanier, and others. More features include restrospectives on Popeye and Max Fleischer, behind the toons featurettes, and bonus shorts.

So many of us remember seeing many of these vintage Popeye shorts when we were kids, and fondly remember the incredible animation from those early Fleischer Studios Popeye's. In 1933, the original Popeye voice was done by William Costello. Sometime in 1935 he was fired and The Sailor Man's voice was taken over by Jack Mercer, who kept at it for the remaining duration of these great cartoons. Remember that wonderful muttering in those early years by Popeye? That was the great Jack Mercer. Who could forget that fantastic "Is that so?" and all the other regular mutterings that Popeye would utter, more so especially during the Fleischer years. Bluto was fantastic, too, with some great back-and-forth quips between himself and his rival. His voice was delivered by William Pennell from 1933-1935, then Gus Wickie from 1935 until his death in 1938. The voice of Olive Oyl was delivered by Mae Questel.

So, all you Popeye fans... this is what we have been waiting for many a year. Throw out all your other Popeye videos and DVDs. Get rid of your VHS tapes that you made from the Cartoon Network. Destroy (with pleasure) all of those horrible colorized Popeye's made infamous by Mr. Turner. Animation historian Jerry Beck says that "your eyes will POP at the restorations. If you've never seen them you are in for a revelation." At long last...the first official release of the Max Fleischer cartoons on DVD. Without a doubt, you will be absolutely, positively delighted!!!

As a lifelong fan of classic animation, I simply could not be more THRILLED at the prospect of finally owning restored versions of the Fleischer Popeye cartoons. Other reviewers have expertly detailed the contents of this set, so I'd like to take a moment to try and convince/convert those folks who may not know and love these things as much as I do. . .

There has been, as long as I can recall, a misconception about Popeye cartoons. I recently had this discussion with a good friend, who could not understand why I was so excited about this release. She, like so many people, was raised on the color Popeye cartoons made in the 1960's. "They're all the same," she complained. "Popeye and Bluto fight over Olive Oyl, and Popeye eats spinach and beats up his rival. Big deal." And you know something? Based solely on the cartoons my friend had seen, she was right. She knew nothing of these original black & white gems made by the Fleischers beginning in the early 1930's. And while the voice of Popeye in most of those shorts is the same (Jack Mercer) as the later ones, that's where the similarities end. The early 'toons are full of creative gags, ad-libs and boundless energy. Plus, they have the inimitable Fleischer style, which can also be found in Betty Boop and, later, the first Superman cartoons.

I hope that those of you who only know Popeye from the later, bland incarnations will check out this set. Forget Poopdeck Pappy or Popeye's nephews (those these will eventually surface in the Fleischer versions); this is the REAL POPEYE in all his elastic, mumbling glory.

Essential viewing for Popeye enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the early history of animated sound cartoons.

P.S. I wish I could get back all the money I've blown on cheapskate VHS and DVD versions by Goodtimes, etc. Those things are headed for a garage sale faster than you can say "I yam what I yam!"

Well, blow me down! As a Disney writer, I didn't think I'd like these competing cartoons from the golden age of Mickey Mouse. But I was wrong! Like the best early Mickey shorts, these Popeye cartoons are truly entertaining and funny, with boundless energy and many creative gags. Whether you're a classic animation fan or just someone looking for something different, here are five reasons you should buy this set:

1. All of the cartoons are from Popeye's original Fleischer Bros. incarnation, when the series had its most cockamamie characters (including the Sailor Man in all his gruffy, mumbling glory), cockeyed plots, fluid animation and detailed backgrounds.

2. The shorts are the original, black-and-white, uncut versions, fully restored from the master negatives and never before made available to the public.

3. Unlike the more familiar 1950-1960s Popeye cartoons, these don't all have the same plot! Yes, Bluto tries to kiss Olive Oyl in a couple, but otherwise the stories on this set jump all over the place. In one ("Lost and Foundry"), Baby Swee'pea saves Popeye and Olive from being crushed.

4. Each disc comes with a full slate of extras, including documentaries, featurettes and rare bonus cartoons, most of which are early silent films and ten of which star Koko the Clown. Altogether there are more than five hours of bonus features.

5. Ten cartoons have audio commentaries, featuring film and animation experts such as Jerry Beck and Leonard Maltin.

Here's a complete rundown on what you get:

DISC 1
1. "Popeye the Sailor" (1933) (with commentary)'
2. "I Yam What I Yam" (1933)'
3. "Blow Me Down!" (1933)'
4. "I Eats My Spinach" (1933)'
5. "Seasin's Greetinks!" (1933)'
6. "Wild Elephinks" (1933) (with commentary)'
7. "Sock-a-Bye, Baby" (1934) (with commentary)'
8. "Let's You and Him Fight" (1934)'
9. "The Man on the Flying Trapeze" (1934)'
10. "Can You Take It" (1934) (with commentary)'
11. "Shoein' Hosses" (1934)'
12. "Strong to the Finich" (1934)'
13. "Shiver Me Timbers!" (1934)'
14. "Axe Me Another" (1934)'
15. "A Dream Walking" (1934) (with commentary)

Bonus features on Disc 1 include a feature on early animation ("Mining the Strip, Elzie Segar and Thimble Theatre"), a 43-minute documentary on Popeye's early career ("I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor") and a profile on Olive Oyl ("Me Fickle Goyl, Olive Oyl: The World's Least Likely Sex Symbol"). Bonus silent cartoons from other studios (all based on comic strips) include "Colonel Heeza Liar at the Bat" (1915), the Mutt and Jeff short "Domestic Difficulties" (1916) and "Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing" (1916).

DISC 2
16. "The Two-Alarm Fire" (1934)
17. "The Dance Contest" (1934)'
18. "We Aim to Please" (1934)
19. "Beware of Barnacle Bill" (1935) (with commentary)'
20. "Be Kind to 'Aminals'" (1935)
21. "Pleased to Meet Cha!" (1935)
22. "The 'Hyp-Nut-Tist'" (1935) (with commentary)'
23. "Choose Your 'Weppins'" (1935) (with commentary)'
24. "For Better or Worser" (1935) (with commentary)'
25. "Dizzy Divers" (1935)'
26. "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" (1935)'
27. "King of the Mardi Gras" (1935)'
28. "Adventures of Popeye" (1935)'
29. "The Spinach Overture" (1935)'
30. "Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky" (1936)

Extras on Disc 2 include a 30-minute historical documentary with lots of clips, "Forging the Frame: The Roots of Animation 1900-1920," the featurette "Sailor's Hornpipes: The Voices of Popeye," a profile on Wimpy ("Wimpy the Moocher: Ode to the Burgermeister") and three more silent shorts: "Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum" (1918), the Felix the Cat cartoon "Feline Follies" (1919) and "The Tantalizing Fly" (1919) with Koko the Clown.

DISC 3
31. "A Clean Shaven Man"
32. "Brotherly Love"
33. "I Ski - Love Ski - You Ski" (with commentary)
34. "Bridge Ahoy!"
35. "What - No Spinach?"
36. "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard"
37. "Let's Get Movin'"
38. "Never Kick A Woman"
39. "Little Swee'pea"
40. "Hold the Wire"
41. "The Spinach Roadster"
42. "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor" (double-length, color, with commentary)
43. "I'm in the Army Now"
44. "The Paneless Window Washer"
45. "Organ Grinder's Swing"

Disc 3 bonus features consist of two featurettes, "Blow Me Down! The Music of Popeye" and "Popeye in Living Color: A Look at the Color Two-Reelers" and six early Out of the Inkwell shorts with Koko the Clown: "Modeling" (1921), "Invisible Ink" (1921), "Bubbles" (1922), "Jumping Beans" (1922), "Bed Time" (1923) and "Trapped" (1923).

DISC 4
46. "My Artistical Temperature"
47. "Hospitaliky"
48. "The Twisker Pitcher"
49. "Morning, Noon and Night Club"
50. "Lost and Foundry" (with commentary)
51. "I Never Changes My Altitude"
52. "I Likes Babies and Infinks"
53. "The Football Toucher Downer"
54. "Proteck the Weakerist" (with commentary)
55. "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves" (double-length, color, with commentary)
56. "Fowl Play"
57. "Let's Celebrake"
58. "Learn Polikeness"
59. "The House Builder Upper"
60. "Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh"

Bonus features on Disc 4 include profiles on Swee'pea and Bluto ("Me Lil' Swee'pea: Whose Kid is He Anyway?" and "Et Tu Bluto? Cartoondom's Heaviest Heavy"), three more Out of the Inkwell Koko shorts ("A Trip to Mars" (1924), "Koko Trains 'Em" (1925) and "Koko Back Tracks" (1927)) and a two-minute follow-the-bouncing-ball oddity "Let's Sing with Popeye" (1934).

To sum up, this set is a real treat for any cartoon buff and a must-have for any student of animation or pop culture. But beyond all that, it's just plain fun.