Popeye_the_Sailor

Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Volume 1

Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Volume 1 is the first authorized collection of theatrical Popeye cartoons on home video. This four DVD set with 60 theatrical Popeye cartoons was released on July 31, 2007. Also included inside this box is a booklet of 1936 vintage Popeye comic strips titled "The S'prise Fight!" and a recipe sheet with 25 cents off coupon for two cans of Allens' Popeye Spinach. These cartoons are fully restored with the original Paramount Pictures logos at the beginning and ending of each cartoon. They are arranged in the order they were released to theaters. This collection was released by Warner Home Video.

Because these uncut and uncensored 1930s vintage cartoons contain material which may be considered politically incorrect today, each disc in this collection includes a title card disclaimer which summarizes that the cartoons depict sexist, ethnic and racist stereotypes that may be offensive to modern audiences.

Background

The first Popeye cartoon was released as a Betty Boop cartoon. Paramount held the copyright for every Fleischer cartoon. Early Popeye cartoons ended with the Fleischer "Out of the Inkwell" ending in which the mouth of the ink bottle zoomed out, places itself on the desk then the cap somersauts itself back on the bottle. The final Popeye cartoon with this ending was the 1934 cartoon "Let's You and Him Fight." The rest of the 1934 Popeye cartoons had the standard Paramount end card. Beginning with the 1935 Popeye cartoon "Beware of Barnacle Bill", the Popeye cartoons had a new end card featuring a large anchor which was used for all subsequent Fleischer produced Popeye cartoons. The anchor title was retained when Associated Artists Productions distributed the Popeye cartoons to television stations. Until the 1934 Popeye cartoon Strong to the Finich, the titles bore the words "Max Fleischer presents..." Beginning with the next 1934 Popeye cartoon Shiver Me Timbers!, the titles bore the words "Adolph Zukor presents a Max Fleischer cartoon." Zukor was president of Paramount Pictures. The original voice of Popeye was William "Billy" Costello, a.k.a. "Red Pepper Sam." He was replaced in 1935 by Fleischer in-betweener and story man Jack Mercer, beginning with the cartoon King of the Mardi Gras, leading to a lifelong career for Mercer as the voice of Popeye.

DVD listing

Unless otherwise indicated, these are one reel black and white cartoons.
Dave Fleischer received director credit on every cartoon in this set.

Disc one

1933

Popeye the Sailor (A Betty Boop cartoon)
I Yam What I Yam
Blow Me Down
I Eats My Spinach
Season's Greetinks
Wild Elephinks

1934

Sock-a-Bye Baby
Let's You and Him Fight
The Man on the Flying Trapeze
Can You Take It?
Shoein' Hosses
Strong to The Finich
Shiver Me Timbers!
Axe Me Another
A Dream Walking

Special features

I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor
Popeye Popumentaries: "Mining the Strip: Elzie Segar and Thimble Theatre" and "Me Fickle Goyl, Olive Oyl: The World's Least Likely Sex Symbol."
From the vault: Three Bray Productions/International Film Service studio shorts: "Colonel Heeza Liar at the Bat" (1915), "Krazy Kat Goes-A-Wooing (1916), "Domestic Difficulties" (1916)

Disc two

1934

The Two Alarm Fire
The Dance Contest
We Aim to Please

1935

Beware of Barnacle Bill
Be Kind to Aminals
Pleased to Meet Cha!
The Hyp-Nut-Tist
Choose Yer Weppins
For Better or Worser
Dizzy Divers
You Gotta Be a Footbal Hero
King of the Mardi Gras
Adventures of Popeye (compilation film, partial live-action)
The Spinach Overture

1936

Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky

Special features

Retrospective documentary: "Forging the Frame: The Roots of Animation 1900-1920"
Popeye Popumentaries: "Wimpy the Moocher: Ode to the Burgermeister", "Sailor's Hornpipes: The Voices of Popeye"
From the vault: Three Bray Productions/Sullivan Studios shorts: "Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum" (1918), "Feline Follies" (1919), "The Tantalizing Fly" (1919)

Disc three

1936

A Clean Shaven Man
Brotherly Love
I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski
Bridge Ahoy!
What-No Spinach?
I Wanna Be a Lifeguard
Let's Get Movin'
Never Kick a Woman
Popeye the Sailor with Little Swee' Pea
Hold The Wire
The Spinach Roadster
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor in Technicolor (two reel, fully restored with its original theatrical titles)
I'm In The Army Now (compilation film)

1937

The Paneless Window Washer
Organ Grinder's Swing

Special features

Popeye Popumentaries: "Blow Me Down! The Music of Popeye", "Popeye in Living Color: A Look at the Color Two-Reelers"
From the vault: Six Out of the Inkwell shorts: "Modeling" (1921), "Invisible Ink" (1921), "Bubbles" (1922), "Jumping Beans" (1922), "Bedtime" (1923), "Trapped (1923)

Disc four

1937

My Artistical Temperature
Hospitaliky
The Twisker Pitcher
Morning, Noon and Nightclub
Lost and Foundry
I Never Changes My Altitude
I Likes Babies and Infinks
The Football Toucher Downer
Proteck The Weakerist
Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves in Technicolor (two reel, fully restored with its original theatrical titles)
Fowl Play

1938

Let's Celebrake
Learn Polikeness
The House Builder Upper
Big Chief Ugh-A-Mugh-Ugh

Special features

Popeye Popumentaries: "Me Lil' Swee'Pea: Whose Kid is He Anyway?", "Et Tu, Bluto? Cartoondom's Heavist Heavy"
From the vault: Four Out of the Inkwell/Fleischer Studio shorts: "A Trip to Mars" (1924), "Koko Trains 'Em" (1925), "Koko Back Tracks" (1927), "Let's Sing with Popeye" (1934)