Review DVD: Popeye the Sailor - 1933-1938, Vol. 1

By: jomama123
Date: Saturday, February 09, 2008

Recently released, courtesy of Warner Home Video, is the ultimate Fleischer Studios collection of “Popeye the Sailor” cartoons, 60 of them from 1933-1938 on four discs. This is a must-have for any classic animation fanatic.

In my opinion, only two classic comic strips have successfully made the transition to the movie screen: the brilliant Arthur Lake “Blondie” films of the 40s and Fleischer Studios’ “Popeye the Sailor” – at least before Paramount bought Fleischer Studios in 1942.

In 1933, Popeye emerged on the screen as a guest star in a Betty Boop cartoon, that other genius Fleischer brothers (and Grim Natwick) creation. The character had made his comic strip debut only a few years earlier in 1929 in Elzie Segar’s then ten-year-old comic strip “Thimble Theatre.” Unlike Walt Disney’s cute loveable characters, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy, and even Swee’ Pea could be seen from a dark side: an old toothless one-eyed sailor in love with a skinny harridan whose was pursued by a huge bearded dimwitted thug – and then there was that fatherless baby. This was hardly the stuff of comedy, but Segar and the Fleischers pulled it off with brilliant sight gags and stellar vocal characterizations by Mae Questel and mumbling Jack Mercer.

As for the quality of the DVDs, they are fully restored from the original black and white negatives. The extras include the color two-reelers, “Popeye Meets Sinbad the Sailor” and “Popeye Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves.” And there are also retrospectives of the Popeye character and studio boss Max Fleischer.


Click here to read the staff review by Mania.