DVD Review “Popeye The Sailor: The 1960s Classics – Volume 1”

Voices: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Jackson Beck
Studio: Warner Archive
DVD Release Date: May 7, 2013
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 409 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love Popeye The Sailor? If you are a parent, you should take advantage of his lessons to eat your spinach. When I was a kid, I remember my parents used to always say eat your spinach so you can be strong like Popeye. These shorts are really classics. They are also fun to watch when I was a kid and nothing has changed as an adult. I look forward to sharing these with my daughter as well. This release is volume 1 of the classics Popeye cartoons from Paramount, adding up to 72-episodes. If you are a Popeye fan, this is a great release from Warner Archive. The episodes look great and are well represented here. Sign me up for volume 2…and keep them coming Warner Archive!

With TV reruns of the Fleischer/Famous Studios theatrical shorts proving that Popeye still packed a spinach-powered punch that delivered smash ratings, King Features commissioned a new series of Sailor Man shorts under the aegis of executive producer Al Brodax. The TV incarnation of Popeye made up for its scaled back animation with a broadened narrative scope while still staying true to the source. Thanks to the continued use of voice actors Jack Mercer (Popeye), Mae Questel (Olive) and Jackson Beck (Bluto who was now called Brutus) as well as the use of veteran Popeye animation talents who were then working at Paramount Cartoon Studios, these shorts remained authentic. The addition of a number of Thimble Theater comic strip characters making their cartoon debuts – including King Blozo, Toar, and Sea Hag – only added to the shorts “yam what I yam” charm.

Disc 1 consists of the following episodes ranging from 1960-1961: 1. Hits And Missiles, 2. The Ghost Host, 3. Strikes,Spares An’ Spinach, 4. Jeep Is Jeep, 5. The Spinach Scholar, 6. Psychiatricks, 7. Rags To Riches To Rags, 8. Hair Cut-ups, 9. Poppa Popeye, 10. Quick Change Olie, 11.Valley of The Goons, 12. Me Quest For Poopdeck Pappy, 13. Moby Hick, 14. Mirror Magic, 15. It Only Hurts When They Laughs, 16. Wimpy The Moocher, 17. Voo-Doo To You Too, 18. Popeye Goes Sale-ing, 19. Popeye’s Travels, 20. Incident At Missile City, 21. Dog Catcher Popeye, 22. What’s News, 23. Spinach Greetings, 24. The Baby Contest, 25. Oil’s Well That Ends Well, 26. Motor Knocks, 27.Amusement Park, 28. Duel To The Finish, 29. Gem Jam, 30. The Bathing Beasts, 31. The Rain Breaker, 32. Messin’ Up The Mississippi, 33. Love Birds, 34. Sea Serpent, 35. Boardering On Trouble and 36. Aladdin’s Lamp

Disc 2 continue with shorts from 1961. 37. Butler Up, 38. The Leprechaun, 39. County Fair, 40. Hamburgers Aweigh, 41. Popeye’s Double Trouble, 42. Kiddie Kapers, 43. The Mark of Zero, 44. Myskery Melody, 45. Scairdy Cat, 46. Operation Ice-Tickle, 47. The Cure, 48. William Won’t Tell, 49. Pop Goes The Whistle, 50. Autographically Yours, 51. A Poil For Olive Oyl, 52. My Fair Olive, 53. Giddy Gold, 54. Strange Things Are Happening, 55. The Medicine Man, 56. A Mite of Trouble, 57. Who’s Kiddin’ Zoo, 58. Robot Popeye, 59. Sneaking Peeking and 60. Seer-Ring Is Believer-Ring.

Lastly Disc 3 completed the volume with more episodes but jumps from 1961 back to 1960 for some reason. 61.The Wiffle Bird’s Revenge, 62. Going…Boing…Gone, 63. Popeye Thumb, 64. Where There’s A Will, 65. Take It Easel, 66. I Bin Sculped, 67. Fleas A Crowd, 68. Popeye’s Junior Headache, 69. The Big Sneeze, 70. The Last Resort, 71. Jeopardy Sheriff and 72.Baby Phase.