Cartoon a Day: Beware of Barnacle Bill

Beware of Barnacle Bill
1935
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1

It's been so long since I've blogged. Doesn't quite seem right to call it "Cartoon a Day" with a such a long absence. What can I say, life gets crazy sometimes. Well, let's give it another go, shall we.

Today we return with a true classic of the early Popeye series, "Beware of Barnacle Bill," sometimes refereed to simply as "Barnacle Bill the Sailor." In this short, Popeye has come to ask Olive to ask him to marry her, but she tells him that she is in love with Barnacle Bill, played by Bluto.


This film is sort of like a mini opera, with the characters singing the song "Barnacle Bill the Sailor" as a bridge between the fights. The Fleischer studio excelled at producing cartoons where music was the centerpiece and this short is a great example of that. The cartoon is not complex, it's just three characters and it all takes place in one room. However, the way the music and the animation work together is superb.

I've got to say, the final gag involving Popeye is a classic. It seems so out of character for him to be cleaning up the mess that he and Bluto caused, but then when he undoes all that work with one door slam it makes perfect sense.

Cartoon a Day: A Clean Shaven Man

A Clean Shaven Man
1936
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye the Sailor 1933-1938

Several of the Popeye shorts feature some very simple but memorable little songs. Such is the case for "A Clean Shaven Man." As soon as I started watching this cartoon I was singing the title song in my head from having watched the short many many times as a child.

In this one, Popeye and Bluto head to Wimpy's barbershop to get a shave so they can impress Olive. However, Wimpy is out, so the two decide to take turns shaving the other. Of course, Popeye lives up to his end of the bargain, but Bluto makes the one-eyed sailor look worse than when he started.

This short comes several years into the Popeye series, so there is a lot more detail in the character and background designs. Olive Oyle is even starting to show some degree of curviness...it's not much, this is Olive Oyl after all, but it's definitely there.

The best moments come after Popeye has had his spinach. I love when he is beating up on Bluto in a classic fight cloud, all the while muttering along with the music of the film's soundtrack. The final gag is also great in which Olive ends up walking down the street on the arm of a long-bearded man. The man actually looks like he could be Mr. Geezil from the comic strips which Popeye is based on. A rare appearance from one of the the many other characters that appeared with Popeye in print.

Cartoon a Day: Sock-a-Bye Baby

Sock-a-Bye Baby
1934
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1

“Sock-a-Bye Baby” features a pretty ruthless Popeye. He’s put in charge of watching a napping “infink,” and he does anything to keep the baby from waking up.

It’s that classic cartoon premise we’ve talked about before where one character is sleeping and another tries to keep him from waking up.

The baby in this short is not Swee'Pea, who had only just been introduced into the Popeye comic strip shortly before this short was made. Olive Oyl and Bluto don’t even appear in this one, it’s just Popeye and the baby. He still manages to do a great bit of damage, though. There are some classic bits of Popeye violence in this one, including him swinging from a flag pole to knock out people in the windows of a building and punching a radio and sending an electronic fist through the air waves to sock the person at the other end of the microphone. Another great example of that warped Fleischer sense of humor.

Cartoon a Day: Wild Elephinks

Wild Elephinks
1933
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1

“Wild Elephinks” is another very memorable early Popeye short. I remember this one being in the regular rotation on Channel 32 in Chicago when I was a kid. It’s another one in which Bluto does not appear, but don’t worry, Popeye has his hands full with a bunch of nasty animals. In other words, this short is PETA’s worst nightmare.

Popeye and Olive Oyl end up on a jungle island in this one. As Popeye is doing battle with a giant elephant, a gorilla takes the opportunity to run off with Olive. This leads to one of my favorite moments in this short, and a perfect example of the Fleischer sense of humor, when the gorilla picks coconuts as he carries Olive and uses her head to crack them open.

Eventually, Popeye must battle a snake, a moose, a lion, and all sorts of other creatures. These animals have a great look. There is a lot of character, not just the generic look-as-much-like-Mickey-Mouse-as-you-can style that was so prevalent during this era. The great look of the animal characters is all the more important when Popeye beats them to pulp, and we get some great reaction shots.

Cartoon a Day: I Eats My Spinach

I Eats My Spinach
1933
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1

The last four days were pretty wild. Everything from snow storms, to sci-fi conventions, to jigsaw puzzles with the kids. I have been watching my daily cartoons, so it will take a little time to catch up. Normally I might just skip the blogging, but I'm loving these Popeye cartoons so much, I just can't.

In "I Eats My Spinach," Popeye joins the ranks of many cartoon characters by participating in a bull fight. I did a whole week of bull fight cartoons awhile ago, this one begins with a simple visit to the rodeo only to have Popeye get roped into competing against the star of the event, Bluto. Eventually he must do battle with both Bluto and a bull. It's fun to watch Popeye show up Bluto in every way, shape and form. You've gotta wonder why the guy keeps on trying.

One of my favorite parts of this particular cartoon is fight where Popeye, Bluto and Olive all end up socking it out. I call this thing a "fight cloud," you see them in many Popeye cartoons. With the magic of DVD, it's fun to freeze frame these sequence and watch all the unique animation poses the characters end up in. I won't waste any more words...just check out this great sequence of images...

Cartoon a Day: Blow Me Down

Blow Me Down
1933
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1

Popeye's third big screen adventure takes our hero south of the border and steps up the action and the entertainment in many ways.

In some ways, you can see the animators realizing what they had in the character of Olive Oyl. If ever there was a character made for animation, it's Olive. At this point she's pretty much a clothes pin with rubber band arms and legs. Throughout her dance sequence we see the artists explore the range of her movements.

This short also steps up the level of violence...big time! Barely a minute into the short a bandito takes a shot at Popeye from behind! Of course it bounces off of his skull and nails the shooter who falls several stories to the street below. Kids stuff, right?

The bar room brawl that follows between Popeye and Bluto's gang is even more violent. The commentators on the DVD actually compare it to the House of Blue Leaves fight sequence from Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 1." To be honest, I can see it. Some of the elements of the setting and angles used are similar. Not to mention the fact that one person manages to fend off a slew of attackers. I wouldn't put it past Tarantino to have looked to Popeye for inspiration, let's put it that way.

It is strange to see this level of violence in a cartoon today, but I guess the fighting is part of what gives Popeye cartoons their charm.

Cartoon a Day: I Yam What I Yam

I Yam What I Yam
1933
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye The Sailor Vol. 1

Popeye's second screen appearance is quite different from his first. It actually strays from the Popeye vs. Bluto formula but is still a great cartoon. Bluto doesn't even appear in this one, but another famous character, Wimpy, makes his debut (though without any hamburgers).

As the short opens, Popeye, Olive and Wimpy are rowing across the sea through a storm. Actually, Olive is doing all the rowing, which makes for a very funny opening sequence. Popeye stands at the front of the boat like Washington crossing the Delaware, Wimpy sits back and eat fish pulled right from the water, meanwhile Olive is rowing like mad.

The action gets started after the trio have arrived on land and are attacked by a group of indians. The sequence where the indians close in on the cabin is a classic example of the Fleischer style. The indians actually morph into bushes and trees as they move in for the attack. It's certainly not politicly correct by today's standards, but a fun cartoon none the less.

Cartoon a Day: Popeye the Sailor

Popeye the Sailor
1933
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1

I had a great Easter weekend, but busy. My parents were in town and we did four puppet shows at four Easter services, thus the break in blogging. However, with my birthday just a few weeks away, my parents gave me some early gifts. One was the first DVD set of Popeye cartoons, so I think we'll focus on the one-eyed sailor this week.

This is the very first short to feature Popeye, it is technically a part of the Betty Boop series even though she only makes a cameo. The basic premise that would direct most of the Popeye films for years to come is in place right from the beginning. Popeye and Bluto compete for the affections of Olive Oyl, a fight ensues, Popeye eats some spinach and wins Olive.

Popeye is a unique character in animation history. He wasn't born on film, but came from comic strips. But his film career only added to the popularity of the character. One of the commentators on this DVD set describes him as being the first superhero, and I suppose that 's true.


He's also a somewhat absurd character that perfectly fits the outlandish style of the Fleischer studio. It's interesting note in this first cartoon that Popeye, Olive, and Bluto are the only human characters. The other characters are anthropomorphic animals, which is something that would not continue as the series progressed.

It has been so long since I really watched the Popeye shorts. They were daily viewing as a kid, but I must admit I have avoided them as an adult as many of the showings on Cartoon Network in recent years have been colorized abominations (curse you Ted Turner). It's going to be fun looking at these shorts again!

Guilty Pleasure 7: Popeye

I remember the Christmas my family got it's first VCR, the first movie we recorded off of TV a few days after Christmas was "Popeye." I haven't done a guilty pleasure movie article for awhile, but since "Popeye" came around on my Netflix que it seemed like a a good one to highlight.

Released in 1980, this film brings the world of Popeye to live action. The casting is brilliant...Robin Williams as Popeye, Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl, Ray Waltson as Poopdeck Pappy...all inspired choices. The supporting cast is also great, including many very physical actors bringing some of the lesser known characters from the Popeye comic universe to life. The one odd personnel choice is not in the acting category, but rather the choice of director...Robert Altman.




Altman is considered by many to be one of the greatest American directors of all time. I'll give him that for movies like "M*A*S*H" and "Nashville," but he's also had some disasters ("Pret-a-Porter," yikes my eyes still burn). As good as Altman can be, he was an odd choice for a film aimed at a family audience. Altman is known for his films in which characters talk over each other, "Popeye" is no exception. To say this makes the film a bit hard to follow, especially for young audience, would be an understatement.




Still, "Popeye" succeeds in creating a world. The town of Sweethaven seems to exist in it's own universe. With the antics of it's residents, it is literally a slapstick cartoon brought to life.

Some call this film a mess, others say it's brilliant...I think it fits somewhere in between, but I enjoy it.