Amos Stevens
New Member
Popeye the Sailor Man Turns 75
Sat Nov 13, 5:55 PM ET
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK - Put away the cake. Pass the spinach. Popeye
celebrates his 75th birthday this year, animated
evidence that a steady diet of leafy green vegetables
and pipe smoking can guarantee you Hulk Hogan forearms
as a septuagenarian.
To honor the veteran sailor man, the Museum of
Television and Radio unveiled a retrospective Saturday
featuring rarities and collectibles from the cartoon
hero's career.
"There are very few characters that are that old and
still in the public consciousness," said Barry Monush,
curator of the exhibit. "It's quite impressive to
stick around that long and stay recognizable."
Recognizable? Who could forget that face, with its
jutting jaw and permanently squinting right eye? Or
those arms, with the signature anchor tattoos?
The exhibit at the midtown Manhattan museum features
five flat-screen televisions running a loop of classic
cartoons, with Popeye proudly proclaiming, "I yam what
I yam." He's joined, as always, by the usual cast of
sidekicks: love interest Olive Oyl, nemesis Bluto, the
ever-indigent Wimpy and baby Swee' Pea.
Popeye was launched in 1929, debuting in a minor role
in the comic strip "Thimble Theater." The sailor was
an immediate hit with readers, and artist E.C. Segar
converted him into the star of the strip within two
years.
Several of the "Thimble Theater" strips, including one
from the Dec. 12, 1931, New York Evening Journal, are
on display.
But it was the Max Fleischer short films, 109 in all,
that ingrained the spinach-chomping sailor into the
national consciousness. The first one debuted in 1933,
and Popeye became such an instant icon that spinach
consumption in the United States jumped 33 percent
during the 1930s.
In the 1950s, the Fleischer cartoons arrived on
television and created a whole new generation of
Popeye fans. New Popeye cartoons debuted in the 1970s,
although that incarnation was more politically
correct: He didn't smoke a pipe, and was far less
likely to pound Bluto into a pulp.
He was, however, still strong to the finish. And he
still ate his spinach — although no one is really
quite sure why.
"I've never read anywhere why spinach was chosen,"
said curator Monush. "Maybe it was something that
Segar liked. Or hated. Maybe it was just a big joke."
Segar died in 1938, but that did nothing to slow down
the Popeye phenomenon: kids in Denmark knew the
character as Skipper Skraek, while Italian children
were treated to cartoons with Bracchio Di Ferro (Iron
Arm).
The retrospective also features a variety of Popeye
memorabilia, from comic books to an original 1933
production cell to the "Official Popeye Pipe," still
in its original package with the promise "It toots!"
"Well, Blow Me Down!: 75 Years of Popeye" runs through
Jan. 30 at the museum. Admission is $10 for adults, $8
for senior citizens and $5 for children under 14. And
no — you cannot pay Tuesday for a tour today.
___
Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press.
Sat Nov 13, 5:55 PM ET
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK - Put away the cake. Pass the spinach. Popeye
celebrates his 75th birthday this year, animated
evidence that a steady diet of leafy green vegetables
and pipe smoking can guarantee you Hulk Hogan forearms
as a septuagenarian.
To honor the veteran sailor man, the Museum of
Television and Radio unveiled a retrospective Saturday
featuring rarities and collectibles from the cartoon
hero's career.
"There are very few characters that are that old and
still in the public consciousness," said Barry Monush,
curator of the exhibit. "It's quite impressive to
stick around that long and stay recognizable."
Recognizable? Who could forget that face, with its
jutting jaw and permanently squinting right eye? Or
those arms, with the signature anchor tattoos?
The exhibit at the midtown Manhattan museum features
five flat-screen televisions running a loop of classic
cartoons, with Popeye proudly proclaiming, "I yam what
I yam." He's joined, as always, by the usual cast of
sidekicks: love interest Olive Oyl, nemesis Bluto, the
ever-indigent Wimpy and baby Swee' Pea.
Popeye was launched in 1929, debuting in a minor role
in the comic strip "Thimble Theater." The sailor was
an immediate hit with readers, and artist E.C. Segar
converted him into the star of the strip within two
years.
Several of the "Thimble Theater" strips, including one
from the Dec. 12, 1931, New York Evening Journal, are
on display.
But it was the Max Fleischer short films, 109 in all,
that ingrained the spinach-chomping sailor into the
national consciousness. The first one debuted in 1933,
and Popeye became such an instant icon that spinach
consumption in the United States jumped 33 percent
during the 1930s.
In the 1950s, the Fleischer cartoons arrived on
television and created a whole new generation of
Popeye fans. New Popeye cartoons debuted in the 1970s,
although that incarnation was more politically
correct: He didn't smoke a pipe, and was far less
likely to pound Bluto into a pulp.
He was, however, still strong to the finish. And he
still ate his spinach — although no one is really
quite sure why.
"I've never read anywhere why spinach was chosen,"
said curator Monush. "Maybe it was something that
Segar liked. Or hated. Maybe it was just a big joke."
Segar died in 1938, but that did nothing to slow down
the Popeye phenomenon: kids in Denmark knew the
character as Skipper Skraek, while Italian children
were treated to cartoons with Bracchio Di Ferro (Iron
Arm).
The retrospective also features a variety of Popeye
memorabilia, from comic books to an original 1933
production cell to the "Official Popeye Pipe," still
in its original package with the promise "It toots!"
"Well, Blow Me Down!: 75 Years of Popeye" runs through
Jan. 30 at the museum. Admission is $10 for adults, $8
for senior citizens and $5 for children under 14. And
no — you cannot pay Tuesday for a tour today.
___
Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press.
That was rather different and interesting. Even though I'm a huge cartoon fan, Popeye has never been one of my big favorites, but I still watched him. Funny this came up now. Just the other day, out of the blue, my 6-y/o nephew started singing the "kid version" of the Popeye theme song. 
