"The Jeep" with Popeye and Olive Oyl (1938)

Here's one of the old Popeye cartoons from the Max and Dave Fleischer Days. The animation is always fluid; or "trippy" as we used to say; in these cartoons. The story lines are kind of entertaining as well; especially if you listen to Popeye's muttering closely. He says some strange things at times.

This one is the usual fare; Olive and Popeye struggling against Brutus as they also struggle with the idiosyncrasies of a new car.

"Mickey's Trailer" - with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy (1938)

When Mickey Mouse sets off for vacation with his two buddies, Goofy and Donald Duck, they make one big mistake; they let Goofy do the driving. You can expect the unexpected as Goofy takes the trio on a hair raising adventure to their destination. But, as usual, in the end everything seems to come together. Hey, like they say, half the adventure is in getting there….

"To Spring" - Happy Harmonies (1936)

This is a repost from a couple of years ago. I was doing cartoons each weekend at the time. After such a cold and snowy winter, this cartoon will hit home with many people- especially those who got foot after foot of snow!

The MGM series of Happy Harmonies cartoons were really not preserved as well as many of the other cartoons of the era. However, there are still some real gems out there. Like this one, “To Spring”, in which the elves are awakened from their winter’s nap by the dripping of the melting ice which slowly sets off the alarm clock to awaken them to their annual task. It is a very important one, too.

You see, these elves are in charge of putting color back into the world after the bleak period of winter has passed. They seem to be enjoying themselves until Old Man Winter makes one final push to regain control over the elements, keeping things cold and bleak. But the elves are up to the challenge, restoring the world to its colorful array of beauty and its natural cycle of life.

"Red Hot Mamma" with Betty Boop (1934)

I’m not exactly sure of what Max Fleischer had in mind when he produced this cartoon, but it’s really quite good. It seems to involve our gal Betty trying to get some sleep on a cold winter’s night. She shivers herself to sleep; dreaming that she is surrounded by fire and warmth; only to discover that she is in hell.  

But devils and demons, along with a few dancing flames, prove no match for Betty’s cold shoulder and icy stare. And you know what? Before she wakes up, hell freezes over. About the only thing missing here is the devil ice skating.

"Christmas Comes But Once a Year" - Max Fleischer (1936)

This is one of those old cartoons that you watch as a kid and never forget. When the children at the orphanage wake up on Christmas morning they are thrilled with the store bought gifts which await them. But that joy gives way to disappointment as the toys break one by one. As a result they are inconsolable.

As their wailing reaches epic proportions Professor Grampy happens to be passing by on his self-propelled sled; he is an inventor. When he ascertains the cause of the children’s trouble he takes only a few seconds to come up with a solution. He’ll build newer and better toys, using the wreckage of the toys they have and some assorted things from around the house.

The Christmas miracle he performs isn’t so much about the material things in life as it is about what we do to help one another in our times of need. Well, that sounds nice. But in reality; at least in the case of this cartoon; it really was all about the toys!

Beautifully animated with all the fluidity you expect from these classic Fleischer cartoons, this is a Christmas classic that will always stand the test of time.

"The Pygmy Hunt" with The Captain and the Kids - (1938)

Okay- get ready to label me politically incorrect with this posting of the next cartoon in The Captain and the Kids series from MGM studios. I said I was going to post all 15 and I really am going to do that. The Christmas one is special- it's in color. But this one is in black and white; in more ways than one.

The title alone should kind of warn you. I mean "Pygmy Hunt"? Well, the Captain has a safari business and boasts that “He brings ‘em back alive.” He has every species of animal in his menagerie except for a Pygmy. Now there’s a thought; a Pygmy is considered an animal in this cartoon. But let’s see what happens here.

The Captain follows his hound into the jungle trying to pick up the “scent”; on the way the dog is slightly confused and it takes him a while to figure out just what the Captain is looking for. Then, when he finally does encounter a real Pygmy he is completely outwitted mentally and a poor match physically. The Captain is of no real help as he has been relying on his hired help for so long that he is clueless.

Even when their luck changes and the Pygmy is trying make a quiet getaway by “passing” as one of them; they manage to screw that up and wind up with a full scale rebellion on their hands. The cartoon closes out with the Captain and his friends being driven from the land by thousands of angry Pygmies.

Looking at it closely it is easy to see who comes up short here. The white colonialist is portrayed as ignorant and the natives are the ones who win in the end. Kind of like what was happening in real life; or about to; when this cartoon was made. By the time the Second World War was over, colonialism was dead, never to return as it once was. 

You have to wonder about the people who wrote this cartoon; and then wonder again at the people who have only viewed it as politically incorrect for all these years. As with most things, the meaning is subjective not only to the context of both the time and place when the cartoon was made, but also to the interpretation of the historical winds associated with them. It’s just a thought.

"Cleaning House" - The Captain and the Kids (1938)

Here we go again with the Captain and the Kids. This time the whole family gets in on the action as Mama tries to get the house cleaned up a bit. If she’s expecting any sincere help from either the Captain or the Kids, she’s going to be sorely disappointed.

As the children fool around and try to convince Mama that they are the two little angels she thinks they are, the Captain is busy trying to do as little work as possible. This proves to be harder than “factually” working, and when faced with the 2 choices; working or faking it; he decides to fake a heart attack instead. Mama is beside herself with concern, but the boys are wise to the Captains trick.

Dr. Quack; from Dr. Quack and Stork; is summoned and turns out to be an imitation of W.C. Fields along with a little mannequin who is unmistakably Charlie McCarthy. That’s what I like about these old cartoons; they take license to poke fun at other entertainers of the time. And guess what? Nobody sued one another over it. There was still a sense of humor in the entertainment world.

Anyway, Dr. Quack hurries over and Dr. Stork follows with a Bundle of Joy, thinking a baby is coming. Mama slams the door in Dr. Stork’s face- she doesn't want any more kids, thank you. Meantime the boys have gotten the Captain into bed just in time for Dr. Quack to check him out. What follows is a series of antics all designed to get the Captain to admit his slacking and beg for relief from Dr. Quack.

Dr. Stork gets past Mama and delivers the baby; who turns out to be the Charlie McCarthy mannequin; the Captain is horrified that he has had a child. He confesses all to Mama and she puts him to work doing everyone’s chores. The boys never do get “found out” in this one. The cartoon closes out with everyone but the Captain eating dinner to the strains of “There’s No Place Like Home.”

"Old Smokey" - The Captain and the Kids (1938)

These cartoons are new to me so I will be posting all 15 of them; one each Saturday as I discover them. I watch one a week and then post it. Hey, don’t knock it - if you were doing this blog every day you’d be strung out for ideas, too!

This week’s episode actually doesn’t feature the kids at all. It’s the story of a man and his horse. When Smokey, the local fire department horse, is replaced by a new fire engine he is heartbroken. He leaves the firehouse with an old man and pulling the old hand pump tuck. His future looks bleak.

The Captain meantime is busy with polishing his new engine, thinking he is the luckiest guy in the world. Then the first fire call comes in. Rushing to the scene the Captain loses control of the rig and the truck is severely damaged.  Smokey; who meanwhile is plodding along with the old man; smells the fire and hauls himself; the old man; and the pump truck to the fire, putting out the blaze with a torrent of water.

The Captain; taking a page from the Little Red Lighthouse, realizes the value of loyalty and service, quickly reuniting with hid old partner. This is only the 3^rd of the 15 Captain and the Kids cartoons I have seen. I like them, not only for the fact that they are new to me, but also because of the quality of the animation and the presence of a coherent plot, capped off with a moral lesson.

"Mama's New Hat" with Captain & the Kids (1939)

When the boys buy a new hat for Mother’s Day they don’t expect the problems they are about to have. As they exit the store they trip and the hat ends up in a mud puddle; ruined. Spying a nearby horse they decide to swap the ruined hat with the one on the horse’s head. (This is a cartoon so there is no reason for the horse NOT to be wearing a hat.)

Sensing an opportunity, the boys quickly exchange the muddy hat for the one the horse is wearing. When the horse figures out she has been swindled she gallops after them, only to lose the trail. She is left searching the streets for the scent of the boys, and her hat.

Meantime, back at home, the boys have presented Mama with her Mother’s Day gift. She promptly goes for a stroll to show it off. And then she comes face to face with the horse, who immediately begins to chase her in order to get her hat back. A very frightened Mama leads the horse back to the house, and the horse actually gets inside to search room by room for what is rightfully hers.

The boys; knowing that they caused this whole mess in the first place; decide to do something. So, they sit the horse down and attempt to mollify her by having her try on every piece of headgear in the house; football helmet and lamp shade included. When the horse becomes dizzy with all the hats and mirrors the boys push her into the bathroom, where she finds herself in the tub with a very surprised, and angry Captain.

The chase that begins in the bathroom reaches epic proportions in relation to the size of the hat at stake. At one point; through the magic of cartoon reality; the horse becomes an airplane with the aid of an electric fan and a dining room table. When they snag the electric line they take most of the town’s power lines along with them before crashing onto a laundry “tree” in someone’s backyard with the contested headpiece landing just out of reach.

At this point the fan; which is still stuck to the horse’s ass; turns the laundry “tree” into a merry go round, with the prized hat becoming the “golden ring.”  The Captain and the Kids cartoons grew out of the comic strip of the same name; which grew out of the Katzenjammer Kids series. For a really good article about the history of that series; with links to the Captain and the Kids strip; use this link;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Katzenjammer_Kids

"Seal Skinners" - Captain and the Kids Cartoon (1939)

In 1938 MGM launched a series of cartoons based on the characters featured in the comic strip “The Captain and the Kids” which was originated by Rudolph Dirk. The strip was actually just another version of his highly popular classic “The Katzenjammer Kids.” Dirks was that strip’s original creator and Harold H. Knerr did the drawings. “The Captain and the Kids” cartoons would number 15 in all; released during the years 1938 and 1939.

For some reason the series didn't catch on with the public and was relegated to the back shelves until the advent of television. As more and more households purchased TV sets there was a serious lack of new shows to fill the time. As the 1950’s rolled around the television became the first thing many children saw in the mornings; even before their parents woke up. I remember waking up many a day and seeing the test pattern still on the tube, waiting for start of the broadcast day with the Star Spangled Banner and sometimes even a morning editorial. Then came the cartoons.

This series is interesting because it was produced by William Hanna; later of Hanna-Barbera fame; and the voice over genius of Mel Blanc. If Lon Chaney was the Man of a Thousand Faces, then surely Mel Blanc was the Man of a Thousand Voices. He would go on to become the voice of every character heard in a thousand Looney Toon cartoons. In this cartoon he is the voice of John Silver. The Captain was done by Billy Bletcher.

The plot for this cartoon is relatively simple; a seal has escaped from the circus; Jingling Brothers; and a reward of $100,000 is offered for his return. Bad guys John Silver and the Captain both show up as cabdrivers, offering to take him home. Of course their motives are less than honorable, and soon the seal finds himself in a battle of wits with the two witless ones.

But, fear not; as in most cartoons good triumphs over evil; the beauty is in the way that it gets accomplished. I had forgotten all about these cartoons and was pleasantly surprised to find them while scrolling around on You Tube. You can expect that I will be running the remaining 14 in the weeks to come.

"The Bookworm" - MGM (1939)

A storm and an old mansion are the setting for this 1939 MGM cartoon. As the clock expires from exhaustion in the wee hours of the night a storm rages outside. And as it does the inhabitants of many of the books in the library come out to play. The witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth get Poe’s Raven to hunt for a worm to complete the making of one of their “brews.” Since this is a library the Raven looks in the books for a bookworm.

Finding one isn’t too hard, but keeping him captive proves to be a mammoth task for all concerned. The action is non-stop as the Raven and his cronies attempt to outsmart the bookworm. But remember, he’s spent a lot of time in and around books, so he has a few tricks of his own to fall back on. Great story and animation mark this one as a real keeper.

Although the cartoon was actually directed by Friz Freleng, Hugh Harman got the screen credit. The voice of the Raven is none other than the incomparable Mel Blanc.

"Dancing On the Moon" - Max Fleischer (1935)

Someone recently pointed out to me that the video link to this cartoon had been compromised. I first ran it in January 2013. For those who have never seen it, share it with a Grandchild. It's not "Frozen" but it sure is a lot of fun!

Dave Fleischer really put a lot of effort and imagination into this 1935 cartoon. I can almost hear the laughter of the audience watching this just before the weekly “Flash Gordon” serial. The rocket ship is about the same, but the cast of characters is straight out of Noah’s Ark!

The cartoon begins as all of the animals within hearing distance strive to board the “Honeymoon Express”, as it prepares to take off for a journey to the moon, and promises of connubial bliss. The only thing which goes wrong is when the tom cat’s bride gets left behind. She is furious, and he is “mooning” over her for the entire trip, even as the other guests enjoy their “special” time with one another, far away from earthly woes. The giraffes “necking” is one good example of the humor employed in this flight of fancy.

The usual fluidity is readily apparent, and even without the credits at the start, you’d have to be blind to not recognize this as a Max and Dave Fleischer cartoon. The song “Dancing on the Moon” was written by Charles Tobias and Murray Mencher; the song writing team who, along with Eddie Cantor the comedian; wrote the Merrie Melodies theme song “Merrily We Roll Along”.  Mr. Tobias also penned the popular hits “Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days of Summer”, the World War Two staple “Don’t Sit under the Apple Tree”, and even the slightly annoying “A Hunting We Will Go.” His collaborations with his brother, as well as other songwriters, are too numerous to list here.

There’s a lot that went into these old cartoons, usually with only about 6 people working on them. The Fleischer team was typical of the era, employing less than 10 people even for a feature cartoon. Compared to today’s technically proficient releases; which usually cap out at about 1,000 people taking part in the creative process; the most amazing thing about these older gems are that they got made at all!

"Betty in Blunderland" with Betty Boop (Dave Fleischer - 1933)

Here's fanciful version of Betty Boop as "Alice in Wonderland" by Dave Fleischer. I love the fluidity of these old cartoons. They seem to have a life of their own.

As always, these cartoons are posted in the hope that my 4 granddaughters, Aliyah, Trinity, Molly and Julia will enjoy them. Well, I can hope. After all, these old cartoons are up against Dora the Explorer. That's rough competition, though I still prefer the old ones.

The direct benefit to me is of course; and not really having to think too hard about what to post on a lazy Saturday in July.

"Butterscotch and Soda" - Little Audrey (1948)

I post a good many cartoons, but not enough of a variety to suit my granddaughters. Popeye can't really hold a candle to Dora the Explorer. So, stuck for an idea I googled the phrase “classic cartoons for girls” and came up with this character, Little Audrey, and I actually remember seeing a few seconds of these on TV when I was a kid. They were the ones that came on when I went to get a snack. Being a boy I wasn't interested in Little Audrey, but now that I've taken a look at one of these cartoons, I’m a bit intrigued.

   

Little Audrey is actually based upon the Little Lulu comic strip character created by Marjorie Henderson Buell. These cartoons came about between 1947 and 1958 when Paramount decided not to renew the Little Lulu series. Little Audrey’s voice is done by Mae Questel, who also did almost all of the other major female cartoon characters for Paramount, including Betty Boop and Olive Oyl.

The plot of this cartoon, which was the first of the Little Audrey releases, is fairly simple. Audrey can’t stop eating candy and her Nanny is at her wits end concerning what to do about it. In desperation she finally searches the entire house, discovering Audrey’s hidden stashes everywhere and destroying them all. When Audrey discovers her candy missing, she goes into shock and enters a dreamland of; you guessed it; Candy!

But even enough of a good thing can become too much and Audrey ends up locked in a dream world where the very things which she craves all seem to turn against her, singing out their warnings to her in a very clever song “Tummy Ache Blues”, written by Winston Sharples and Buddy Kane. When Audrey finally comes to, she is met by the face of her Nanny; who thought she was dying; but now holds out a box of chocolates, telling Audrey that she can have all the candy she wants.

These cartoons were the product of Seymour Kneitel and illustrators Al Eugster, Bill Hudson and Irving Spector. Though the Nanny character is a stereotype; just as the character of Little Audrey is; the Nanny is clearly the wiser of the two. Now, I wonder how this one will stand up next to Dora the Explorer?

"I Yam What I Yam" - Popeye the Sailor (1933)

This cartoon is in very good shape! If Seymour Kneitel and William Henning were still with us today they would be amazed. They worked under the direction of Dave Fleischer on this one for Paramount. It’s filled with all of the stuff you’d expect in a Popeye cartoon; sight gags abound; and Olive gets to cry for help as she beats the crap out of some Indians.

Wimpy is on board for this adventure, looking for a hamburger, and as usual, causing some problems for Popeye, who always seems to be looking out for him. There is no real plot to this cartoon other than Popeye and Olive Oyl, along with Wimpy, are both in a lifeboat rowing; that is Olive and Wimpy are rowing; Popeye is busy singing about himself.

If you are a fan of the theme song; which was composed by composed by Sammy Lerner in 1933; then the opening lyrics will be of interest to you. It is slightly different than the usual version. And when the credits stop rolling it’s Popeye who does some of the singing. I still haven’t figured out why they used Bluto’s voice for the opening; he’s not even in this cartoon! One of the best versions of the song was recorded by Hoagy Carmichael. For years I thought he wrote it. As a matter of fact I think I even credited him with writing it incorrectly in a post a couple of years ago! Sorry, Sammy!

Politically correct types are herewith forewarned. This cartoon may be offensive to you, as it invokes the stereotypical American Indian of the 1930’s. But then again, everybody in this cartoon is a caricature of something. For instance, Olive Oyl is the man hungry woman representative of the “weaker sex.” Keep that in mind when you watch her beat the carp out of those Indians while calling for help.

For one of the best histories on the Popeye cartoons; and the original comic strip from which they derived; go to Wikipedia at the following link;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye

"Cartoons Ain't Human" with Popeye (1943)

In this 1943 release Popeye tries his hand at drawing a cartoon for his nephews. But, first he needs an idea. Quickly looking about him he comes up with a few, only to have one of his better ideas “censored” by a human hand. This cartoon was made during the war, and there are a few references in it that may puzzle the viewer who is not acquainted with the history of World War Two on the home front here in the United States.

All in all, we had it pretty good; at least that’s what I have been told. I was born in 1954, when the war had been over for several years. Aside from the “censored” part in this cartoon, there are references to “rationing”, such as when Popeye pulls out his trusty can of spinach; the label on it reads “Spinach – 17 points”.

Another unusual approach to this cartoon; which was not produced or directed by Max or Dave Fleischer; is that Popeye draws himself, and the other cast members of his cartoon, as stick figures. Not much imagination required for that when looking at Olive Oyl. .

While showing the cartoon to his nephews, Popeye acts as a one man band, playing everything imaginable, creating a soundtrack as wild as the cartoon he has drawn. In it, he plays himself, working for Newt’s Zoot Suits, carrying a sandwich board style sign to advertise Newt’s Suits.  Meantime, back at home, Olive is being accosted by the evil landlord, complete with mustache, who wants the rent, or Olive. When Olive literally calls Popeye for help, the usual high jinx occurs.

The only difference is that this time it’s just a cartoon inside a cartoon; so you don’t have to worry about how it all works out. Directed by Seymour Kneitel, and animated by Orestes Calpini and Otto Feuer, this may be one of the most unusual Popeye cartoons ever.

"Popeye the Sailor" with Betty Boop (1933)

What could be more entertaining than a classic cartoon featuring 2 of the most recognizable feature cartoon characters in it? In this 8 minute classic, Popeye the Sailor finds himself ashore after an ocean voyage. He elects to take Olive Oyl to the Carnival with predictable results, as he and Bluto compete in their never ending quest for her affections.

When the Hula Hula dancer (Betty Boop) makes her appearance and Popeye jumps on stage to perform with her, Bluto sees his chance and takes it; or rather, Olive; and kidnaps her with the intention of making her his wife whether she likes it or not.

By the way, while Popeye is dancing, at about 5 minutes into the cartoon, he encounters a snake on stage, and places his pipe under the serpents nose, quickly neutralizing the snake and calling into question just what was in that pipe? This is not the first time I have sensed that Popeye was a “smoker.” In several other cartoons he uses his pipe as a blowtorch to open the can and then inhales the “spinach” through the pipe.

Once Popeye realizes that Olive is gone and in danger, he jumps into “high” gear; and the chase is on to save the woman of his dreams. As in all of the old cartoons, everything works out in the end for Popeye and Olive. This is a unique cartoon in that it is the first one for Popeye and the only one in which he appears with Betty Boop. He also sings the entire theme song, which was composed by Sammy Lerner in 1933 for this cartoon. It was also a hit for Hoagy Carmichael, which I play in my car, much to most people’s disbelief.

Until this cartoon’s release in 1933, Popeye had only been in the funny papers since January of 1929, drawn by E.C. Segar for the Thimble Theater series. Segar had been working with King Features Syndicate since 1919. Riding the wave of success surrounding the Betty Boop cartoons, Max Fleischer decided to animate the cartoon strip, He chose a Betty Boop cartoon to do it in, figuring that if it failed to gain any traction, it wouldn’t be noticed for long.

Of course, Betty Boop may have remained a staple in the world of classic cartoons, but Popeye went on to greater success in the 1950’s when King Features re-vitalized him in a new format featuring Brutus in Bluto’s place. Those cartoons never did measure up to the “trippy” style which rolled out of the studios during the 1930’s, making them a delight to watch even today, over 80 years later.

"To Spring" - Happy Harmonies (1936)

This winter has seemed to drag on forever, so I thought I’d repost this cartoon from last year. It seems to fit the yo-yo like weather which we have been experiencing here for the past month or so. Hopefully we have seen the last of the bad weather until next year…

The MGM series of Happy Harmonies cartoons were really not preserved as well as many of the other cartoons of the era. However, there are still some real gems out there. Like this one, “To Spring”, in which the elves are awakened from their winter’s nap by the dripping of the melting ice which slowly sets off the alarm clock to awaken them to their annual task. It is a very important one, too.

You see, these elves are in charge of putting color back into the world after the bleak period of winter has passed. They seem to be enjoying themselves until Old Man Winter makes one final push to regain control over the elements, keeping things cold and bleak. But the elves are up to the challenge, restoring the world to its colorful array of beauty and its natural cycle of life.

"The Snow Man" - (1932)

With much of the country in the icy grips of late winter storms I thought a cartoon about snow would be appropriate. So, I picked one which shows bad weather to be all that it is, and yet offers some hope for a reprieve from the onslaught.

I have no real information to share about this cartoon; the credits at the beginning have been cut short, so I can't even tell you what studio produced it. But it is good enough to stand on it's own merit.

Apparently the evil Snowman arrives right around Christmas; kind of like the Grinch; and makes everybody miserable. That's just what he does; it's his "thing."

But soon his victims grow tired and one of them fast forwards the wintry season through the use of what appears to be a seasonal adjuster, bringing on a new spring. And, just like the Wicked Witch of the West in "Wizard of Oz", he melts away and the world goes back to a warm and friendly place once again.

So, take heart. This won't last forever.

"Popeye the Sailor" with Betty Boop (1933)

I hurt my hand and cannot blog for a few days - Please excuse me while I heal and enjoy a couple of my old favorites...

What could be more entertaining than a classic cartoon featuring 2 of the most recognizable feature cartoon characters in it? In this 8 minute classic, Popeye the Sailor finds himself ashore after an ocean voyage. He elects to take Olive Oyl to the Carnival with predictable results, as he and Bluto compete in their never ending quest for her affections.

When the Hula Hula dancer (Betty Boop) makes her appearance and Popeye jumps on stage to perform with her, Bluto sees his chance and takes it; or rather, Olive; and kidnaps her with the intention of making her his wife whether she likes it or not.

By the way, while Popeye is dancing, at about 5 minutes into the cartoon, he encounters a snake on stage, and places his pipe under the serpents nose, quickly neutralizing the snake and calling into question just what was in that pipe? This is not the first time I have sensed that Popeye was a “smoker.” In several other cartoons he uses his pipe as a blowtorch to open the can and then inhales the “spinach” through the pipe.

Once Popeye realizes that Olive is gone and in danger, he jumps into “high” gear; and the chase is on to save the woman of his dreams. As in all of the old cartoons, everything works out in the end for Popeye and Olive. This is a unique cartoon in that it is the first one for Popeye and the only one in which he appears with Betty Boop. He also sings the entire theme song, which was composed by Sammy Lerner in 1933 for this cartoon. It was also a hit for Hoagy Carmichael, which I play in my car, much to most people’s disbelief.

Until this cartoon’s release in 1933, Popeye had only been in the funny papers since January of 1929, drawn by E.C. Segar for the Thimble Theater series. Segar had been working with King Features Syndicate since 1919. Riding the wave of success surrounding the Betty Boop cartoons, Max Fleischer decided to animate the cartoon strip, He chose a Betty Boop cartoon to do it in, figuring that if it failed to gain any traction, it wouldn’t be noticed for long. 

Of course, Betty Boop may have remained a staple in the world of classic cartoons, but Popeye went on to greater success in the 1950’s when King Features re-vitalized him in a new format featuring Brutus in Bluto’s place. Those cartoons never did measure up to the “trippy” style which rolled out of the studios during the 1930’s, making them a delight to watch even today, 80 years later.