Popeye the Sailor (1960s TV series)

Production

In the late 1950s, the original Popeye theatrical shorts released by Paramount Studios from 1933 to 1957 began airing in many television markets and garnered huge ratings. King Features Syndicate, who owned the print rights to the "Popeye" name, did not earn any money from the syndication of the Paramount theatrical Popeye films. In order to capitalize on Popeye's television popularity, King Features hastily commissioned a new series of made-for-television Popeye cartoons. Al Brodax served as executive producer of the cartoons for King Features' then-newly created television production and distribution division (known today as Hearst Entertainment, named after King Features' parent company, the Hearst Corporation). Jack Mercer, Mae Questel and Jackson Beck returned for this series, which was produced by several different animation companies: Gerald Ray Studios, Jack Kinney Productions, Rembrandt Films/Halas and Batchelor, and Larry Harmon Productions).

Famous Studios, which produced the theatrical entries from 1942 to 1957, also returned, although by this point they had been renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios. The series was produced using the limited animation technique, whose production values contrasted sharply to their Popeye theatrical counterparts. The artwork was streamlined, simplified for television budgets, and the entries were completed at a breakneck pace. 220 made-for-television cartoons were produced in two years; in contrast, 231 theatrical cartoons were produced in 24 years. Several minor changes were made for the characters. Though World War II had ended 15 years prior, Popeye still retained his white Navy uniform (except in "Barbecue for Two", in which he wears his original black navy garb). Olive Oyl's appearance was a hybrid of different incarnations; while her outfit reverted to the Fleischer years of a red turtleneck, long black dress and huge shoes, her hair retained the mid/late 1940s and 1950s makeover initiated by Famous Studios (except in "Barbecue for Two", in which she is portrayed in her Fleischer/early Famous Studios design, and "Hits and Missiles", in which she wears her later Famous Studios clothes of red shirt with collar, black dress, and high-heel shoes).

The biggest change was to Bluto, whose name was changed to "Brutus". At the time, King Features believed that Paramount owned the rights to the name "Bluto". King Features actually owned the name, as Bluto had been originally created for the comic strip; however, due to a lack of thorough research, they failed to realize this and reinvented him as Brutus to avoid supposed copyright infringement problems. Realizing their mistake, King Features began to promote Brutus as an entirely new character. His demeanor was altered slightly, and his physical appearance was changed from being muscular to morbidly obese. In addition, the sailor/Navy uniform was replaced with an enormous blue shirt and black pants. Many entries lifted storylines directly from the comic strip, resulting in the inclusion of many characters not seen in the theatrical releases, including the Sea Hag, Toar, Rough House, and King Blozo. Like their theatrical counterparts, the made-for-television series was also a big ratings success. Popeye the Sailor aired in syndication in the United States into the 1990s. Notably, the 1960s shorts would mark the final time Mae Questel would voice Olive Oyl.

Larry Harmon Pictures

Note: The story of all episodes are made by Charlie Shows.

Rembrandt Films/Halas and Batchelor

Gerald Ray Studios

Note: In this production, the animation team was composed by: Izzy Ellis, Sam Kai, Casey Onaitis, Ray Young, Bill Higgins, Barney Posner, John Garling, and Bud Partch. Finally, backgrounds and layouts are made respectively by Dave Weidman and Henry Lee.

VHS

In the late 1990s, the Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits restaurant franchise released most of the 1960s cartoons on VHS in the Popeye Cartoon Video Collection Series promotional line. Each video in the series featured one promotional segment for Popeyes showing video footage of its fried chicken, biscuits and other products followed by the 1960s Popeye cartoons. After the cartoons, the second segment for Popeyes and two bonus cartoons were also featured.

DVD

In 2004, Family Home Entertainment released the four 1960s cartoons on the DVD release of Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy. The shorts included "Spinach Greetings" (Classic Christmas Episode), "Popeye in the Grand Steeple Chase", "Valley of the Goons", and "William Won't Tell". 85 of the 1960s Popeye cartoons were released on DVD by Koch Vision in a three-disc DVD set entitled Popeye's 75th Anniversary.

Warner Archive Collection will re-release the cartoons. The first volume was released on May 7, 2013. Most of the cartoons to be released were produced by Paramount Cartoon Studios, which are included in the first volume. As of 2016, no further volumes have been released.

Broadcasting history