Popeye Cartoon Season 1 Episodes

Episode 1

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp

Fri, Apr 7, 1939 21 mins

The third and last of the two-reeler Popeye cartoons, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp starts out with a framing device. Olive Oyl is working at Surprise Pictures as a script girl, and she decides that remaking the story of Aladdin as a vehicle for her beloved Popeye would be a great idea. As she begins contemplating this scenario, we see Aladdin (Popeye), a poor boy who pines for the beautiful Princess (Olive, of course). A wicked Wazzir comes to Aladdin and tricks him into searching for a magical lamp that is deep inside a mysterious cave. The Wazzir intends to use the power of the lamp to get the Princess for himself, but he does not get that chance after Aladdin becomes trapped in the cave. Striking the lamp to light a match, Aladdin inadvertently summons a Genie who must do his bidding. With the Genie's help, Aladdin becomes a prince and woos the Princess, but the Wazzir becomes wise to the boy's true identity and plots his ruin. Fortunately, Aladdin uses the really magical power of spinach to ultimately defeat his enemy and live happily ever after with the Princess -- which is not the fate of Olive herself, who awakens from her reverie to find herself surrounded with scripts.

Episode 2

Little Swee' Pea

Fri, Sep 25, 1936 7 mins

Swee' Pea is featured.

Episode 3

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad

Fri, Nov 27, 1936 8 mins

The first Popeye cartoon produced in color, Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor was also the longest Fleischer production to date, and the first to be nominated for an Academy Award. In this colorful tale, Bluto plays the legendary Sindbad, introduced as the toughest and most remarkable sailor around. He lives on an island that floats on the back of a whale and that is populated by ferocious lions, deadly serpents, a two-headed giant, fiery dragons and an enormous bird, the Roc. Popeye, his pal Wimpy and the "irresistible damsel" Olive Oyl appear in the ocean near Sindbad's island. Stricken with desire for Olive, Sindbad sends the Roc to wreck Popeye's ship and to abduct the delectable damsel. Popeye, singlehandedly carrying Wimpy to safety, swims after the bird and his beloved. Once on the island, Popeye must battle with the various dangerous denizens before going one-to-one with Sindbad and proving -- with the help of a little spinach -- that no evil-doing sailor like Sindbad can get the better of him.

Episode 4

I'm in the Army Now

Fri, Dec 25, 1936 7 mins

When Olive Oyl expresses admiration for military men Popeye and Bluto rush into a recruitment center to sign up. Told there's only room for one they try to prove who is the better candidate by showing off their feats in clips from their prior movies

Episode 5

The Paneless Window Washer

Fri, Jan 22, 1937 7 mins

One of the best of the "high and dizzy" Popeye cartoons, this one begins as professional window-washer Bluto creates some new business for himself by spraying mud on 20-story office building. But when Bluto offers to clean Olive Oyl's windows, she informs him that her boyfriend Popeye is already handling that job. The ensuing soap-and-water rivalry between Popeye and Bluto inevitably degenerates into violence--Bluto actually believes that he can win Olive over by choking her!--with Popeye ultimately emerging the victor thanks to his ever-present can of spinach. The brilliance of the height-and-perspective gags in "The Paneless Window Washer" is matched by the innovative "extreme" poses assumed by the main characters, and by the marvelous background art of Fleischer studios stalwart Anton Loeb.

Episode 6

I Never Changes My Altitude

Fri, Aug 20, 1937 8 mins

Olive closes her airport diner and flies away with aviator Bluto.

Episode 7

Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's 40 Thieves

Fri, Nov 26, 1937 17 mins

Coast guardsman Popeye is ordered to stop Ali Baba and his 40 thieves from robbing desert villages. Popeye, Wimpy, and Olive take off in his plane but soon crash in a small town. When Ali Baba and his men charge into the town, they subdue Popeye and take Olive and Wimpy into the desert. All seems lost until Popeye regains his strength and end Ali's reign of terror.

Episode 8

A Date to Skate

Fri, Nov 18, 1938 7 mins

Throwing caution to the winds, Popeye takes it upon himself to teach Olive Oyl how to roller-skate. Unfortunately, Olive proves to be a most inapt pupil, and before long she finds herself careening helplessly throughout the city, just barely missing the cars and pedestrians that whizz by her at every turn. Worst of all, it looks like Popeye won't be able to skate to her rescue--he's inadvertently left his spinach back at home. Chock full of brilliant "chase and perspective" gags, A Date to Skate is one of the last of the Fleischer "Popeye" cartoons produced in New York before the studio relocated to Miami. It also marks the final Fleischer appearance of Mae Questel as the voice of Olive Oyl.

Episode 9

Customers Wanted

Fri, Jan 27, 1939 8 mins

Popeye and Bluto are rival penny-arcade owners who knock themselves (and each other) out trying to attract patrons. Alas, their only customer for the evening is that champion moocher Wimpy, who borrows several pennies (which he will gladly repay Tuesday) pennies so he can enjoy the attractions in the boys' manually operated flip-picture machines. Not surprisingly, these mini-movies consist of excerpts from previous "Popeye the Sailor" cartoons, in this case "Let's Get Movin'" and "The Twisker Pitcher". This entertaining "cheater" was remade in 1954 asPenny Antics.

Episode 10

My Feelins' Is Hurt

Fri, Apr 12, 1940 8 mins

Upon learning that his sweetheart Olive Oyl has left him for a cowboy, Popeye heads Way Out West in his "prairie schooner." Arriving at the Bar None Ranch, Popeye is determined to prove that he isn't a tenderfoot--or, as he puts it, "My feet ain't tender, I always walks this way". Ranch foreman Bluto is equally determined to get rid of the persistent sailor, and to that end he unleashes a fierce bucking bronco and a poisonous boa constrictor (apparently the only one of its kind on earth) to finish Popeye off.

Episode 11

Popeye with Poopdeck Pappy

Fri, Nov 15, 1940 7 mins

Despite the fact that he's 99 years old, Poopdeck Pappy insists upon going out on the town very night, forcing his son Popeye to take extreme measures to make his father stay in bed. Even so, Pappy manages to elude his son and sneak away to a seedy dive, where his efforts to impress a pretty young girl earn him the undying hatred of every thug and plug-ugly in the joint. Heard as background music throughout the final sequence is the popular "My, My!", originally written by Jimmy McHugh and Frank Loesser for the 1940 Jack Benny vehicle Buck Benny Rides Again; also, Pappy's rotoscoped tap-dance routine is actually recycled footage from the 1934 "Popeye" cartoon The Dance Contest.

Episode 12

Me Musical Nephews

Fri, Dec 25, 1942 7 mins

On furlough from WW2, Popeye hopes to get some rest and relaxation at home, but his four nephews insist upon keeping him awake with a musical concert. Finally managing to bundle his nephews off to bed, Popeye settles down for a good night's sleep. Meanwhile, the four bored nephews discover that various items in their bedroom can be converted into musical instruments--and the result is a loud, swinging midnight jam session, much to Uncle Popeye's dismay. This exquisitely timed and paced black-and-white "Popeye" cartoon was later remade in color, scene for scene, as Riot in Rhythm (1950).

Episode 13

Shuteye Popeye

Fri, Oct 3, 1952 8 mins

It's late at night, and Popeye is snoring so loudly that the suction is pulling the drawers out of his bedroom bureau. This annoys a little mouse living in the wall of the house, who is unable to get any sleep. Unable to persuade Popeye to stop snoring, the mouse resorts to a variety of other "silencing" methods, such as flooding the entire house. Ultimately, spinach enters the scene--but this time it's mouse who eats the leafy green vegetable.

Episode 14

Big Bad Sinbad

Fri, Dec 12, 1952 10 mins

Popeye escorts his three nephews to the Nautical Museum to advance their maritime education. When the boys come across a huge statue of Sindbad the Sailor (who looks a lot like Bluto), they take issue with a plaque that declares Sinbad the world's greatest sailor, an honor which they believe should be bestowed upon their Uncle Popeye. To bolster his nephew's faith in him, Popeye recalls the time that he went face-to-face, toe-to-toe with the fearsome Sindbad--whereupon this "cheater" segues into a lengthy except from the 1936 Max Fleischer "Technicolor Special", Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor, with a redubbed soundtrack.

Episode 15

Ancient Fistory

Fri, Jan 30, 1953 8 mins

It's "Cinderella" with a gender switch in this stylish Popeye cartoon. In a faraway kingdom, a ball is being held in the palace of Princess Olive, who plans to "choose her prince amongst ye males." Popeye is a lowly kitchen slavey at Bluto's Beanery, who envies the fact that his brutish boss Bluto has been invited to the ball. Enter Popeye's top-hatted Fairy Godfather, who magically exchanges Popeye's ragged clothing for snazzy 16th-century outfit and transforms a can of spinach into a stretch limo. Heading off to the ball, Popeye is given the standard warning about returning before midnight. Once at the royal shindig, Popeye immediately wins Princess Olive's heart, but Bluto intends to rid himself of his competition by the foulet means possible.

Episode 16

Floor Flusher

Fri, Jan 1, 1954 6 mins

In this reworking of the 1938 "Popeye" cartoon Plumbing is a 'Pipe', Olive Oyl tries to fix her leaky kitchen faucet, only to make things worse with a veritable deluge. Arriving on the scene in the nick of time, Popeye and Bluto vie for the honor of literally bailing Olive out. When Popeye succeeds in fixing the leak, a jealous Bluto secretly sabotages all the water pipes in Olive's house--all but wrecking the place in the process. It's amazing how many "water" gags can be stuffed into 6 minutes of screen time. Oh, and don't miss Bluto's quickie impersonation of Jackie Gleason.

Episode 17

Quiet Pleeze

Sun, Feb 7, 1954 7 mins

Episode 18

Popeye's 20th Anniversary

Fri, Apr 2, 1954 7 mins

An all-star Hollywood testimonial is held on the occasion of Popeye's 20th year in motion pictures. As such esteemed guests as Jimmy Durante, Bing Crosby and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis look on, master of ceremonies Bob Hope (sporting a curious Southern accent) introduces "the man who's been on a spinach diet for 20 years." Rather than make a speech, guest of honor Popeye offers to entertain the crowds with highlights from his past cartoons--and at this point, Popeye's 20th Anniversary morphs into a "cheater", cutting budgetary corners by featuring lengthy excerpts from Tops in the Big Top (1945) and Rodeo Romeo (1946).

Episode 19

Taxi-Turvy

Fri, Jun 4, 1954 7 mins

Rival cabdrivers Popeye and Bluto carry on a lively "taxi war" in the middle of downtown, with Bluto playing unfair by literally stealing Popeye' customers. Finally, Popeye manages to persuade Olive Oyl to choose his cab over Bluto's, whereupon another battle royale ensues. Kidnapping Olive and snatching Popeye's ubiquitous spinach can ("You ain't eatin' no spinach in THIS picture!), Bluto drives directly into the path of a speeding train--and now the "fun" REALLY begins. This cartoon offers one of the earliest examples of Popeye's enthusiastic "scat" singing.

Episode 20

Bride and Gloom

Fri, Jul 2, 1954 7 mins

In a blissful mist, Olive Oyl dreams about her upcoming marriage to Popeye the Sailor. She imagines giving birth to two pugnacious youngsters (apparently born with diapers already in place!), both of whom are dead ringers for their dear old dad. But the dream turns into a nightmare as the two mini-Popeyes lay waste to their parents' house, shooting dishes as they pop from the toaster, using piano wires for a bow and arrow, etc. When Olive tries to lay down the law, the kids mount an offensive against her. Needless to say, when Popeye arrives the next morning all dressed for the wedding, he's in for quite a surprise. Bride and Gloom is a remake of the 1940 "Popeye" cartoon Wimmin is a Myskery.

Episode 21

Greek Mirthology

Fri, Aug 13, 1954 7 mins

Appalled that his four nephews prefer ice cream to spinach, Popeye tells the boys a story about their Great-Great-Great-Uncle Hercules. Known far and wide for his acts of kindess through strength, Hercules (a dead ringer for Popeye, of course) gets his muscle power by sniffing a piece of garlic. Enter an evil bully (Bluto with a Greek dialect), who challenges Herc to several feats of strength. Hercules prevails until the Bully "neutralizes" the garlic with a bottle of cholorphyl. THAT's when Herc finally stumbes upon spinach as a possible power source ("A strange weed this be!")

Episode 22

Fright to the Finish

Fri, Aug 27, 1954 8 mins

In this remake of the 1939 "Popeye" cartoon Ghosks is the Bunk, Olive Oyl insists upon reading ghost stories to Popeye and Bluto when they visit her house on Halloween. In an elaborate scheme to force Popeye out of the house, Bluto pretends to go home, only to return armed with fake skeletons, ghosts and headless men. Worse still, Olive is convinced that Popeye is responsible for all these spooky pranks, and kicks him out of the house. But Popeye has the last laugh on Bluto with the help of some extremely effective vanishing cream.

Episode 23

Private Eye Popeye

Fri, Nov 12, 1954 7 mins

Decked out in full "Sherlock Holmes" regalia, Private Eye Popeye literally traces a mysterious phone call to the magnificent home of wealthy Olive Oyl. The lady of the house hires Popeye to guard her precious emerald (which turns the whole room green whenever its case is opened) with his life. Unfortunately, the emerald is almost immediately stolen by Olive's treacherous butler, who leads Popeye on a round-the-world chase. Though the butler has a head start, he is unable to shake the ubiquitous Popeye, who, evidently emulating Tex Avery's "Droopy", pops up in various guises wherever the villain goes.

Episode 24

Gopher Spinach

Fri, Dec 10, 1954 10 mins

Popeye heads to his backyard garden to lovingly plant several rows of hi-bred spinach stalks (which he carries in a baby carriage). Alas, the stalks prove mighty tempting to a hungry gopher, who threatens to deplete Popeye's garden before the spinach even gets a chance to grow up. After a lengthy and painful chase, Popeye prepares to kill the gopher with a shotgun, but balks when he is impressed by the little fellow's courage. This act of kindness has its reward when Popeye finds himself menaced by a rampaging bull.

Episode 25

Cookin' with Gags

Fri, Jan 14, 1955 7 mins

Popeye, Olive and Bluto go on a picnic, with Bluto taking full advantage of the fact that this is April Fool's Day. Playing several rather sadistic practical jokes on Popeye, Bluto manages to get away with it by shouting "April Fool." Olive chides Popeye for not having a sense of humor, but when she is the victim of one of Bluto's gags she isn't exactly laughing--and worst of all, she blames Popeye for the prank. Unable to rely on his can of spinach (Bluto has even managed to sabotage that!), Popeye gets his revenge on Bluto in a unique and hilarious fashion.

Episode 26

Popeye for President

Fri, Mar 30, 1956 6 mins

It's a Presidential election year, and the leading candidates are Popeye, representing the Spinach Party, and Bluto, heading the Blutocratic Party. When the result of the election comes in (apparently the same day the two candidates start campaigning!), it turns out to be a tie. The deciding vote belongs to "farmerette" Olive Oyl, the only resident of Green County. Popeye and Bluto both hightail it to Olive's farm, hoping to win her support by helping with the chores. Eventually, however, the usual slapstick nonsense prevails, and the outcome of the election is determined by a little spinach power.

Episode 27

Out to Punch

Fri, Jun 8, 1956 7 mins

Popeye and "Battling Bluto" prepare for their upcoming prizefight in their adjacent training camps. To gain unfair advatage, Bluto devises a variety of fiendishly clever methods to sabotage Popeye. By the time of the big fight, poor Popeye is worn to a frazzle, and it looks like Bluto is the sure winner--until the Sailor Man's trainer Olive Oyl brings out his "secret weapon" (just guess what it is!). In this cartoon, Popeye has but two or three lines of dialogue (all lifted from other cartoons), suggesting that voice artist Jack Mercer was unavailable.

Episode 28

Assault and Flattery

Fri, Jul 6, 1956 6 mins

In this cleverly assembled "cheater", Bluto sues Popeye for assault and battery. As burger-chomping Judge Wimpy listens sympathetically, a bandaged, wheelchair-bound Bluto insists that Popeye always beats him up for no good reason, citing as evidence excerpts from the earlier cartoons The Farmer and the Belle and How Green is My Spinach. But when it's Popeye's turn to testify, he turns the trial to his favor by entering as evidence a lengthy clip from 1949's The Balmy Swami.

Episode 29

Insect to Injury

Fri, Aug 10, 1956 6 mins

No sooner has he put the finishing touches on his new, self-constructed house than Popeye is invaded by a vast and terrifying army of termites. In typical cartoon fashion, the little pests eat everything made of wood in their path, and for a while it looks like they're unstoppable. Clearly, spinach is called for--and that's what Popeye uses to outwit the now-bloated termites with an even newer house that can't be eaten, no way, no how.

Episode 30

Parlez Vous Woo

Wed, Sep 12, 1956 7 mins

This cartoon is a takeoff of the 1950s television personality "The Continental" (yes, the same guy who has been so often spoofed by Christopher Walken on Saturday Night Live). Much to Popeye's disgust, Olive is so enchanted by the French-accented TV star "The International" that she even wears a dressing gown while watching his show. Hoping to take advantage of Olive's moonstruck behavior, Bluto shows up at her doorstep, disguised as "The International"--right down to the phony Gallic dialect. Olive is completely hoodwinked, but Popeye isn't so easily taken in, and chaos (in the form of a sword duel) ensues. Heard throughout the cartoon is the popular ballad "Cocktails for Two."

Episode 31

I Don't Scare

Fri, Nov 16, 1956 7 mins

Olive Oyl is extremely superstitious, a fact that Bluto intends to use to his full advantage to get rid of Popeye so he'll have Olive all to himself. Convincing Miss Oyl that today is Friday the Thirteenth, Bluto arranges all manner of "accidents", making Popeye look like a fool as he tries to convince Olive that superstitions are the bunk. But the Sailor Man manages to turn the tables and exacts a plot-appropriate revenge on the scheming Bluto.

Episode 32

A Haul in One

Fri, Dec 14, 1956 7 mins

In this remake of the 1936 "Popeye" cartoon Let's Get Movin', Popeye and Bluto are partners in a hauling business--and good pals to boot. But friendship flies out the window when our two heroes are hired to move Olive Oyl's furniture out of her apartment. What should be a simple job turns into a fierce competition, with Bluto using various and sundry chairs, lamps, couches and kitchenware to put Popeye out of the way. A grand piano in the principal prop in the closing gag of this cartoon, which boats some impressive "minimalist" background art.

Episode 33

Nearlyweds

Fri, Feb 8, 1957 8 mins

When both Popeye and Bluto propose to Olive, she uses the highly scientific eenie-meanie-minie-moe" method to choose her future husband. Popeye wins, whereup Bluto retires gracefully from the scene--or does he. As Popeye prepares for his wedding, he is beset by some highly suspicious catastrophe, ranging from finding his shoes nailed to the floor to being stuck in a tub full of concrete. Will he make it to Olive's house in time for the wedding, or will Bluto emerge triumphant? Well...it all depends on the meaning of "triumphant."

Episode 34

Crystal Brawl

Fri, Apr 5, 1957 7 mins

Temporarily putting Popeye out of the way, Bluto escorts Olive to the county fair. Determined to get even, Popeye rushes to the fair and disguises himself as a fortune teller. When Olive insists upon finding out what's in her future, the ersatz soothsayer peers into his crystal ball and reveals that Bluto's intentions toward Olive are dishonorable, via excerpts from the earlier "Popeye" cartoons Alpine for You, Quick on the Vigor and Abusement Park (you guessed it: The Crystal Brawl is another cost-cutting "cheater").

Episode 35

Patriotic Popeye

Fri, May 10, 1957 6 mins

Popeye wants to celebrate the Fourth of July in a "safe and sane" manner, but his two nephews would rather set off their arsenal of very dangerous fireworks. Despite Popeye's efforts to keep the explosives out of reach, the boys manage to ignite the fuse of a huge skyrocket--and nearly get themselves blown to smithereens in the process. Winston Sharples' musical score for Patriotic Popeye later popped up in dozens of the made-for-TV "Popeye" cartoons of the early 1960s.

Episode 36

Spree Lunch

Fri, Jun 21, 1957 7 mins

In this remake of the 1934 "Popeye" cartoon We Aim to Please, Popeye and Bluto are rival restaurant owners who open their diners across the street from each other. When potential customer Wimpy ambles into view, the two hash-slingers fall over one another trying to grab the hamburger-munching moocher's business. Wimpy manages to cadge two free meals by assuring Popeye and Bluto that he will gladly pay them Tuesday, but eventually the "friendly" rivalry degenerates into a full-scale fracas. As the two diner owners throw various foodstuffs and condiments at each other, Wimpy calmly settles down to literally pluck yet another free dinner out of thin air.

Episode 37

Spooky Swabs

Fri, Aug 9, 1957 7 mins

Stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean, Popey and Olive spot a derelict sailing ship, the "Sea Witch". Climbing aboard, Popeye assures Olive that he plans to steer the vessel back to civilization--which does not rest well with the cockney-accented ghosts who have called the Sea Witch home since the 17th century. Though Popeye doesn't believe in ghosts, he is forced to change his mind in a hurry, especially when Olive is imperiled by the restless spirits' zany antics. A loose remake of 1934's Shiver Me Timbers, Spooky Swabs was the last "Popeye" cartoon to be released theatrically.