From The TV IV

Popeye is a popular character who originated in a comic strip before being animated for theatrical shorts and television. A handful of TV shows have featured him, either showing some of the theatrical shorts or in new adventures.

Popeye was created in 1919 as a supporting character in Elsie Segar's comic strip Thimble Theater (which actually starred Olive Oyl and her family, including her dad Castor and relatives such as Ham Gravy). He was a sailor for hire and was gruff, ugly and abrasive. As time went on, he would be refined graphically, and his use of fisticuffs would only be used for the common good. He became popular enough to appear in Max Fleischer's Betty Boop cartoon Popeye the Sailor, and the concept of him obtaining his strength through spinach was developed.

Popeye's popularity as a cartoon star quickly surpassed that of a comic strip character, and he would appear in three color two-reelers, Popeye Meets Sindbad The Sailor, Popeye Meets Ali Baba And His Forty Thieves, and Popeye And Aladdin's Magic Lamp.

After Paramount got rid of the Fleischers (following an acrimonious split of brothers Dave and Max), the studio would be renamed Famous Studios (named for Paramount's music publishing outlet, Famous Music). In the ensuing cartoons, Popeye would enlist in the Navy to shore up morale during World War 2, and his Navy uniform would become the series' standard right through the Brodax shorts for TV in the early 1960s.

William Costello was Popeye's first voice, later replaced by Jack Mercer, who doubled as a story writer. With the Fleischer's practice of adding voices to a cartoon after it was filmed (as opposed to prior to animation), Mercer was able to ad lib the little asides Popeye would often toss, In the later 40s, Mercer was drafted into the Army, so Mae Questel (voice of Olive Oyl), filled in to voice Popeye. Bluto was round and pudgy, closely resembling his comic strip likeness, Once he enlisted in the Navy, Famous Studio gave him a chiseled physique. Olive was a stringbean throughout, but she was made more facially attractive.

The cartoons were syndicated to TV in 1957 by Associated Artists Productions (who also syndicated the most of the pre-1943 Warner Bros. cartoons). In the late 1980s, a batch of the black-and-white Fleischer Popeyes were sent to Korea to be redrawn and painted in color. As such, many cartoons were robbed of their original depth as many backgrounds that were originally live models on a carousel were now flat, rushed, and unappealing painted renditions. Animation that was done on 1's (one drawing per frame of film) were reduced to 2's and sometimes 3's (2 or 3 frames of film per drawing). Over the last several years, the original Paramount opening titles had been restored to the Fleischer originals (on DVD) and the Famous Studio films. The Famous cartoons are currently screened on the Boomerang cable/satellite channel.

King Features Syndicate had a new batch of made-for-TV Popeye cartoons made in 1960, and Hanna-Barbera produced Popeye shows for CBS in 1978, 1981 and 1987.

Ensuing made-for-TV Popeye cartoons are noted below.

[edit] TV Shows

Title	Format	Network	Years
Popeye the Sailor	Animated comedy	Syndication	1960–62
The All-New Popeye Hour	Animated comedy	CBS	1978–81
The Popeye and Olive Show	Animated comedy	CBS	1981–83
Popeye and Son	Animated comedy	CBS	1987–88
The Popeye Show	Animated comedy	Cartoon Network	2001–04

[edit] TV Specials

Title	Network	Airdate
Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter	ABC	October 7, 1972
The Popeye Valentine's Day Special: Sweethearts at Sea	CBS	February 14, 1979
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy	FOX	December 17, 2004