Popeye was Popeye from the very beginning

Popeye the Sailor (1933)
Starring: William Costello (voice of Popeye), Bonnie Poe (voices of Olive Oyl and Betty Boop), and William Pennell (voice of Bluto)
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Seven of Ten Star

While on shore leave, Popeye the Sailor visits a carnival with his girlfriend, Olive. When he decides to show off by getting on stage to perform with Betty Boop the Hula Dancer, his rival and shipsmate, Bluto, abducts Olive.

Most of the beloved classic cartoon characters go through several stages of development before becoming the ones everyone remembers of loves. Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, and Bugs Bunny all had manifestations that are almost unrecognizable when put next to their famous incarnations. This, however, is not the case with Popeye, nor his main supporting supporting cast of Olive Oyl and Bluto. From their very first appearance in 1933, the characters, their relationships, and their appearances were pretty much as they would remain for the next 25 years worth of animated shorts.

There are three reasons for this that spring to my mind: First, Popeye was already been a popular  character in S.E. Segar's syndicated newspaper strip "Thimble Theater", so his look was mostly fixed. Secondly, Popeye's supporting cast, such as Bluto and Olive Oyl were already taking shape in the newspaper strip--although Bluto in particular came to life in the cartoons--and Popeye's animated debut was written by his creator, Segar, so the elements that were expanded upon were probably things he already had in mind. Thirdly, Kings Features (and possibly Segar) had final approval on every Popeye cartoon produced by the Fleisher Studios.

As for the specifics of Popeye's animated debut, although he, Olive Oyl, and Bluto are obstensibly guest-stars in a Betty Boop feature, Boop gets second billing behind Popeye and she has what amounts to an extended cameo as a topless hula dancer at a carnival. She's still pivotal to the plot, as Bluto has an opening to abduct Olive Oyl when Popeye engages in the ultimate act of pecocking when he gets on state and hula dances with Betty. The cartoon climaxes with a great variation of the send-up of silent movie melodramas involving a damsel in distress being tied to the railroad tracks, with Bluto tying Olive up with the railroad tracks.

Another interesting aspect of Popeye's debut is the way it puts him and his supporting cast firmly in Betty Boop's world where anthropomorphic animals exist side by side with humans. From Popeye's shipmates, to the majority of those attending the carnival, the minor characters and figures are "funny animals" of the typical Fleisher Studio design. As the "Popeye" series progresses, these beings quickly drop from view, but it's a fun notion to think that Betty Boop and the "funny animals" live on a particular continent, sort of like the Island of Goons from a later Popeye cartoon.

Usually with posts like this, this is the point at which I'd invite you to watch the cartoon being reviewed right here, in this post. However, "Popeye the Sailor" is still under copyright, and its owner, Warner Bros., guards it jealously. I recommend getting the DVD collection containing it, as the set is full of great classic cartoons. (Just be sure to watch them in sittings of two-three at a time, because most of them follow the same plot, and feature Popeye doing his signature stunt of hitting large objects and causing them to break into smaller, different objects, and they can start to seem repetitive, even if they are really quite clever.)

Musical Monday with Avatar

I am not a fan of death metal and its growled, incomprehensible lyrics. Generally, when I comment on songs and performers of the genre, I am usually making fun... and, more often than not, Cookie Monster from "Sesame Street" comes up. However, there's an exception to every rule, and this week's Musical Monday selection--"Hail to the Apocalypse" by Avatar--is just that.

And not just because it seems like a fitting song to feature, what with the Covid-19 virus and mania sweeping the world.

"Hail to the Apocalypse" was the title track off of the Swedish death metal band's 2014 album. Although I still can't understand most of the lyrics, I give the song credit for having a better melody than many entries in this subgenre, as well as a vocalist who seems to have more talent than his work here shows. In addition, the video that comes with it is ideal as a feature on this blog: It attempts to capture the feel of silent movies, and, although not entirely successful, the director does a better job than most. There are also some really nice elements to how it is put together (which I won't comment on, because I think it will ruin their impact for viewers).


Hail the Apocalypse (2014)
Starring: John Alfredsson, Jean Kartal, and Tim Öhrström
Director: Johan Carlén
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Firearms Friday with Barbara Feldon

Actress Barbara Feldon first came to fame while lounging on tigerskin rugs and pitching hair products in a series of popular commercials during the mid-1960s, but her role as Agent 99 on the Mel Brooks-created "Get Smart" television series cemented her stardom.

Feldon starred as Agent 99  in five seasons of the original "Get Smart" from 1965 through 1970, and returned to play the character in the 1989 made-for-television movie "Get Smart, Again" (1989) and finally in a supporting role in a short-lived revival of the series in 1995, 30 years after originating the character. 

Although Agent 99 was the role that has come to define her career, Feldon was an accomplished comedienne who appeared in a wide variety of television and cinematic romps. She retired from acting in 2006.

Advice for successful Social Distancing

It's just another Picture Perfect Wednesday...

... and everyone here at Shades of Gray are still keeping safe from the Covid-19!

And it's all brought to you by our latest sponsor...

'Wonder Woman 1984' Delayed... but There's Also Good News!

We just learned that the new Wonder Woman movie has been pushed back from its June 4th, 2020, release to August 14th. While, on the one hand, this is disappointing to us, on the other hand, it means that there will be many more Wonder Woman Wednesdays, with their galleries of great portraits of everyone's favorite Amazon (and her pals)!

By Frank Cho

By Jose Luis Garcia Lopez

From now, until August, you will find a post full of Wonder Woman art, by great illustrators, right here, every other Wednesday --with the next one appearing on April 1!

Musical Monday with The Correspondents

On this Musical Monday, The Correspondents & Friends are here to entertain us Coronavirus shut-ins with their 2009 song "Washington Square"

This music video also presents an educational opportunity, as well as a way to keep yourselves busy well beyond its running time. As you watch the video, make note of how many times the characters violate the best practices of Social Distancing and write a 200 - 300 word essay on how you're going to stop from making the same mistakes.


Share your essays via email with your friends and family, along with a link to this post. Let's entertain and educate the world!


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Tom & Jerry are up to 'Tightrope Tricks'

Tight Rope Tricks (1933)
Starring: Bonnie Poe (Voice of Female Tightrope Walker)
Directors: John Foster and George Rufle
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

Tom and Jerry perform musical stunts on the tightrope and cause chaos at the circus.

"Tightrope Tricks" is another of the middle-of-the-pack entries in the "Tom and Jerry" series. There's nothing about it that's particularly outstanding, nor is there anything about it that's particularly bad. It's just a breezy and fairly mindless bit of entertainment.

In fact, it's so mindless that the writers didn't even pay much attention to the details of the already thin story. The set-up seems to waver back and forth between Tom and Jerry being actual circus performers and being members of the public who are just causing trouble on the grounds. After marching in the circus' parade (as if they are members of the troupe), they mess with an elephant and torment a lion (like obnoxious members of the pubic), perform on the high-wire (as if they are part of an established act), and so on. While either mode in which the main characters function leads to some amusing gags (even if I found myself rooting for the lions rather than the "heroes" during the film's climax), it really feels like two separate films were merged into one here.

One curious detail about "Tightrope Tricks" that's worth noting is illustrated below, with images taken from the scene where Tom changes into tights:

Either Tom likes wearing women's underwear, or he's actually a she! It doesn't make a difference one way or another for most of the "Tom and Jerry" cartoons, but it's a weird detail I think. It's certainly something one would only find a Pre-Code cartoon! Or am I misinterpreting Tom's undergarments? Why don't you take a few minutes and watch the cartoon for yourself and let me know what you think.

Kenny Rogers passes away at 81

On March 20, 2020, singer, song writer, and actor Kenny Rogers passed away from natural causes. He was 81.

Rogers was a huge star in the 1970s and 1980s, with songs topping both the country and pop music charts. He began his professional music career in the mid-1950s and recorded in genres ranging from jazz, to psychedelic rock, and, the country music genre for which he will forever be remembered. In 2015, after one final tour and 60 years spent on stages. Rogers retired.

In addition to his musical career, Rogers published a book of photographs he took--a hobby that became a passion, an autobiography, and he starred in several movies.

On a personal note, Rogers' 1978 hit, "The Gambler", has been a favorite song of mine since I first heard it as a little kid. As I've grew up and grew older, my love for this song has remained, even as the reasons for that love have evolved.

Thank you, Mr. Rogers, for a life spent enriching existence for the rest of us.

Here's a link to a video of Rogers performing "The Gambler."

The Milla Jovovich Quarterly

"Hey, Winter. C'mere. Yeah, you. I'm talking to you. Just come here."

"Don't be afraid... I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just gonna put you in the closet with this big coat, because IT'S SPRING NOW, AND YOU ARE DONE!

"Because I'm sick of it being too cold for me to ride my motorcycle in my underwear!"

Georges and the Magic Bubbles

Soap Bubbles (1906)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Come one, come all! Witness a performance by the magician (Méliès) who eschews smoke and mirrors in favor of smoke and bubbles!

"Soap Bubbles" is a straight-ahead showcase for Georges Méliès trick photography-created special effects. There's no narrative framework for the movie magic here, as the viewer is treated to a literal performance by a stage magician. I imagine that audiences in 1906 were awestruck by what they saw unfold on the screen, since special effects were still quite rare in films. For the modern viewer, this may be a little hokey, and if you've already seen several of Méliès's films there won't be any surprises here. Still, the effects hold up nicely, given that "Soap Bubbles" is over 110 years old, and there's really only one that I found myself disappointed with.

I invite you to take a few minutes to check out "Soap Bubbles" below, especially if you're new in these parts. Georges Méliès was a pioneer in the area of special effects, and I feel he deserved to be remembered and that movie lovers should continue to watch his work.

Wonder Woman Wednesday

We're counting the days until Wonder Woman swoops across the Big Screen again... and we're making the time go by faster by posting great portraits of her, by great artists. Look for a post like this every other Wednesday until June 4 is here!

This week, we have portraits of Wonder Woman with her fellow DC Comics Superstars, Batman and Superman!

By Stjepan Sejic

By John Byrne

By Kevin Nowlan

By Ivan Reis

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Toby Wing is here to drive out some snakes!

Musical Monday with Spirit Animal

Since Covid19/Coronavirus/whatever-the-acceptable-shorthand-for-the-global-pandemic-is-today is turning many of us into shut-ins, we here at Shades of Gray have teamed up with Spirit Animal (a band from Brooklyn, N.Y.) to bring you an exercise regiment that will keep you physically fit.

Please follow the instructions in the video carefully.



(Come to think of it, this is also a perfect illustration of this blog's unifying theme!)

'Bimbo's Initiation' is nightmarish fun

Bimbo's Initiation (1931)
Starring: Billy Murray (voice of Bimbo) and Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop)
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A secret society wants Bimbo to join their ranks, and its members won't take no for an answer.

"Bimbo's Initiation" is another one of those 1930s cartoons that starts goofy, turns weird, and dives headlong into the nightmarishly insane before its over. It's also an extremely funny. Further, even by today's standards, this 90-year-old cartoon features some very impressive, almost 3D-feeling animation of Bimbo's trek through the bizarre house of horrors the secret society traps him in after he turns them down. The film's best gag comes at the very end, though, when Bimbo is made an offer to join that no male can refuse!

This fun and freaky cartoon is sure to brighten your day, as well as make you marvel at how it can be so creepy and so amusing at the same time. If you have an interest in pop culture, you'll find added value in the fact that this film is one of the last times Betty Boop appeared in her original anthropomorphic poodle-like form, as well as one of the last time Bimbo had a leading role. Soon, Betty would be redesigned into the character we know today, and Bimbo would be relegated to ever-smaller parts until vanishing from the series entirely in 1934.

Please take a few minutes to enjoy "Bimbo's Initiation", right here in this post. You're also invited to leave comments here if you agree or disagree with my comments, or have an observation you wish to make.

Firearms Friday with Livia Gullo

Livia Gullo is a model, soccer super-fan, and Miss Brazil USA pageant runner-up who occasionally does photo-shoots with guns and very little else.

It's Friday the Thirteenth!

Wynne Gibson and the rest of us here at Shades of Gray all hope all visitors and readers make it through this Friday the Thirteenth okay. With the recent full moon, unfolding global pandemic, and contestants from "The Masked Singer" roaming about, anything can happen on a day like this!

'Half Shot at Sunrise' is more than halfway decent

Half Shot at Sunrise (1930)
Starring: Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Dorothy Lee, Leni Stengel, George MacFarlane, Edna May Oliver, and Jack Rutherford, and Edgar DeLange
Director: Paul Sloane
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A couple soldiers (Wheeler and Woolsey) are having the time of their lives AWOL in Paris during WWI, ducking MPs and happily hitting on every woman they see. When one of them  falls in love with the Colonel's teenaged daughter (Lee), and she decides to help his military career, things start to get complicated.

"Half Shot at Sunrise" is a supremely silly movie  that is light on plot but heavy on shenanigans and clever quips and offhanded double-entrendres. You'll hardly notice the lack of plot though, as Wheeler and Woolsey keep the jokes and tricks flowing non-stop, and when Dorothy Lee is added to the mix things get even wilder. If you like madcap military comedies, I think you'll enjoy this film quite a bit.

That said, it's not a perfect movie. The main drawback are the songs/musical numbers--which are . They are not all that good, and they interrupt the film's momentum and stop it dead in its tracks. I did enjoy the goofy dance routines that came with each song, but they were not enough to make up for the lameness of the music. These dragged my rating of this otherwise fun movie down from a low Eight to what was almost a Six on my 0-10 scale.

Another flaw was a serious romantic subplot involving the colonel's oldest daughter and a straight-laced Army lieutenant that ran along side the antics of the three main characters. While it served as a nice counterpoint to the Wheeler/Woolsey/Lee clown show, and brought a little dimension to some of the supporting characters, it really just made me wish for more of the clown show. It wasn't as damaging to the flow of the film as the weak musical numbers, but it didn't really add that much in the final analysis.

"Half Shot at Dawn" is one of nine films included in the Wheeler and Woolsey: RKO Comedy Classics Collection. That collection is a broad sampling of their films for RKO that stretches from the beginning of their contract until its end, and it includes some of their biggest hits.

Happy Birthday to Thora Birch!

Actress Thora Birch was born March 11, 1982. She landed her first major role at the age of 6 on the sitcom "Day By Day". Birch worked steadily throughout her childhood, with starring roles in numerous television series and movies and theatrical films ranging from "Patriot Games" (1992) to "Monkey Business" (1994).

In her late teens, Birch played what are arguably her most famous roles to this day, appearing in the films "Ghost World" (1999) and "American Beauty" (2001). She successfully navigated dangerous career waters that mark the transition from child to adult actor, and she remains a busy and sought-after working actor to this day. Most recently, she's starred in "Above Suspicion" (2019) and has had a recurring role in the latest batch of episodes of the "Walking Dead" television series.

Here are a few pictures of Birch through the years in observation of her 38th birthday.

Musical Monday with Cab Calloway

Cab Calloway was a singer, dancer, songwriter, and band leader without whom we wouldn't have had any number of more recent pop stars... with Michael Jackson being prime among them. He had such a unique and enviable style about him that many have borrowed from him and added it to their own routines. To this day, Calloway stands as an unmatched giant in the history of American dance and popular music. (In these parts, we celebrate him primarily for his contributions to three of the Betty Boop animated shorts.)

Calloway co-stars in this week's Musical Monday feature, as he is joined by an equally amazing pair of performers--tap dancers Nicholas Brothers. In this self-contained performance from the 1943 musical "Stormy Weather", Calloway and his band swing away with the tune "Jumpin' Jive", while the Nicholas Brothers deliver one of the most spectacular dance routines ever put on film.



If you enjoyed that clip--and if you didn't what's wrong with you?!--you might enjoy the movie it came from. It features a veritable who's who of top African American singers and dancers from the 1940s, with Lena Horne leading the cast.

International Day of the Spider-Woman

By David Yardin

It's time for more portraits of the greatest Spider-Woman of them all--Jessica Drew! Yes... it's once again Spider-Woman Sunday at Shades of Gray!

By Arturo Mesa

By Frank Cho

By Guile

We've all had mornings like this... right?

It may be 120 years old, but "How He Missed His Train" is as relevant and important as ever. After all, we've all had mornings like the poor fellow in the film, and we've all had to call into work with this exact explanation as to why we were going to be late. We have, haven't we? I can't be the only one...

How He Missed His Train (1900)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

(This is an impressive and hilarious bit of trick photography filmmaking from the father of special effects. It's both simple and complex and it's near-flawless in execution. Even better, I'm sure it's relatable to anyone who's gotten up on the "wrong side of the bed.")

Wonder Woman Wednesday

On June 4th, 2020, there'll be another big-screen Wonder Woman adventure hitting movie theaters. Here are some drawings of her from great artists to get you warmed up for it!

By George Perez

By Gary Martin

By Jose Luis Garcia Lopez

Betty Boop for President!

It's Super Tuesday here in the U.S., which means several states are holding their primary election to see who they will nominate for the presidential election later this year. I don't know if the folks at the Fleischer Studios were psychic, or if the 2020 presidential hopefuls were inspired, en masse, by this cartoon...

(Political snarking aside, this is a fun cartoon with catchy music, and I think you'll enjoy watching it!)


Betty Boop for President (1932)
Starring: Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop)
Director: David Fleischer
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars


(Oh... and if anyone is still of the habit of writing in Mickey Mouse if you don't like any of the candidates, I suggest you switch to using Betty Boop. She has a better platform/manifesto... when has Mickey Mouse ever promised: "... a lot of Hi-De-Ho!, Boopy Doops and chocolate ice cream!"?)