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!"