KFS Popeye Article in "Classic Images" Options

[Russell H]

CLASSIC IMAGES NO. 379 (cover-dated January 2007) has a short but interesting article on the King Features Syndicate Popeye cartoons written by Frank Grandinetti. He includes a rundown on each of the studios that did the cartoons with pointers on how to distinguish which one did which cartoons. He concludes that many of the KFS Popeyes actually had good stories, one-liners and visual puns, but were done in by the mostly terrible animation.

The article also includes a nice reproduction of a 1961 trade-journal ad for the cartoons which I hadn't seen before.

If you have trouble finding CLASSIC IMAGES at your local newsstand or bookstore, try http://www.classicimages.com to see if single copies can be ordered.

The issue also includes good capsule reviews of the latest Disney Treasures and Disney Legacies DVD releases.

[Kathy Kane]

The Popeye article is new research and photos combined with previous information.
Personally, when the KFS cartoons come out by WHV I would like to see extras discussing why they
came into being, why they were done so fast, what was the reason Bluto became Brutus. Al Brodax
should be contacted.

Popeye was big animation business back in 1959/60/61.

Kathy

[Ray Pointer]

Personally, when the KFS cartoons come out by WHV I would like to see extras discussing why they
came into being, why they were done so fast, what was the reason Bluto became Brutus. Al Brodax
should be contacted. Popeye was big animation business back in 1959/60/61.

Kathy

These matters have been discussed before. If they are addressed, it may not have an accurate spin since this is something that happened over 40 years ago, and the majority of the people involved were not even born when this happened. It is entirely possible that they may have an entirely different perspectiive and perception. Common sense would tell you that an interview with Al Bordax would be in order, but being logical these days seems more the exception than the rule.

The reason for the "Brutus" name change has been discussed here and in other forums. I am sure that the poster is aware of this as well. But since King Features was in charge of the television productions and had the rights to the name, that is essentially why. As for why they were produced so quickly, you can blame it on the voracious appetite of television. The original theatrical series of over 229 cartoons produced over 24 years were consumed after two years of running. When one POPEYE cartoon would be seen in a theater in a month, 10 to 14 were seen a week on television At that rate, the entire library had been run in four to five and a half months.

King Features' motivation was to profit directly from the television popularity of POPEYE. While they had licensed the character for the theatricals, they were not getting the full benefit of the television sales of the Fleischer/Parmount series. But in the television productions they were. So to simplify it terms of,
pardon the expression, "bottom line" marketing strategies, tight budget production compared to property value equalled profit for KFS. THAT is why they made them so quickly.

"That guy is my brain,
He's driving me insane,
Where's 'Freddie' that son of gun?"

Betty Boop in "Betty Boop's Lifeguard"

This post has been edited by Ray Pointer: Jan 23 2007, 03:57 AM

[Steve Carras]

These matters have been discussed before. If they are addressed, it may not have an accurate spin since this is something that happened over 40 years ago, and the majority of the people involved were not even born when this happened. It is entirely possible that they may have an entirely different perspectiive and perception. Common sense would tell you that an interview with Al Bordax would be in order, but being logical these days seems more the exception than the rule.

The reason for the "Brutus" name change has been discussed here and in other forums. I am sure that the poster is aware of this as well. But since King Features was in charge of the television productions and had the rights to the name, that is essentially why.

That's part of it. The problem was King Features and Paramount were still doing a number of those plus the four or five others making those for K.F.S. and King Features forgot who owned who---Bluto was K.F.S.'s property but since he was popularized in the 1930s the Parmaount/Fleischer's shorts, (with which his creation did coincide, tolus Popeyes wasn't created hardly half a dozen years before the first short IIRC) after the one shot deal K.F.S. did (creator "E.C.Segar" preffered one-off villians), that was why everyone forgot who owend the villian, and King Features decided not to take chances and changed the name to Brutus. Then it was found out otherwise, that K.F.S. DID own the rights but an interesting episode, since they were already doing the shows with "Brutus", Brutus and Bluto met. (Maybe two.)

Reference:Mark Evanier from Jack Mercer himself. Cecil Adams's The Straight Dope ™.