They Let Him Keep The Spinach.

Like most kids born after 1950, I spent a good part of my childhood watching the old Fleischer and Famous Popeye shorts on TV, along with the made-for-TV cartoons of the '60's, and "Popeye Meets The Man Who Hated Laughter."

But I had problems with these. I was sickened and even traumatized by what I saw in the theatrical shorts, and the TV ones, except for the hour long movie, were dull and boring. Was there a possible way to fix the iconic sailor man? Yes, and Hanna-Barbera, with a little help from Jack Mercer, did just that with "The All-New Popeye Hour."

I was delighted with the way H-B and Mercer changed Popeye. While he still could eat spinach to boost his strength, he was no longer allowed to inflict bodily harm. The new cartoons had him seeking treasures, taking part in sports events, and at one point, becoming a caveman! Even Olive had her moment in the spotlight when she and Alice The Goon joined the WACS. But the part I really liked was when Popeye dispensed health and safety tips to his nephews, and viewers at home. As for the supporting cartoon:

"Dinky Dog." This was the only part of the series that I didn't see. It wasn't that I thought two girls owning a giant dog was peculiar--I'd read several of the "Clifford" books in my younger days. It was more that I felt this segment should never have been included in the package. It would have done very well by itself, don't you agree?

Now back to Popeye. Shortly after the show was cancelled, Mercer himself was gone, marking the end of an era, at least in terms of voice acting. None the less, H-B decided to try again a few years later with....

"Popeye And Son." Now here's where I draw the line. I did like the fact that Popeye and Olive were married at long last. But, a son who hated spinach? Oh, please! And while Bluto had his own wife and son, this didn't end the rivalry.

Of course, by now, Popeye had a new voice actor. But I've often said that no voice actor could ever be as good as Mercer. In fact, I'll bet poor Jack was rolling over in his grave when "Popeye And Son" premiered.

In between these two iterations, H-B aired the special "Sweethearts At Sea"on Valentine's Day, 1979. How appropriate. But somehow, I couldn't bring myself to see it, probably because I knew just how it would play out.

And so, I conclude my thoughts on the H-B versions of Popeye.

Trivia Question 37: Name the two recurring characters who didn't appear in the H-B versions. One was from the Famous Studio shorts, and the other from the TV cartoons of the '60's.

Answer: Shorty and Professor Whatsasnottle.

When they toned him down and turned him pc in the late 70's is what killed the character for me.

I skimmed through the first four episodes of "Popeye and Son" when they were on YouTube some years ago. And boy, do I regret it.

And no, the politically correct Popeye had nothing to do with it. There was one recurring character I hated, and that was Dee Dee. Don't know why. Plus, many episodes were set on a beach, which is what I hate about an animated series. I had no problem with beach episodes if they were not frequent, like in "The Little Rascals" spinoff episode "The Irate Pirates" - and even then, I was glad they never reran that episode in Season 2.

That said, I jumped on the bandwagon with the many H-B cartoon fans who hated "Popeye and Son". In fact, the local TV listings for the local CBS affiliate in Detroit had the series scheduled for September 19, 1987 - but supposedly as a last minute decision, the local affiliate in Detroit dropped "Popeye and Son" before being aired in favor of syndicated broadcasts of live-action wrestling. They wrapped up the cartoon block earlier than they did one year before.

I also said this a few times - my interest in Saturday morning programming was in decline after the 1982-83 season, and 1987 was the year that my interest took a big drop, and was in terminal decline by the fall of 1989.