The Genius Of Altman's POPEYE 

What many don’t appreciate is that this film is based on the original Segar strip, therefore it has Olive’s extended family, her old boyfriend Ham Gravy and characters like Geezil. The casting is perfect. Love the music, the sets. One of my all time favorites and it’s because I’m a huge fan of the Segar strips from the 30s.

I saw this movie in the theater when I was 7 and it immediately locked in my brain and became one of my top 5 movies of all time. I own the soundtrack on multiple copies of vinyl and CDS. I will always defend this movie. Would love to see it in the theater again one day.

It feels like a musical stage play. All the songs are ear worms, and this is easily my favorite guilty pleasure movie. It is so different, it really stands out.

One thing that strikes me about this movie is how gritty and lived in this world looks, which I feel adds to its' charm. I saw it on it's original run on HBO and liked it quite a bit.

The casting was always the thing that impressed me the most. Robin and Shelly of course, but everyone looked their part perfectly. And yes, it’s “drip by drip”. Not overly manic and kind of moody, but that in-depth character/story development wasn’t lost on me. I’ll always consider this a classic!

Watched this over and over in the 80s all of us kids singing Sweet Haven, He's large, and I yam what I am. Perfect for kids, great for adults. The immortal Robin Williams, and Shelly Duvall , the same year the Shining came out. This movie rocks

The casting in this is as so amazing. I was blown away in how perfect it was. Of course Robin did such an amazing job. I remember watching this movie in the theatre and I enjoyed it a lot.

Fun Fact: The original Donkey Kong arcade game was supposed to be a Popeye game. But Nintendo couldn’t get the rights so Miyamoto came up with a similar concept. With a carpenter getting his girlfriend kidnapped by his pet Gorilla. Mario(known back then as Jumpman) is Popeye. Pauline is olive. And Donkey Kong is Bluto.

One thing I never see modern critics comment on, is that it is the audiences that have changed, as well as the movies. To a modern audience, older films are drawn out. However, to people watching them when they came out, they were normally paced, for the most part. Audiences of the past didn't need to be spoonfed only pertinent plot points and action sequences. What modern audiences now would call a "lull" in the film, actually provided context and depth. Ironically, it's the lack of this approach that has made many modern movies lack a soul.

Robin and Ray's scene together when Pappy orders Popeye to eat the spinach is hilarious....the film of it must have been torture for Ray being tied up and Robin most likely making jokes and doing voices...Ray probably wet his pants from laughing.😂😂😂😂😂😊😅

The soundtrack, written by 1970s singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, is as brilliant as the casting and Altman's directing. The lyrics are hilarious. I also love how well they incorporate the original 1930s characters as well.

Very fortunate to have seen a beautiful 35mm print from the UCLA Film & TV Archive, which has produced gorgeous restorations of two of Altman’s best, Come Back to the 5 and Dime… and That Cold Day in the Park

I’ve been watching this movie for over 40 years. It’s always been one of my favorites. This has got to be the deepest analysis of Popeye I’ve ever seen and it’s quite appreciated . I’ve never thought of it as being deep, only entertaining. I see now I was very much mistaken. Makes me love it even more.

It's funny you compare Popeye to Mario, because the original Donkey Kong game was supposed to be Popeye

I remember when I first learned that there were people out there that legitimately thought this was a bad movie, it was like learning that Santa wasn't real. The music is legitimately very good and the King's performance is one of his most memorable. RIP.

Thanks for this, I always loved this movie! I realized recently how much Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy has in common with Popeye: A sensitive, mumbly protagonist who doesn't want to be the tough guy we know him to be. A slow burn romance with a sweet, old fashioned feel to it, fantastic sets and production values that sometimes crowd the actual dialogue and story. Two bizarre and yet very interesting cartoon adaptations that could easily have been simple crowd pleasers, but chose to go in another direction.

I remember when this movie came out and I remember listening to the soundtrack album for days on end. Over the decades I became a fan of the EC Segar strips and still have them proudly displayed on my shelf.

The flintstones was a mega hit when it released in 94..a budget of 46 million and a box office of 342 million...no one cared about critics or their reviews except for Siskel and Ebert back then...Kids loved it

The movie was following with the original story. Popeye did not always eat spinach and become a beast, that was added later in the comics.

such and underrated gem of a film. was a favorite growing up. Robin Williams was a genius, such a great performer.

I fell in love with this film when I saw it at the theater when it first came out. I think one of the reasons it failed in the beginning was because nobody knew Robin Williams at the time. Mork and Mindy was still on TV, I think he had been in one other movie. There was a story that Robert Altman came up to Shelley Duval and said, "I have a role that you were born to play!" And she says, "Oh, Bob, I'm not ready for another movie yet!" She had just been in "The Shining" and had it up to here with Stanley Kubrick. Bob Altman shrugged and was about to leave when she asked curiously, " Who is it?" So he says like he knows his luck has turned, "It's Olive Oyl!" She blinked and said, her disposition entirely changed, "You're right!" Usually I hate the fact that the male always gets the good part as the hero, and the female's part is always disappointing; she does nothing but cry and get tied to a railroad track! But Olive Oyl is a whole different breed of heroine! Sure she does cry and she does get tied to a railroad track, but she does so much more than that! And Shelley Duval nailed it! You forgot to mention that it was written by another cartoonist, Jules Pfeiffer, and the music was written by Harry Nilsen who wrote and performed everything on the radio back then that no one today has heard of! He wrote, "Without You," that was covered to excellent effect by Mariah Carey, and "Me and 😊 Arrow" from the animated TV movie he also wrote, "The Point!" (" ... because you don't have to have a point to have a Point!")

As a Nilsson fan, I've always loved this movie. You know who wasn't a fan? Robin Williams. He said if you watch the movie backwards, it has a plot.

Great review! It's so nice to just sometimes sit back and watch a review like this.

I love how Popeye enters the film. It’s clearly a wonderful nod to Homer’s many artworks surrounding “The Gulf Stream” and in doing so we are introduced to the mysterious strangers resolute determination. Calmly rowing into port from the open sea, denotes he is a man of strength and courage, but is also an oddity. Someone who doesn’t follow rules of the norm and makes others nervous and judgmental.

I was 4 in 1980 and saw in theaters with my family so my mom chose a family feature so it would be ok for us, it turn out to be Robert Altman "Popeye" the old vintage 1930s cartoon finally get big movie 🎥 in theatres, the baby was Robert Altman grandson they use in the movie. Little sweet pea. Thanks for sharing this.😊

I thought I was the only person who remembers this movie. So glad to know others appreciate it as well.

Saw this movie as a kid and fell in love with it. One of my favorite movies of all time to this day.

Getting this DVD was one of my all time favourite finds. To this day, I can't decide if I remember it as long or short. This truely is a great review and thoughts upon such an underrated movie.

Upon reflection as an older person who saw it young, it had a musical/movie hybrid feel. Loved the physical comedy Williams brought to the performance. Man, the theatre full of kids and adults I saw the movie in, went up with wild shouts and cheers of applause when that octopus got punched into the lower stratosphere! 😅 That movie always left an impression on my young mind.👏

Loved Bill Irwin's physical comedy as Ham Gravy

“I thoroughly engaged your enjoyment party…” This film could have been a success, except it came out in 1980, when every big movie was expected to be The Empire Strikes Back. Instead, it was a gentle, quirky homage to a cartoon character that was destined for cult status.

One of my favorite movies growing up, and I loved the cartoon. Even had an adventure record where they put your name in it. Never wanted to live in that movie's world though

My favorite childhood movie full stop.

Funny thing about this movie for me is I can sit and be entertained by it and at the same time be ready to take a nap while it plays in the background. It's so mellow. It's perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

One of Robert Altman's signatures is to have characters (and entire conversations) talking over each other, so you really have to listen closely to get all the jokes. As another example, see his 1970 version of "MASH."

This is one of those movies that gets a lot more entertaining as an adult due to the newly given appreciation for the setting and relevance to the source material. Robin Williams rocked in his very first lead role and there was so many aspects that hit close to home, from the mid-30s setting, to the appearances of the run down houses, and especially the characters and lore. I don't care what people say, this movie is a great adaption of a cartoon, let alone for the 80s.

I really appreciate the way you deeply broke down this movie. I am asking myself how come I didn't see so much detail as you did. Plus, the fact that you weren't even born when it was in theaters. I seen it at 10 years old and it never left me. Till this day I still say there has never been better casting than in popeye the movie. I think Robin's character acting was the best I seen in my life and I am 54 years old. This was a perfect movie. There is no other movie like it. The soundtrack is godly, and the opening seen with popeye in the sea coming to shore is sooo intense you can't take your eyes off the screen. I absolutely love that scene. They should have gotten Oscar's for their performances. It was until I was an adult that I learned the movie flopped. It took me days to get over that. I couldn't for the life of understand how anyone could not see the beauty and genius in this movie. Like one person said, "it was like finding out Santa wasn't real". This is my 6th favorite movie of all time and I am still waiting to for it to come out on uhd 4k. Rip Robin, love you, Shelly. P.s. Sweet haven looked so real I wanted to live there. It was so gritty but beautiful.

One of the most special films in the world to me. I saw it in the theater with my Mom as a child and have loved it ever since. It was only once I got to college and became aware of who Robert Altman was that I truly became obsessed, though. I watch it at least once a year...Swee Pea's Lullaby is what I sang to my son when he was an infant...

The first time I saw this film, blew me away and is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again.

this movie is based off the comic strip, not the cartoon. thats what makes it so good. its gen x's musical. loved this movie when i was a kid

I saw this in theaters way back when. I really liked it then, and I like it now. No apologies. And I often quote a line "I'm no doctor, but I know when I'm losing my patience (patients)". I use that line a lot.

I saw this when it came out. It wasn’t perfect, but it had enough awesome bits to make it worthy of cult status. The casting was perfect.

I watched Popeye cartoons in the 1970s as a kid and loved them. I saw the movie in a local theater. Love the production values and the music. I had the sound track too. Here in New York the movie got promoted as a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's an intriguing movie with charm. To this day I still love Popeye in all of his incarnations.

One of my favorite movies of my childhood. Very nice deep dive into this classic. Thanks

A rare spot on review, by which I mean it agrees with my opinion 100%. An additional fact is that it was based as much on the comic strip Popeye as the animated version. Altman was a comix aficionado.

I was able to see this as a kid on opening day, I was a huge fan of Popeye, the cartoon, and I was beyond excited that this movie was made. I love Mark and Mindy, so I was excited to see him playing as Popeye.

This guy gives Altman a lot of credit that he doesn't deserve. He praises Altman for getting the characters right, but most of that was due to the script, which was written by award winning writer, cartoonist, and comic strip historian, Jules Ffiefer, He wrote this screenplay with a thorough knowlege of Seegar's oringal comic strip. The script is solid, the film falls apart in all the areas where Altman is required to be a director, like the big special effects scene that should have been the climax of the movie, but didn't happen.

Just found your channel, thank you for what you’re doing with these movies! These off the wall movies like Popeye & others need to exist, not every movie can be a block buster. But this movie like many others provide important messages, even if it’s extremely corny 🥳 Keep it up !

I watched this movie for the first time in TV, back when I was a kid, like 1994-ish. When it came into conversations, alongside other comic/cartoon movies NOBODY ELSE remembered it. For I while I tought it was a fever dream, or a "Mandela Effect" of my childhood. Than I found it playing on a cable channel. And meand my family watched it. Now I know: IT IS A FEVER DREAM. PERIOD.

I got such a rush of nostalgia hearing "He Needs Me" in Punch Drunk Love.

As a fan of the comic strip, and the Fleischer animated shorts, I love this movie!

you made a brilliant video! poopdeck pappy is actually one of my favorite characters though. but it's my favorite movie since childhood. the casting, the sets, the scenery, the music. the violence was non-threatening and it had a grounded, 'realistic' vibe to it amid its fantastical setting. i read they ran out of money near the end and had to cut out a ton of stuff but i still love it.

This movie is just like watching a cartoon version. Thats one of the reasons why I still love it today.

Dude, loved your review especially the song at the end. You killed it. I remember Roger Ebert giving this movie a good review as well.

I saw it at the theatre on its first weekend and I loved it from the first watch, it was an amazing theatre experience.

Enjoyed this video. I watched this movie so many times. Could not figure out why it got panned by critics. Highly entertaining and it’s quirkiness kept things interesting. Songs were memorable, too.

The sheer number of visual gags going on in the background of EVERY SINGLE SCENE is amazing. I grew up on Popeye cartoons, and I never really liked them. Seeing this made me a fan.

I rented Popeye in 1985 and I liked it. I was a child of the 1950s afternoon kid's show featuring Popeye and Betty Boop and other treasures from the Fleischman Studios (two brothers) so yes, free on local t.v. (The Popeye hour with Tom Hatten). You swallow your tongue a bit when you sing (opening line of song) - I call it the Kermit affect. Opening the throat and drawing from the diaphragm (or chest if you're Robert Plant) is a scary thing for many singers who block the throat, partially, with the tongue. In 1975 a singer turned to me and said, "you're swallowing your tongue - open your throat." and I did and what a difference. It took me years to figure out Robert Plant's trick. Good movie, great (early) cartoon. It takes courage to release your true voice and yes it can get loud. And soft. Fleischman is pronounced "FLESH-man".

I loved watching this as a kid always one of my favorites

Coincidentally, I just stumbled onto a newspaper article from 1977 that said Dustin Hoffman was attached to play Popeye, producers were trying to get Lily Tomlin for Olive Oyle, and Joe Raposo (Sesame Street) was working on the music. There's an interesting and DRASTICALLY different movie for an alternate universe!

Finally, someone who agrees with me. I've watched it many times as a kid and an adult. I pick up on little things each time. Good songs, too... Lol, your singing would fit right in.

The only movie that my parents, sister, brother-in-law, nephew and I saw in the theater together. Own the LP and VHS. Spot on review.

"everything seems shot from far away and then zoomed in for some reason" you've just described Altman's whole style for all his career

This movie taught me a lot about survival. Everything is fooooooooooood!

Food is so important in the story of Thimble Theater because it was set during The Great Depression. That's why Wimpy is wanting food on-loan and why they're all discussing ways to make money with investments. That's also why the tax man is so harsh and nosey. The whole town is suffering from economic downturn and Popeye becomes the most interesting thing to happen to the town in years, which is why everyone is galvanized behind him.

I’ve always liked this move though I struggled understanding what Robin Williams was saying when I first saw this in the theater. I’ve always been somewhat hearing impaired so I appreciate it more now that I can watch it with captions on. Robin Williams and Shelley Duval were perfect in this!

Saw this back in the day. I loved it then and love it more and more over the years.

Love this movie, because it introduced young me to Nilsson. And I really appreciate this appreciation. Thank you.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE. It was the first movie I was allowed to see on my own when I was 10.

I love Shelley's " He loves me " in Punch Drunk Love....the perfect placement for that song.

Even being 12 and seeing this film at the theater, I could tell it was special. Perfectly cast and wonderfully made. I knew it was based on the original cartoons, not the sanitized later version. Being Robin's choice for a first film was genius. Altman's style is to be chaotic and messy and it's great. Thanks for this essay, I'm glad other people get it. PLUS - - BILL IRWIN!!!

always enjoyed watching this vhs, and have a copy archived on my pc to watch with any future kids of mine.

Hehehe good point about the buildup to the spinach feast and fight. This reminds me of the old 1950s monster movies where the beast shows up in the last 10 minutes of the movie. This was before streaming videos and fast forward existed, so little kid me had to wait thru all the dialogue and buildup to finally see the actor in a monster suit jump out and fight the protagonists

It's been almost forgotten that this was a Disney movie. Disney made two movies in collaboration with Paramount: Popeye and Dragonslayer. They have since disowned both of them.

Captured the spirit of the cartoons perfectly.

The Beatles said that Harry Nilsson was their favorite American music artist and he’s mine too. The songs in this movie are all GREAT!

I had heard that Popeye almost made an appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Robin Williams would have voiced him.

Popeye was William's most actorly film. He really shows his actor chops in the film. Jules Fieffer the screen writer was a big Popeye fan. Love William's performance and Harry Nilsson's songs are marvelous.

Such a brilliant movie with great music. Sweet Pea's Lullaby and I Yam What I Yam are beautiful songs!

Favorite film. Dennis Franz had a small part as one of the bullies.

I have watched the movie quite a few times over the years. It isn't high art, but it definitely doesn't deserve the flak it has received. And, love it or hate it, there is no doubt that Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl is the most perfect casting in Hollywood history.

I saw it in the theater when I was 5. I asked my dad to draw anchors on my forearms and buy me some spinach. The spinach was so gross, but my grandma made me eat it lol. I’m so happy you reviewed this movie, I need to rewatch it. I enjoyed the kind things you had to say about Shelly Duvall, the joke about The Shining and her eagerness to do something different was hilarious.

In the 80s , HBO would show this movie 12 times a week . I know every song by default

You know, with that hat if you take your glasses off, you could almost pass as Earnest, lol. I watched this as a very little kid and I loved it. I already loved the cartoon but the live action version was brilliant. It's too bad nobody else in my house likes musicals or I would put this on, lol.

You had me cracking up at the end of the video playing the Popeye song, and eating spinach! Thanks!

As someone who feels like movies always rush the plot, it's no wonder my favorite movies include Popeye, Lord of the Rings, Milo and Otis, The Neverending Story, Braveheart, etc

I haven't seen this film since I was a toddler, all I remember is the "I'm mean" song and the weird octopus at the end that made me jolt. I'll tell ya what, I'm gonna rewatch the film then I'll come back to this video! :)

I was about 5 when this came out. It was one of the first movies I saw in a theater. Even as a kid who was a fan of the cartoons I was bored with it, but It's stuck with me my whole life. It was a shipwreck of a film but how can you not love robin williams beating up a broken rubber squid for Shelly Duvall? It's like the people making it tried to ruin every aspect of the production, but the casting saved it. And the costumes and set design were phenomenal. If you like 'bad movies', this one is definitely worth a watch imo.

I was thinking I should re-watch this but then thinking a little more I realized that I never actually got around to watching it. I thought for years I had. Very strange but I will give it a look this evening. Thanks for bringing it to my attention again

Uncanny timing. Just this weekend, the wife and I took a couple of the grandkids to Chester, Illinois, only an hour drive for us. Chester is where the Segar was from and based several of the characters from actual people in the town. There is a Popeye Museum and Statues of the characters all over the town. We had a fun day exploring. Then, that evening we watched the movie with the oldest granddaughter and she loved it. Then today I find your video LOL. Good video.

This movie should have been a huge hit ---It had everything going for it, the casting, the costumes and makeup, the scenic design---everything was spot on. Robert Altman's passive style of direction chokes the life out of practically every scene, especially the scenes that are dependent on action. A director like Joe Dante or Robert Zemekis would have made this film a classic. What we're left with, even forty years later, is a few nice looking scenes with some extremely professional performers acting their hearts out in front of a camera that doesn't seem to care. The stills from this film are better looking than the actual movie.

I saw this as a kid when it came out, and thought it was ok at the time, but I think what sums things up in a nutshell is that this movie is very much based on the old original comic strips. At the time I was only familiar with the cartoons, and not even the really oldest ones but the later color ones. Much different in tone. Decades later I discovered the original E.C. Segar comics thanks to the wonderful reprint collections from Fantagraphics, and everything finally clicked. When you're familiar with the print comics it all makes a lot more sense.

I saw this movie in the theater as a kid and absolutely love it. I can understand the critics, but I have never agreed with them.

I saw this when it came out when I was 12. I loved, and still do, the cartoon; I rather prefer Fleisher over Disney as he was much more of a pioneer. I was really disappointed by it, but I thought the production design was incredible and remains stuck in my mind. I only saw it that one time and have been wanting to check it out again.

I grew up watching the cartoon, so I was glad when I learned of a live action movie. I look at the beginning of the movie as Popeye's backstory, meeting Olive Oyl and Bluto for the first time. Oh yeah, and Sweet Pea.

I bought the DVD of this film and the soundtrack by Nilson is brilliant its such a pity you played not of the music. Its a great film. I went to Popeye Village in Malta to be where it was filmed. Great place to visit.

I 100% agree. This was and will always be an "art film" That's how I saw it. It is trying new things constantly to transform the past into its own world. It's not a fan service like most cartoon adaptations. So I was blown away (pun intended) by the creativity right away and loved it! All those people who were just looking for quick, sparkly entertainment just had the wrong expectations. I think this would have been received better if Hollywood would have stepped up and said - hey this is a great film - lets' give it best soundtrack, best costume design, etc. But instead back then comedies were not respected and this was thrown into the comedy bin. I hope people rediscover this movie now. I saw this when it came out and instantly fell in love and I am not a big Robin Williams fan. He always makes me nervous in other films. But in this film he is perfect because he always was about 50% cartoon and 50% nutty person. So casting as popeye really works. I am a HUGE Harry Nilsson fan. I love EVERYTHING he ever did and this is one of his greatest masterpieces.

You got yourself a new subscriber!!! I loved this movie as a child!! Thank you for this!!!

The reason Popeye eats spinach is because it was thought to contain a massive amount of iron. It turned out that there was a typo and the decimal point was in the wrong place.

This is one of those movies I'd sparingly catch on TV as a kid and appreciated by the time I was an adult. It's kinda dull but has good moments. The look and casting of the characters is great though. Also the song lyrics are so repetitive they're memorable. I'm mean, you know what I mean... He needs me, he needs me... I yam what I yam what I yam....