Spooky Swabs

Popeye and Olive Oyl are floating on a raft, waiting for rescue. They think they spot it, but the ship that comes is an old, wooden hulk, crewed by malign ghosts.

The last of Famous Studio's theatrically released Popeye cartoons is mostly ok, with a good number of gags reasonably animated. On the downside, the background work by John Zago is simple and crude.

Why was it the last, when Paramount's cartoon division would continue to produce shorts for the theaters for another ten years? The answer is they didn't need to. There was always a fee to be paid to King Features whenever they produced a new one, and it's not as if the older Popeye cartoons were withdrawn from circulation.

Popeye and Olive are calming playing checkers while sitting on a small raft in the middle of the turbulent ocean. A flag with an "SOS" on it is attached to the raft. They spot a ship, Olive exclaims "Oh, now I can go home and watch television (which was a fairly new invention when this cartoon was released) and Popeye uses his pipe as motor to reach the ship. Unfortunately, it's a pirate ship called the "Sea Witch" and is filled with ghosts (since the ship was built in 1678).

The ghosts - with British accents - don't want to be interrupted "after all these years," so they plan to get rid of the unwanted guests. There are some funny scenes, such as Popeye using a swordfish as a saw, Olive's "swimming" on board, thinking she's in the ocean because he blindfolded head is in a bucket of water.

Overall, however, it isn't much: "fair," at best with primitive-looking artwork and no restoration on the DVD disc. This is part of the 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition of Popeye The Sailor Man in which there are 34 cartoons spread among two discs.

Spooky Swabs (1957)

** (out of 4)

The final theatrical Popeye short has him and Olive Oyl on a raft lost at sea when they come across a boat. They get on the boat and are quickly harassed by a bunch of bored ghosts.

It's really too bad that this wonderful series had to go out on such a sour note. Especially when you consider that the previous short, SPREE LUNCH was so great. This episode is pretty lame in regards to its story, its action and the lack of any real laughs just makes it rather forgettable. I'm sure the fact that it's the last Popeye short will have people curious but sadly there's just nothing here. The only good and creative moment comes at the very end when we see what the ghosts are used for after Popeye gets his way.

The last Popeye short made for theatrical release. There is no room for Bluto in this one.

Instead Popeye and Olive Oyl who are adrift at sea encounter an old ship which has a bunch of ghosts with bad British accents.

Rub a dub dub, the ghosts do not want to be found and cause mayhem. Luckily for Popeye there is an old tin of spinach on board.

Olive Oyl makes reference to wanting to watch television when she gets back to land. That is as modern it gets but it lacks creativity.

A ship of XVII century. A great group of ghosts. And the war between them and Popeye , Olive Oye . Amusing adventures, fine solution to win. And the love as best reality. The simpliity of ghosts as basic virtue of this short animation.