Poopdeck Pappy

This is a funny little cartoon from the Fleischer Studios and I never knew that Popeye had a father before!! Well.......I mean, at least in his animated cartoons. This is the first cartoon that I have seen that had the Pappy character in it and he is hilarious in it. In fact, Pappy steals the cartoon from his more famous son, Popeye. Did Pappy get to be in any other cartoons?? I will have to search for them as I like him!! The cartoon is about Popeye trying to get his 99 year old father to go to bed and the old guy just ain't a-going!! Pappy out-tricks Popeye at every turn. I gotta tell ya, for a 99 year old man, Pappy sure does get around!! All the old guy wants to do is go out to a beer joint and have a dance or two with the gals. His first dance is funny, especially when he swings his partner at the end of the dance number. You gotta see it to believe it.

Before Famous Studios gradually reduced the Popeye series to a marshmallow-soft snoozer, the Fleisher brothers were still pumping adrenaline into it, and in some of the best entries, they abandoned the "Help, Popeye" rut in favor of focusing on some of the great Thimble Theater supporting characters. In this one, our hero is trying fruitlessly to keep his scrappy Pappy from going out on the town and picking fights. Solid entertainment. And we can only imagine how ornery Pappy will someday be when Popeye eventually decides to dump him in a nursing home!

This is the second 1940 Popeye cartoon to have Popeye's father and show the father and son chemistry that was done very well in 'My Pop, My Pop' (a good cartoon if not a great one). It is always interesting when Popeye is partnered with characters other than Olive and Bluto and quite a lot of the cartoons that don't have them are still quite good. That is of course on how good the other character is as a character and their chemistry with Popeye.

'Poopdeck Pappy' to me was a great cartoon. It is a superior one to 'My Pop, My Pop' and one of the best 1940 Popeye cartoons, second only to 'Puttin on the Act'. Proof that there were still some glimmers of light in a generally murky, but quite dark, tunnel for Fleischer Studios in the early 40s. Meaning that 1940 was not a good year for the studio, but at least the Popeye series was still watchable, even if the series had far better years overall.

Not really all that much to criticise really. It is quite slight and plot-wise it's nothing earth shattering.

However, these are minor quibbles, especially as everything else works and is done brilliantly. The animation is neatly and expressively drawn (especially with Pappy in the second half) and still very much like the work that goes into the backgrounds. The music, appropriately like its own character, is as beautifully orchestrated and characterful as ever.

It is a funnier cartoon than 'My Pop, My Pop', with more gags and ones that are sharper and funnier. Especially in the second half, where 'Poopdeck Pappy' is brimful with energy and wit. While there is a return to the gentle tone of that cartoon here, 'Poopdeck Pappy' is faster paced and is particularly lively in the climactic moments.

While Popeye is as ever amusing and likeable, Pappy steals the show and is an absolute joy. They interact so beautifully together too, even more so than with any of the cartoons with Popeye and Olive and Popeye, Olive and Bluto from 1940. Jack Mercer is again in a one man show and is typically exuberant, not many people did asides and mumblings as well as he in his day.

Overall, great. 9/10.

When this show was on I watched it every time I could! I thought that the characters were really funny and all had great personalities. The animation in My opinion was crisp, clean, and really clear. Not to mention beautiful! Most of the characters in this show are hilarious like the Looney Tunes characters that we all love. in My opinion these characters are the funnies and talented ever seen. In fact, The things that goes on in this series' cartoons are in My opinion nuts which that is what makes them hilarious! There are so many to like and laugh at and the silly things they do! If you like the original Looney Tunes then I strongly recommend that you watch this show!

Pappy is 99 years old and tries to escape bedtime. Popeye will have non of it. Pappy does manage to escape but Popeye is able to track him down. Pappy escapes again and this time, causes a riot in a bar which Popeye has to clean up.

I love Pappy and Popeye is funny in this. This relationship is more real than one expects. This is one of the funnier Popeye shorts. The title is called "With Poopdeck Pappy" instead. I hope it's the right one. It's certainly one of the better ones.