Poopdeck Pappy

Popeye's father is a high energy, stubborn being. Popeye wants him home because he is too old to be partying late at night. No matter what the son does, the old guy seems to get away. It ends up in a saloon where Pappy antagonizes everyone there. When Popeye arrives, he has a lot of cleaning up to do. That, of course, involves the used of spinach.

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.

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 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.

When Popeye tells his Pappy that he has to save his youth, does that mean he has to save his energy? 99 year old people have to sleep at night to stay healthy and strong. They also have to eat healthy. Also how did Pappy escape the second and third time when Popeye shackled his legs and tied him up? It looked unusual when Pappy escaped. How did Poopdeck Pappy get the shackles and rope onto his son after he turned off the lamp? Poopdeck Pappy is very stubborn and should listen to his son's advice. When people get old, their body isn't what it used to be. Their bones get fragile, and their not as strong as they were before.