I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor

It's not at all surprising that this Popeye biography was included as an extra with the four-disc set of Popeye cartoons released a few years ago. It consists of lots of fans of the series talking about the history of the Segar comic series, the Fleischer Brothers cartoons and the later Famous Studios and King Features releases.

What I appreciate are two things--the amount of information contained in this short as well as the critical analysis of the quality of the cartoons. In other words, the folks aren't such insane fans that they ignore that the later cartoons were rather terrible--and the 1960s ones were just terrible.

All in all, a really great little film that is something for fans to see and appreciate. I know I sure did.

OK affectionate documentation of the various incarnations of Popeye the Sailor, from his belated arrival in Olive Oil's Thimble Theater strip to a Twenty First Century Digital animated version.

Jules Feifer, who scripted the Altman feature, is first up in a well chosen selection of participants and commentators.

Can't help noticing that the monochrome Fleischer cartoons are reproduced so much better than the later colour material - and have more appeal.

Nothing too probing here, though they do put forward the subject as the first (American) super hero, getting in there nine years before Superman, and relate him to the depression and WW2. After that his contact with the real world seems to have evaporated.

Comes as an extra on the great 4 Disc 1933 to 1939 set.