Popeye and Son
Popeye and Son is an American animated comedy series based on the Popeye comic strip created by E.C. Segar and published by King Features Syndicate. Jointly produced by Hanna-Barbera and King Features subsidiary King Features Entertainment, the series aired for one season of thirteen episodes on CBS.[1] It is a follow-up to The All New Popeye Hour. Maurice LaMarche performed the voice of Popeye in this series (succeeding Jack Mercer in that role), while much of the cast of The All New Popeye Hour reprised their respective roles with the exception of Daws Butler. It is also the first set of Popeye cartoons that were produced since Mercer's death in 1984. Following its original run on CBS, this series reran on the USA Network in the 1989–90 season and on The Family Channel from September 1994 to December 1995.
| Popeye and Son | |
|---|---|
 Show's title card featuring Popeye, Junior, and Olive | |
| Genre | Sitcom Comedy |
| Based on | Popeye, by E. C. Segar |
| Directed by |
|
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Opening theme | "Like Pop, Like Son" |
| Ending theme | "Pop-a-Wheelie" |
| Composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Charles Grosvenor |
| Editor | Gil Iverson |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | Hanna-Barbera Productions King Features Entertainment |
| Distributor | King Features Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 19 – December 12, 1987 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The All New Popeye Hour (1978–1983) |
| Followed by | Popeye’s Island Adventures (2018) |
Overview
Popeye and long-time girlfriend, Olive Oyl, are married and have a son named Popeye Junior (or Junior for short),[2] who has inherited Popeye's ability to gain superhuman strength from eating spinach; however, Popeye Jr. hates the taste of spinach (preferring hamburgers, like Wimpy), much to his father's disappointment, although he eats spinach anyway to boost his strength.[3] Popeye's long-time rival Bluto has a wife of his own and they also have a son named Tank. Like old times, Popeye and Bluto are rivals, as are their sons.
Voice cast
- Susan Blu -
- Nancy Cartwright – Woody
- Philip L. Clarke -
- Jeff Cohen – Francis Wimpy
- George DiCenzo -
- Richard Erdman -
- Ed Gilbert -
- Scott Grimes -
- Rebecca Gilchrist –
- Zale Kessler -
- Kaleena Kiff – Dee Dee
- Maurice LaMarche – Popeye, Poopdeck Pappy
- Allan Lurie -
- David Markus – Tank Bluto
- Allan Melvin – Bluto, J. Wellington Wimpy
- Scott Menville -
- Don Messick – Eugene the Jeep
- Howard Morris – Bandini the Genie
- Josh Rodine – Popeye Jr.
- Maggie Roswell -
- Marilyn Schreffler – Olive Oyl, Lizzie Bluto, Puggy, The Sea Hag
- Penina Segall – Polly
- Carl Steven -
- Jeffrey Tambor -
- Rip Taylor –
- B.J. Ward – Rad
- Frank Welker - Shelley's Father
- Patric Zimmerman -
List of episodes
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Attack of the Sea Hag / Happy Anniversary" | Attack of the Sea Hag & Happy Anniversary John Loy | September 19, 1987 | |
|
Attack of the Sea Hag: Tank takes a driftwood mermaid Junior found on the beach, claiming it as his own for Bluto's boat party with the Mayor. However Junior must go off and save the day when the mermaid belongs to Popeye's old foe: The Sea Hag. Happy Anniversary: Popeye and Olive get into a fight on the night of their anniversary. While trying to get the two back together, Junior learns how the two finally got married. | ||||
| 2 | "The Sea Monster / Poopdeck Pappy and the Family Tree" | The Sea Monster: Cliff Roberts Poopdeck Pappy and the Family Tree: Eric Lewald | September 26, 1987 | |
|
The Sea Monster: Polly finds and befriends a sea monster, one Bluto wants to capture and sell. Poopdeck Pappy and the Family Tree: Pappy goes to Junior's school to tell his class about a past adventure and nature trip 1967 Ford R-Series/Plaxton Panorama I. | ||||
| 3 | "Bluto's Wave Pool / Here Today, Goon Tomorrow" | Bluto's Wave Pool: Anthony Adams Here Today, Goon Tomorrow: Story by : Bruce Falk; Teleplay by: John Loy | October 3, 1987 | |
| 4 | "Don't Give Up the Picnic / The Lost Treasure of Pirate's Cove" | Don't Give Up the Picnic: John Loy The Lost Treasure of Pirate's Cove: Eric Lewald | October 10, 1987 | |
| Don't Give Up the Picnic: Wimpy and his nephew challenge Bluto to the picnic games. | ||||
| 5 | "Junior's Genie / Mighty Olive at the Bat" | Junior's Genie: Story by : Kelly Ward and Mark Cassutt; Teleplay by: Eric Lewald Mighty Olive at the Bat: Eric Lewald | October 17, 1987 | |
| 6 | "Junior Gets a Job / Surf Movie" | Junior Gets a Job: John Loy Surf Movie: Charles M. Howell, IV | October 24, 1987 | |
| 7 | "Junior's Birthday Roundup / Redbeard" | Junior's Birthday Roundup: Kelly Ward Redbeard: Eric Lewald | October 31, 1987 | |
| 8 | "The Girl from Down Under / Olive's Dinosaur Dilemma" | The Girl from Down Under: Anthony Adams Olive's Dinosaur Dilemma: Bryce Malek | November 7, 1987 | |
| 9 | "Dr. Junior and Mr. Hyde / Popeye's Surfin' Adventure" | Dr. Junior and Mr. Hyde: Eric Lewald Popeye's Surfin' Adventure: John Loy | November 14, 1987 | |
| 10 | "Split Decision / The Case of the Burger Burglar" | Split Decision: Pamela Hickey and Dennys McCoy The Case of the Burger Burglar: Bryce Malek | November 21, 1987 | |
| 11 | "Orchid You Not / Ain't Mythbehavin'" | Orchid You Not: Scott Shaw Ain't Mythbehavin': Ken Koonce and David Weimers | November 28, 1987 | |
| 12 | "There Goes the Neighborhood / Prince of a Fellow" | There Goes the Neighborhood: Eric Lewald Prince of a Fellow: Kelly Ward | December 5, 1987 | |
| 13 | "Olive's Day Off / Damsel in Distress" | Olive's Day Off: Bryce Malek Damsel in Distress: Eric Lewald and John Loy | December 12, 1987 | |
Reception
In 2014, including it in an article about twelve 1980s cartoons that supposedly did not deserve remembrance, io9 was largely critical of the series, noting that it did not utilize the conventions established by the theatrical Popeye short films.[4]
Home media
In late 2008, Warner Home Video planned to release four Popeye and Son episodes (8 cartoons) on DVD as Popeye & Friends Volume Two (Volume One, released earlier in 2008, contained episodes of the previous Hanna-Barbera Popeye series, The All New Popeye Hour). The release was cancelled following poor sales of the first volume, but Warner did release it in Australia on Region 4 DVD. The region 4 disc contains the following cartoons: "Attack of the Sea Hag", "Happy Anniversary", "The Sea Monster", "Poopdeck Pappy and the Family Tree", "Junior's Genie", "Mighty Olive at the Bat", "Junior Gets a Job", and "Surf Movie".
A collection of episodes has been released in the UK by Hollywood DVD Ltd. The cartoons on the DVD are: "Attack of the Sea Hag", "Happy Anniversary", "The Sea Monster", "Poopdeck Pappy and the Family Tree", "Bluto's Wave Pool", "Here Today Goon Tomorrow", "Don't Give Up the Picnic", "Lost Treasure of Pirate's Cove", "Junior's Genie", "Mighty Olive at the Bat", "Split Decision", and "The Case of the Burger Burglar".
References
- Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 347. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- CHARLES SOLOMON (1987-10-09). "Kidvid Reviews : Cartoon Debuts Are All Drawn Out - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 637–638. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- Bricken, Rob (11 November 2014). "12 Cartoons From The 1980s No One Will Ever Have Nostalgia For". io9. Retrieved 11 September 2016.