1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much 3 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: for tuning in. That's our own cartoonist super producer, mister 4 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: Max Williams. 5 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 2: Do you know that I really love spinach, but. 6 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:43,159 Speaker 3: I can't eat it? 7 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: No edition, he's got the condition complex vegetables. I'm so 8 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: glad that you have approved of us putting that weird 9 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: Victorian malady term on the condition. 10 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 3: It's just we knew, we knew it was serious when 11 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 3: Max just started coughing kind of wheedily into a hanky 12 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 3: and then a little bit of blood kind of came out, 13 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 3: you know, and you. 14 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: Kept You bought the fainting couch, and you keep fainting. 15 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 3: Yeah. 16 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 2: The vapors vapor, yeah yeah. And then and then I 17 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 2: got the tobacco smoke animals. I started reading Jayjay's book 18 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 2: and I read that. I'm like, oh, that's on the 19 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:19,959 Speaker 2: fifth page. 20 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 3: Oh, yes, of course, The Year of Living constitutionally available anywhere. 21 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 3: Fine books are so quick. Question, Max, if you can't 22 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 3: eat spinach, where do you derive your super strength from? Oh? 23 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 2: He rubs a head, okay, and the twenty inches of 24 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 2: hair as well, and. 25 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: We are your host of ridiculous history. I'm Ben Bollen, 26 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: joined as always with the man, the myth, the legend, 27 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: mister Noel Brown, Noel Barcelona Brown. Okay, I'll think it's 28 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: been called sometimes and so as you can probably tell 29 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: from our uh, from our spinach references and a little 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: bit of some great uh, some great catchphrasing here, today's 31 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: episode is about Popeye the Sailor. Uh No, what's the 32 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: first thing you think about when you hear the Popeye? 33 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 3: I think of expanding biceps with a giant steamship tattoo 34 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,079 Speaker 3: that it was. It becomes larger and larger and starts 35 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 3: to pump like vapors out into the air, you know, 36 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 3: it starts to animate and then punch and stuff, big, 37 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 3: big punching, serious violence in that cartoon. Oh yeah, for sure. 38 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: I mean Popeye the Sailor for almost a century has 39 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: been a mainstay of comics and cartoons, and of course 40 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: the film helmed by Robin Williams. 41 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 3: We all saw that one, you know. I've been wanting 42 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 3: to for ages. It's sort of been on my list, 43 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 3: but I haven't seen it. I just know the song 44 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 3: from it, sung by Shelley Devall. That was used delightfully 45 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 3: non sequitarily in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Chunk Love. He 46 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 3: needs me, he needs me, he needs me, the olive 47 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 3: oil kind of love theme. I guess I have not 48 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 3: seen Robert Altman's Popeye movie. It's apparently freakin' Bonker's weird. 49 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, it kind of whent over my head the first 50 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,399 Speaker 1: time I saw so in the course of this we 51 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: you know I rewatched this. Why are we talking about 52 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 1: Popeye today? Well, the guy's ridiculous. You know, he's got 53 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: a strong sense of right and wrong. You described his 54 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: situational super strength perfectly. He's got this bizarre pantheon and 55 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: entourage of allies and villains. And in full transparency. We 56 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: do a lot of stuff for a lot of different shows, 57 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 1: and one Saturday, we're working on something about credit cards 58 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: and instead found ourselves in a cost coat sized rabbit 59 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: hole about Popeye. What do you say, Noel, should we 60 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: crack open this podcast? Spinach can does that work? Yeah? 61 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 3: Because that's how he does it right. He just sort 62 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 3: of squeezes it and then the lid pops off and 63 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 3: the spinach shoots up into the air and immediately just 64 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 3: goes right down his gully hole, at which point he 65 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 3: is imbued with super strength and vanquishes his foes with 66 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 3: righteous indignation. As you said, Ben, Popeye is he doesn't 67 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 3: like bullies, and he's got a couple of nemeses that 68 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 3: we've seen over time, But I think the one most 69 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,359 Speaker 3: people will probably remember is Bluto, the quintessential kind of 70 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,840 Speaker 3: thick necked bully. He was essentially a bit of a 71 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 3: sex pest. He's always coming after olive oil like some 72 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:29,599 Speaker 3: sort of weird, stalker ish kind of you know, misogynistic weirdo. 73 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 3: Right a more, Yeah, no shade on lumber checks. But man, Bluto, 74 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,239 Speaker 3: what a bad guy. And I didn't know how many 75 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 3: words and terms in the kind of popular vernacular came 76 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 3: from Popeye the other way around. We're gonna get to 77 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 3: all this stuff. It's so fun because you think about 78 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 3: a character named Wimpy, and you think, oh, surely they 79 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 3: named Wimpy after the word wimpy. Well, it turns out 80 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 3: not quite the case. The story of Popeye, or as 81 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 3: some people in more of the like Midwest and maybe 82 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 3: Boston area might refer to him as Popeye. I say 83 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 3: this because Mitch from The dough Boys. I was always 84 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 3: talking about Popeye's Fried Chicken, so I think it's very charming. 85 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 3: But his creator, I was an American cartoonist named Elsie 86 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 3: Chrissler Seeger who was born December eighth, eighteen ninety four 87 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,480 Speaker 3: in Chester, Illinois. Yeah, and just. 88 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: Like a lot of up and coming artists, he has 89 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: a ton of jobs. In his early years. He paints houses. 90 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: That is not an assassination euphemism. He was actually painting houses. 91 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: He paints signs, which is a cool thing to do. 92 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 1: As a job, he works as a projectionist with motion pictures, 93 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: and the entire time he's doing this, he is continually 94 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: cold calling, or I guess I would say cold pitching 95 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: cartoons to papers magazines of the day. And eventually, also 96 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: he gets bupkus. They're not listening to him or taking 97 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 1: his submissions until he travels to Chicago and gets a 98 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: little gets by with a little help from his friend. 99 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 3: That's right, a fellow by the name of Richard m 100 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 3: out Cult was a little bit, you know, more kind 101 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 3: of up and coming in the field, and he liked 102 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 3: the cut of Seeger's jib, and he used his influence 103 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 3: in the industry to get him a gig at the Herald, 104 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 3: the Chicago Herald, drawing Charlie Chaplin's comic capers, which we 105 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 3: love the alliteration. Oh, it's a very illiterative story today. 106 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 3: But yeah, it would have been, you know, I guess 107 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 3: Chaplin was such a brand. It never really occurred to 108 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,359 Speaker 3: me that he would have had his own cartoon in 109 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 3: the newspapers, but of course he did. So this would 110 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 3: have been like the equivalent of getting a job, you know, 111 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 3: drawing for the Simpsons or something. Thing. Right, You're not 112 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 3: necessarily gonna use your own style, You're probably following a 113 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 3: style guide. But it's steady work, right. 114 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's steady work, you know, And it seems like 115 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: a really promising thing because even even back then, of course, 116 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: working in any creative field can be intensely competitive, right, 117 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: and a to be a heck of a slog. So 118 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: he was able, through this personal relationship to get a 119 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: real plum gig that a lot of other people were 120 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: doubtlessly vying for. Unfortunately, this Herald, this paper he's working at, 121 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: it ceases publication in nineteen seventeen, so he relocates again. 122 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: He moves to New York. Now he's got some bona fides, right, 123 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: he's got a resume, he's got a CV, he's got 124 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: proven published cartoons. And he uses this to talk to 125 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: a group called King Features Syndicate, and he pitches his 126 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: own strip. That's the dream. We know a lot of artists. 127 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 1: All that's the dream is to have your own original work. 128 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 3: Everyone wants to own strip in the funny papers. That's 129 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 3: how that's how you know you've made it as an 130 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 3: honest today. Okay, maybe a measure of a different era, 131 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 3: but certainly the measure of this era. King's Features Syndicate, 132 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 3: which sounds like some sort of weird movie cartel, doesn't it. 133 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: It does syndicate. 134 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 3: No, there were syndicate. I just think of crime syndicate. 135 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 3: But no, this is a feature syndicate. And yeah, he 136 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 3: pitched this idea and it was accepted. You saw it 137 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,080 Speaker 3: for the first time in nineteen nineteen called Thimble Theater. 138 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 3: At first, the strip dealt with the fat, tabulous adventures 139 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 3: of Olive Oil spelled oh oh y l olive Oil, which, okay, 140 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 3: just to just maybe hyperbolically to describe maybe what we're 141 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 3: all thinking a little bit sort of a bit of 142 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 3: a bean polely kind of gawky old maid. For some 143 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 3: reason at the time, you know, unmarried women were a 144 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 3: source of scorn and yeah not cool. So Olive oil 145 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,559 Speaker 3: was sort of fit into that role and was maybe 146 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 3: made a bit of a point of mockery, right, yeah, yeah, 147 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 3: my brother was also depicted as kind of an idiot, right, 148 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 3: who's had an equally hilarious name, a little oakfish. 149 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: You know, these are cartoon characters, right, but there is 150 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: there is definitely that prejudice against women baked into the strip. 151 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: Olive has a. 152 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 3: Suitor, a paramole brother. By the way, the castor oil 153 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 3: still O y L. 154 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:48,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, so they never got to avocado oil, but maybe 155 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: that's a note in the future, Olive has Olive has 156 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: again this suitor, this uh, this lover of man named 157 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: originally he's named Harold ham Gravy all one word and 158 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:02,679 Speaker 1: then it gets shortened to ham. 159 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:10,599 Speaker 3: Gravy, ham gravy. Maybe her boyfriend, right, also somewhat buffoonish 160 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,439 Speaker 3: is he, I don't know, sort of a proto Popeye 161 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 3: in a way, right, because I mean that's what Popeye 162 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 3: became was, you know, by the sailor man, he's about 163 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 3: protecting his lady love Olive Oil. They're they're betrothed. In 164 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 3: the stars is written that Popeye and Olive shall be one. 165 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, and for a while they kind of had this 166 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: sort of what we could call a Dagwood blondie vibe, 167 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: like here or here's the here are the one shot 168 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: adventures of these two, this odd couple, and they would 169 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: have a rotating cast, you know how, like in X 170 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:51,959 Speaker 1: Files there's a Monster of the. 171 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 3: Week of course, right, so there's there's my favorite episode. 172 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:59,719 Speaker 1: Same dude. I think they're tight, just structurally as well 173 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: as relistically. But they're except for Home, which we don't 174 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: have to get into. 175 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 3: That's a freaky one. That's a weird one. 176 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: So in Thimble Theater, originally they have a bunch of 177 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 1: these one shot characters who show up in these various 178 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: different styles. It's meant to be somewhat like an anthology, 179 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: hence the name Thimble Theater. But to your point, to 180 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: your excellent earlier point, man Segar keeps refining his universe 181 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: and he'll try characters out and then he'll cut them 182 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:34,439 Speaker 1: if I guess he doesn't like drawing them or they 183 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: don't get a good audience response. There was for instance, 184 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: a villain named Willie Wormwood, and he cut Willy about 185 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 1: a year like over the first year, and then he said, 186 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: all right, I'm going to focus on the the dynamic 187 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:55,560 Speaker 1: between ham gravy and olive oil. And it was still 188 00:11:55,640 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 1: like the classic you know, first first couple panels, set 189 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 1: up a joke, next is the punchline, right, and they 190 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: would call this a gag a day kind of thing. 191 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: Eventually he starts, I think it's around nineteen twenty two, 192 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:16,239 Speaker 1: our cartoonists starts saying, well, let me take some longer 193 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,840 Speaker 1: storylines over the course of multiple strips, which reminds me 194 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,120 Speaker 1: a little bit by the way of our pal Dan's 195 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:26,319 Speaker 1: work on Rick and Morty, because remember Rick and Morty 196 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: used to be just like one shot, twenty something minute adventures, 197 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 1: and they started building out the Mythos Navin story. 198 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, we love a good we love some good lore 199 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 3: and world building. I mean it makes sense that the 200 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 3: format first was much more of like a you know, 201 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 3: one off kind of jokey handful of frames beginning, middle, 202 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 3: and end, move on. And I still kind of enjoy 203 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 3: comics like that. There's a whole subgenre of manga horror 204 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 3: comics that are these very tightly contained like beginning, middle, 205 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 3: and end, almost like a punch line joke kind of 206 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 3: set up, but with a horror story that usually only 207 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:08,199 Speaker 3: take about a page or so to tell you this 208 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 3: usually pretty twisted little taiale. So I'm a fan of 209 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 3: that kind of brevity. But then, of course it's as 210 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 3: a creator obviously really cool to be able to expand 211 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 3: that universe, and honestly, Popeye, it was sort of righte 212 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 3: for that. Because you already mentioned the rotating cast of characters. 213 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:29,959 Speaker 3: Now we're going to start to see some recurring characters. 214 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, sir, it might surprise some of us ridiculous 215 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: historians playing along at home to learn that Popeye did 216 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:42,559 Speaker 1: not appear in Thimble Theater until a like a decade 217 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: after the thing you've been running. 218 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 3: Olive Oil was the first of the bunch, right. 219 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: Right, Popeye shows up on January seventeenth of nineteen twenty nine. 220 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: And here's the set up, all right. He's hired by 221 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:07,240 Speaker 1: you know, our kind of oafish brother boy Castor Oil 222 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 1: and Olive Oil's boyfriend, Ham Gravy. These two guys hire 223 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 1: this new dude, Popeye, to crew a ship for a 224 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 1: voyage to Dice Island. Dice Island is important in the 225 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: show or in the strip because it is home to 226 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: a casino owned by a crooked gambler named Fade Well 227 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: all one. 228 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 3: Word, great name. And by the way, ham gravy. First 229 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 3: of all, I don't maybe maybe gravy on a pork chop, 230 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 3: but gravy on a piece of ham. That's a little 231 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:42,520 Speaker 3: weird for me. Maybe it was a different time, but 232 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 3: to look at this fella, he is a little bit 233 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 3: of a sad sack. He's kind of almost like a 234 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 3: Charlie Brown, sort of always a little hangdog walking around. 235 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 3: But he weirdly is like the dude version of olive oil. 236 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 3: He has the same pointy shaped nose, the same kind 237 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 3: of wiry frame, uh, the same more or less kind 238 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 3: of seemingly bald head minus the braids coming down the side. 239 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 3: But yeah, he very much seems to be like a 240 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 3: male olive oil. So they you know, it makes sense 241 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 3: that they pair it to them. But I guess what 242 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 3: did did Popeye literally steal her away from ham gravy 243 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 3: with his muscles and nautical skills? 244 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: Well, this is where we get into some mythos, right, 245 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: So our buddy Castor Oil says, I'm gonna I've got 246 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: a ringer. I'm gonna break the bank at the casino 247 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: because Bernice the Whiffle hid, who is kind of our 248 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: first spinach. 249 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 3: We'll see what we mean, folks. If you if you. 250 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: Pet Bernice correctly, then for a limited amount of time, 251 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:48,479 Speaker 1: you get incredible good luck. So they do this spoiler 252 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: it's you know, it's a comic strip. Uh, And Popeye 253 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: returns because he now he has like you were saying, no, 254 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: he has this mission to romantically pursue Olive Oil, and 255 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 1: she breaks up with Ham to date Popeye in March 256 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: of nineteen thirty, and then he also gets the Originally 257 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 1: his superpowers are given to him by petting or rubbing 258 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: Bernice the whiffle hen, but then later, of course the spinach. 259 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 2: And it's jumping real quick. I was also very curious 260 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 2: about ham gravy nol. It turns out, at least for 261 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 2: my very brief research, that ham gravy is just like 262 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 2: gravy made from the drippings of ham. 263 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 3: Mm hmm, okay, he can clear on anything. Gravy is 264 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 3: gravy exactly. 265 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 2: It's not like gravy specifically for ham, but it's gravy. 266 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 3: That makes us like mushroom gravy or any Okay, fair enough, 267 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 3: thank you. This has been Max's culinary corner or Max 268 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 3: with the Max with the fact is that seeking in 269 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 3: the phone and he's fallen. Lolgh, it's just for you 270 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:06,879 Speaker 3: right now. Oh yeah, that too. They're interchangeable. But yeah, so, 271 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 3: I mean, okay, so, but it is true though, Ben, 272 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 3: that they wrote into the storyline that olive oil dumps 273 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 3: Sam gravy. Yeah, in favor of of of the uh, 274 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:23,359 Speaker 3: I guess slightly more fetching than Edgy, somewhat dangerous but 275 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 3: weirdly misshapen jawlined Popeye. 276 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: He's a bad boy. Yeah, he is some bad things. 277 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: There's a yeah, which we'll get to. There's a bevy 278 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 1: of unique and eccentric characters that are continually showing up 279 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: before and after Popeye, and we'll describe some of those 280 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,199 Speaker 1: in a moment. This guy became so popular he was 281 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: a sky rocketing success in the world of comics. He 282 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: was also inherently associated with Spinach. Just six years after 283 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 1: he first appears going to Dice Island, the town of 284 00:17:56,480 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: Crystal City, Texas, built a statue for Popeye for fictional 285 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: character because Crystal City, Texas, at the time was a 286 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: huge agricultural center for spinach. Then they renamed the copy strip. 287 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: It's no longer Thimble Theaters Thimble Theater starring Popeye, and 288 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:20,159 Speaker 1: then later they shorten it and they just say Popeye. 289 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:22,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, And then anyone's thinking of Popeye the salor man. 290 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 3: That's largely from the theme of the cartoon. That'll come later, 291 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 3: and quick cook point of on the spinach thing, the marketing, 292 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 3: I don't see it anymore, but for years you could 293 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 3: get bagged spinach that was logoed up with Popeye cartoons, 294 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 3: and I don't know what happened if the deal run. 295 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:43,680 Speaker 3: I mean a lot of this stuff is public domain. 296 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 3: Actually we'll get to that too. There's some interesting gray 297 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,919 Speaker 3: area questions around the public domain mess of the Popeye character. 298 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,360 Speaker 3: But I wonder what happened. I would love to figure out, 299 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 3: because for years you'd get bags spin into the grocery 300 00:18:56,119 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 3: store and it would be covered in Popeye logo. It 301 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:01,200 Speaker 3: might be a. 302 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: Thing where because they definitely still have Popeye brand canned spinach, 303 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: it may be a thing where maybe a particular grocery 304 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: store does not have that supplier anymore, but Popeye brand 305 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:14,400 Speaker 1: Spinach is still very much in playee. 306 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:15,879 Speaker 3: I'm sure, I'm sure it is, just it used to 307 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:17,680 Speaker 3: be everywhere at the you know, in our neck of 308 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:21,200 Speaker 3: the woods, the Kroger or the publics of the world, 309 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 3: which is typically what we get around here. But yeah, 310 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:29,919 Speaker 3: Crystal City, Boomtown for Spinach at the time already hitching 311 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 3: their wagon to Popeye's pipe, I guess. And he gets 312 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 3: so popular right at a time when animated cartoons are 313 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 3: really starting to be a thing like this is in 314 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 3: the early days of Disney from the Ink, well really 315 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 3: weird psychedelic cartoons from the Fleischer brothers, Max and Dave, 316 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 3: who produced all these cartoons shorts, they decided to, you know, 317 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 3: capitalize on Popeye's popularity as a comic. It creates an 318 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:05,159 Speaker 3: animated version voiced by Jack Mercer, and that's where you 319 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 3: get here and all of that stuff. That really is 320 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 3: what absolutely elevates Popeye into the stratosphere pop culturally speaking, 321 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 3: is to have that voice and that theme song, you know, 322 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 3: And it's honestly something I grew up with. It's forever 323 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:26,719 Speaker 3: with me, you know, all my I remember I had 324 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 3: a friend who told me during a sleepover once he 325 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 3: was messing with me, but he swore to me that 326 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:35,480 Speaker 3: his mother would not let him watch Popeye cartoons because 327 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 3: they were too violent. But it turns out he pretty 328 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 3: with me, but they were violent, you. 329 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,640 Speaker 1: Know, the older ones, especially, I mean, Popeye is part 330 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 1: of the World War two propaganda moves that brought in 331 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: Disney and had Donald Duck do some questionable things, and 332 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: then in the it persists into the nineteen sixties nineteen seventies. 333 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 1: Popeye cartoons are made for American TV, and the old 334 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: it triggers a wave of nostalgia. Weirdly enough, because a 335 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 1: certain amount of decades have passed, so now people are 336 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: finding the old cartoons as well. And Popeye comic books 337 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: have been around since the nineteen thirties. They were still 338 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,680 Speaker 1: up until or publishing up until the nineteen seventies. There 339 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:22,199 Speaker 1: were toys, clothing, merchandise. It's very spaceballs. 340 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 3: We know that. 341 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: We already talked about how Robin Williams was in the 342 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: star of the live action Popeye film in nineteen eighty, 343 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: but maybe we describe Popeye a little bit more. He's 344 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: thirty four years old when you first meet him. Even 345 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: though the stablished this yeah, even though it looks like 346 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: he's maybe mid fifties, hard lived, put away wet, but 347 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,399 Speaker 1: he's got one eye in the beginning is he is 348 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:53,120 Speaker 1: weirdly enough, specifically from Santa Monica, California, So I don't 349 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:54,200 Speaker 1: know who seeger met. 350 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:55,679 Speaker 3: You know, I never really thought of him of just 351 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,479 Speaker 3: having one eye. I thought it was more of a 352 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 3: really hard squint yeah in the rock yeah, you know, 353 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 3: kind of yeah. And the things that I always found 354 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:08,160 Speaker 3: interesting about the character design of Popeye is that, aside 355 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 3: from his weirdly bulging muscles, he's like rail thin everywhere else. 356 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,160 Speaker 3: He's got these noodley arms. He looks like a freakin' 357 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:21,400 Speaker 3: what is it like a muffler on a car, you know, 358 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 3: where it's like a tiny tube. Can I do a 359 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 3: big old honking thing and then another tiny tube coming 360 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 3: out on the other side. 361 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: And he always has a pipe, yeah, in his weird, 362 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: weird little mouth. 363 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 3: And he's yeah, he's always aggressively. 364 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:39,119 Speaker 1: Right, He's always ready to fight in place of reasonable discussion. 365 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: He's got a grabbling voice. There's a subreddit called thirteen 366 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: or thirty which is entirely photographs. I don't know if 367 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,359 Speaker 1: you guys have seen it, but it's entirely photographs of 368 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: people who look bizarrely not their age in one direction 369 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:53,359 Speaker 1: or another. 370 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 3: I haven't seen this, but I know the vibe. 371 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:58,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, Popeye's one of these. And one of his most 372 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:03,159 Speaker 1: popular catchphrases is also, I would argue his fundamental like 373 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: philosophical and moral axiom, I am what I am, and 374 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: that's all what I am. 375 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, And you know, you know you hit on something 376 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:16,679 Speaker 3: just now, Ben. He does almost have like a lilting 377 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 3: kind of Irish accent almost. It's more like, you know, 378 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 3: the voice of Willem Dafoe in the in the Lighthouse. 379 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: You know, he's kind of got this grizzled. 380 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,239 Speaker 3: Like Seeman's kind of brogue, I guess you could call it. 381 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 3: And he does have a spouse sort of a personal philosophy. Uh. 382 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 3: And he does so often very weirdly monologuing to himself 383 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 3: under his breath, kind of like demons. He the guy's 384 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 3: a bit of a of a of a crazy person. 385 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 3: Let's not let's not men's words here. 386 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: And to the point made earlier the comic strip, the 387 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:12,479 Speaker 1: original strip was pretty violent by today's measures. In his 388 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: first appearance, you know, rubbing Bernice. The Whifflehn gives him 389 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:22,119 Speaker 1: the ability to survive fifteen gunshot wounds and he's fine. 390 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: But that's a lot for kids. We would imagine today, 391 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:29,679 Speaker 1: and it's the end of nineteen twenty nine when his 392 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:34,639 Speaker 1: strength is no longer derived from Bernice. Instead it's derived 393 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: by spinach, by the consumption of spinach, often in the 394 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 1: most cartoonish method possible. He squeezes the can. Sometimes it 395 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: goes into his mouth, sometimes through his pipe. 396 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 3: It's weird he does go through I forgot about that 397 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 3: is he's smoking it? What's going on? 398 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 1: Smoking the spinach? 399 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:54,400 Speaker 3: He's smoking that sweet sweet green leaf by the way, 400 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 3: really quickly. Just which as we're talking about his weird 401 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,959 Speaker 3: personal philosophy and mumblings, he had a couple other can 402 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 3: phrases besides I am what I am, and that's all 403 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,199 Speaker 3: I am. Uh, that's all I can stand because I 404 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 3: can't stands no more. That's a good one. And uh, 405 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 3: let's see you. You got a face I like to touch, Yeah, 406 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 3: talking to all of talking to all of yeah, and 407 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 3: I am disgustiated. And a personal classic which sort of 408 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 3: shows his you know, if you're not with me, you're 409 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:32,640 Speaker 3: against me. Mentality. If we can't be friends, we'll be enemies. Yeah. 410 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,919 Speaker 1: That was always chilling to me reading this, And we 411 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:39,280 Speaker 1: also know that there are a lot of other catchphrases, 412 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: cultural tropes. We set this up so well in the 413 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: beginning that come not just from Popeye himself Popeye the Man, 414 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: but come from his pantheon of side characters, villains, ed allies, 415 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: Jay Wellington. Wimpy of course be one of one of 416 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 1: the crowd favorites. He's kind of lazy, he's not in 417 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 1: the shape he beat me here, Max. He loves hamburger. 418 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, he came up organically on a recent episode 419 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:09,719 Speaker 3: where you said something to the effect of I'll gladly 420 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,959 Speaker 3: pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today, which was his 421 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 3: catch phrase. But he he did sometimes in the way 422 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 3: that a lay about comic relief kind of character will 423 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:23,240 Speaker 3: sometimes be the hero of the day. Sometimes Wimpy accidentally 424 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 3: inspector gadgets his way into sort of like you know, 425 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 3: being the lynchpin of what leads to the successful outcome 426 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 3: and the caper. 427 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,359 Speaker 1: M one hundred percent. And you made this point so 428 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:40,480 Speaker 1: well earlier, the way that Popeye has informed American culture, 429 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:46,160 Speaker 1: and indeed American English. A lot of etymologists will argue 430 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:50,919 Speaker 1: that Wimpy is actually the source of the word wimp 431 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,160 Speaker 1: meaning timid or cowardly or not strong. 432 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 3: Or you know, wimpy. That's a wimpy guy right there. 433 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 1: You know, it's also a huge Hamberg chain, right or 434 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: it was? Are they still around? 435 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 3: I guess it was in England, right because I'm not 436 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:11,480 Speaker 3: familiar with it, but perfect branding. Also, Popeyes the restaurant 437 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,399 Speaker 3: unaffiliated with Popeye is the cartoon the chicken restaurant. I 438 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 3: think at some point there was some litigation around that. 439 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 3: I'd have to I think you're right, but I think 440 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 3: they sorted it out because Popeyes is still Popeyes, Popeye 441 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 3: the cartoon, and the intellectual property is still that. So yeah, 442 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 3: Wimpy became a bit of a fan favorite. Mm hmmmm, 443 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:33,640 Speaker 3: he sure did. 444 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: He actually became the next or the third full time 445 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,879 Speaker 1: major character alongside Popeye and all of Maybe one of 446 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: the weirdest comparisons to draw is the in the world 447 00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: of DC comics, the three main members of the Justice 448 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: League are Superman that's our Popeye, Olive Oil that's our 449 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 1: Wonder Woman, and Wimpy, who I guess now is our batman. 450 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: I have painted by self into a comparison quarter there. 451 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,120 Speaker 2: Also to jump in real quick, I did some quick 452 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:09,040 Speaker 2: diving into wimpy Burrs. They are basically out of the 453 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:10,159 Speaker 2: United States. 454 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 1: There's one in Memphis, Okay. 455 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:18,040 Speaker 2: Where they really found success was South Africa. They're headquarters 456 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 2: in Johannesburg, and they have four hundred and fifty three outlets. Obviously, 457 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,240 Speaker 2: this is according to the modern day Great Library of 458 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 2: Alexandria Wikipedia. So yeah. And they're also in the United 459 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:33,639 Speaker 2: Kingdom with sixty two outlets. So yes, very much around. 460 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 2: Not easy to find one unless you go to Memphis. 461 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 2: According to Ben. 462 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,479 Speaker 1: South Africa, the country that is perhaps best known for 463 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: its love of whippy hamburgers. A couple other things happened 464 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 1: there too. You guys ever heard of jolliby, Yes, in 465 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 1: the Philippines. It's so popular in the Philippines. 466 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:14,000 Speaker 3: There are some elsewhere, Like I think there's there's something 467 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 3: like Boss California, California. That's right, I'm slute, You're absolutely right, California. 468 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 3: But it is a Filipino fried chicken and spaghetti joints 469 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 3: that also makes like crushed Hawaiian ices and various odd 470 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:33,959 Speaker 3: kind of boba type sweets, but I really want to go. 471 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,080 Speaker 3: I saw an Anthony board an episode where I think 472 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:38,280 Speaker 3: it was David Chang took him there. But it seems 473 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,760 Speaker 3: very interesting. It's good. Unrelated to Popeye, but one thing 474 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 3: that is related to Popeye is the Fleischer cartoon. Obviously, 475 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 3: is when you started to see all of these characters 476 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 3: joining the Fray. You had Eugene the Jeep, which was 477 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 3: a dog who's dog like, he's the Jeep. He's a jeep, 478 00:29:58,720 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 3: that's what he is. 479 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: He only has the one word such is jeep. 480 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 3: And apparently. 481 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 1: He is not named after the vehicle or the type 482 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: of vehicle, the jeep, the automotive Jeep is named after 483 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: this cartoon. 484 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 3: Once again, first to market man, this is the thirties, 485 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:20,640 Speaker 3: they're gonna be. They're creating a lot of powerful pop 486 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 3: cultural kind of like phenomenon, you know, and they didn't 487 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 3: even realize it. I always, for some reason, assumed jeep 488 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 3: was an acronym, though I couldn't tell you what that 489 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:31,200 Speaker 3: would possibly be. I don't know, it just seems like 490 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 3: one of those words that would be. But Eugene the Jeep, 491 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 3: he's a dog sort of, but he's really just a jeep. 492 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,280 Speaker 3: Who says jeep. He's magical though, isn't he. I think 493 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 3: he has some like shape shifting kind of Sasquatch esque 494 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 3: powers of teleportation sort of right. 495 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, he is very difficult to kill because of his 496 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 1: magical powers. And he does not look like a jeep 497 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: by the way, like the vehicle. He is sort of 498 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 1: a yellow, green spotted like we said, vague dog like yeah, 499 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: with a big h with a big balloon shaped nose. 500 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 3: Trebasis, yes, just so. 501 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, and he's got a schnaz for sure, and he uh, 502 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,479 Speaker 1: his powers are explained by the fact that he is 503 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: in the three dimensional world, but he's from a fourth 504 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:28,360 Speaker 1: dimensional world. They got deep into the lore pretty quickly. 505 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:34,560 Speaker 3: Pretty cool. Popeye and his nautical explanation explorations, one would 506 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 3: imagine found a rift in space time where he took 507 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:42,640 Speaker 3: his his sloop into another dimension and came back with 508 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:43,240 Speaker 3: the jeep. 509 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:47,719 Speaker 1: It's a really weird kind of thing, right, and the uh, 510 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 1: the army vehicle was called the general Purpose Vehicle and 511 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: then shortened to jeep. But we're pretty sure that happened 512 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: because of the propaganda cartoons that were shown to soldiers 513 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: to kind of boost morale. So we went from GP 514 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: to JEEP. Look, this is our segue to learning together 515 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,200 Speaker 1: with you ridiculous historians, that this is a two part episode. 516 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:18,000 Speaker 3: We already know much fun. You already know what it is. 517 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 3: This is one of those not posthumous. That's not the 518 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 3: right word. What's the right word. 519 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 1: We can say post script. 520 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 3: Or Look, guys, it's summer. We're all trying to take 521 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 3: a little time off. We thought this one was a 522 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:36,160 Speaker 3: beefy one part or a nice nuggety, spinach bite sized 523 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 3: two parter for you to enjoy this week. And I 524 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,400 Speaker 3: don't know, man, I think Popeye deserves his own week. 525 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 3: It's Popeye Week here on Ridiculous History. 526 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:49,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, and maybe we can also answer some other questions 527 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:53,120 Speaker 1: that surely are burning in our collective minds, folks, in 528 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:57,959 Speaker 1: Part two of the Ridiculous History of Popeye. But for now, 529 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 1: we've got a a lot of thank yous. We're always 530 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: grateful when we do our credits. It's it's a fun 531 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: it's a fun thing for us. So, of course, shout 532 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 1: out to the man the myths legend, mister Max Williams. Also, 533 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,800 Speaker 1: you know what, shout out to Casey Pegram I think 534 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: we should have him back on the show. 535 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,400 Speaker 3: It's oh, we must he's got his hands full with 536 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 3: fatherhood and other podcast duties. But boy do we love 537 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 3: that guy. I want to say now, I want to 538 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,800 Speaker 3: take this opportunity to add something that I think we 539 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:28,240 Speaker 3: didn't get into in either of these episodes, where we 540 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:32,040 Speaker 3: might have just glossed over. I didn't really think about this. 541 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 3: And again, we've we've promised this, and we're going to 542 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,360 Speaker 3: fully deliver and report back. Gonna go down some YouTube 543 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,120 Speaker 3: rabbit holes rewatching some of these classic Popeye cartoons. But 544 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:43,880 Speaker 3: I had forgotten, or maybe it had never acknowledged or 545 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 3: noticed in the first place, that not only does spinach 546 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 3: give Popeye super strength, it often gives him other kind 547 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 3: of like side. 548 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,440 Speaker 1: Like playing the piano yeah, or. 549 00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:59,800 Speaker 3: Whatever is required in the moment to be the most 550 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:03,960 Speaker 3: ass right, yeah exactly, dance like it make him dance 551 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:06,960 Speaker 3: like Barishnakoff all of a sudden, right right. 552 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 1: We also may at some point another thing we forgot 553 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:13,479 Speaker 1: is we mentioned this, but we may at some point 554 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 1: need to explain why Popeye's Chicken is not related to 555 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,280 Speaker 1: popeye'es this Popeye the Sailor. 556 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:24,799 Speaker 3: Right, Yes, maybe you know what, maybe will do that 557 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,200 Speaker 3: in our Out show for episode two. I think that's 558 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,279 Speaker 3: a smashing idea, and I just want to play on 559 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:33,880 Speaker 3: a couple other things. Originally, I think you had mentioned this, 560 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:37,560 Speaker 3: the chicken, the whiffle Hen. It was a luck factor, right, 561 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 3: so essentially what up? It's like it's like maxing out 562 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,960 Speaker 3: your luck parameter in a Fallout game, right, And all 563 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,040 Speaker 3: of a sudden, everywhere you go, people are just throwing 564 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 3: themselves at you to give give you their stuff, and 565 00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:53,840 Speaker 3: you know, whatever crate you open full of like magical 566 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:55,319 Speaker 3: items that you'd never find, and. 567 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 2: A psychopath shows up starts shooting people for you. Have 568 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 2: you found his document in Nick Valentine's office and fall 569 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:02,960 Speaker 2: It four? 570 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 3: No, I haven't gotten there yet. I also I have 571 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:07,400 Speaker 3: a Skyrim related question that I want to post to you, 572 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 3: but not quite this second. So luck was what the 573 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 3: Whifflehen was about. But the spinach he could at times 574 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:17,160 Speaker 3: he'd turn into like a human bullet, you know, or 575 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 3: like a like a rocket, a cruise missile, you know. 576 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, And we're going to answer all these questions 577 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,960 Speaker 1: and more in part two of our series this week. 578 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:30,359 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us. 579 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:30,640 Speaker 3: Folks. 580 00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:34,040 Speaker 1: Thanks to our superducer mister Max Williams, Our Blue Toe, 581 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland aka the Twister of course, AJ Jacobs, Bahamas 582 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:40,840 Speaker 1: and who else. 583 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:43,799 Speaker 2: And just jumping here real quick. Special shout out to 584 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,120 Speaker 2: our research associate for this episode, no other than mister 585 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:48,080 Speaker 2: Ben Bolin. 586 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 3: Oh Chriss rossiotis here in spirit. He's Jeff Coats wherever 587 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:57,160 Speaker 3: they may roam, check out Eve's podcast on Theme. They 588 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:00,920 Speaker 3: just did a really cool live lit event here in 589 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:05,400 Speaker 3: Atlanta in conjunction with our buddy Michael Alder. June is 590 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:08,200 Speaker 3: part of the Right Club series, so do check out 591 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 3: their podcast on Theme with Eaves, Jeffcoats and Katie Mitchell 592 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:17,360 Speaker 3: out now wherever you get your podcasts, man About covers 593 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:21,440 Speaker 3: the thank you, Thank you Ben for your human abilities 594 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 3: of podcasting. 595 00:36:22,719 --> 00:36:24,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, it's all the spinach. 596 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:34,680 Speaker 3: We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 597 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:38,040 Speaker 3: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 598 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:39,120 Speaker 3: to your favorite shows.