Van Dyke Parks: POPEYE (1980)

Summary

Jokermen Podcast Episode Summary: "Van Dyke Parks: POPEYE (1980)"

Release Date: June 9, 2025

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Introduction to the Episode and "Popeye" (00:50 - 03:29)

In this episode of the Jokermen Podcast, hosts Evan and Grace delve into the 1980 live-action adaptation of "Popeye," directed by the acclaimed Robert Altman. They highlight the involvement of Van Dyke Parks in the film’s musical arrangement, noting his pivotal role alongside Harry Nilsson, who penned many of the movie's songs.

Notable Quote:

• [01:07] Grace: “This is the Popeye the Movie episode which we're managing to wedge in here in 1980, which is when this movie came out under the banner of one Mr. Van Dyke Parks…”

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Van Dyke Parks and Robert Altman's Collaboration (06:04 - 09:17)

Evan and Grace discuss the unique collaboration between Van Dyke Parks and Robert Altman. They touch upon the unclear dynamics between Parks and Harry Nilsson during the film’s production but affirm Parks' crucial role in arranging and conducting the score. This partnership is seen as instrumental in creating the film's distinctive musical landscape.

Notable Quote:

• [06:04] Grace: “He's a major part of it. He conducted. Arranged, presumably was in the writers room alongside Harry Nilsson.”

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Robert Altman's Direction and Production Challenges (24:09 - 27:52)

The hosts explore Robert Altman's directorial approach, emphasizing his penchant for creating immersive and stylized environments. They recount anecdotes about the tumultuous production in Malta, including rumors of cocaine use on set and Altman's demanding nature. These challenges contributed to the film's "shaggy dog" reputation but also influenced its unconventional pacing and visual style.

Notable Quote:

• [24:38] Evan: “I don't know. You don't. Do you feel the influence of cocaine on the movie?”
• [25:35] Grace: “...nightmarish prison like environments, wildly expensive, elaborate sets that are overrun with high quality narcotics.”

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Performances: Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall (29:14 - 33:33)

Evan and Grace commend the casting choices, particularly Robin Williams as Popeye and Shelley Duvall as Olive Ole. They praise Williams for embodying the character's essence, despite challenges such as speaking with a pipe in his mouth, which affected his dialogue clarity. Shelley Duvall is lauded for her authentic portrayal, seamlessly fitting into the Popeye universe.

Notable Quotes:

• [29:14] Grace: “...Shelley Duvall as Olive Oil is one of the best casting decisions of all time.”
• [29:31] Grace: “She nails it.”
• [30:08] Grace: “Robin Williams is perfect. I think he's... he totally does that.”

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Music and the Nilsson-Parks Collaboration (34:19 - 39:47)

The episode delves into the musical composition of "Popeye," highlighting the harmonious collaboration between Harry Nilsson and Van Dyke Parks. Grace notes that while Nilsson wrote the songs, Parks' influence is evident in the backup vocals and the overall musical arrangements. The hosts appreciate the seamless blend of their talents, comparing their teamwork to a "match made in heaven."

Notable Quote:

• [35:03] Grace: “...Van Dyke Parks is on the credits on this. It's nice to see, even up until the end.”
• [39:27] Grace: “This is absolutely not bad because it manages to be so fun and, you know, clearly just loves the source material so much.”

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Visual and Artistic Style (22:54 - 28:26)

Evan and Grace discuss the film's visual aesthetic, praising its ability to balance realistic and stylized elements. They contrast "Popeye" with contemporary Disney remakes, noting that Altman's version successfully translates the two-dimensional charm of the original cartoons into a three-dimensional live-action setting without losing its artistic essence.

Notable Quote:

• [27:52] Grace: “Brilliant. Yeah, it looks great.”
• [28:26] Evan: “And it has that at points, but, you know, I was kind of shocked at how straight they play it and how kind of realistic it looks, even as it is obviously very stylized.”

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Comparison with Fleischer Cartoons and Other Live-Action Films (17:38 - 23:16)

The hosts draw parallels between the "Popeye" film and the classic Fleischer cartoons, appreciating how the movie captures the depth and vibrancy of the original animations. They also compare it to other live-action adaptations, such as the "Dick Tracy" film, lauding the unique art direction and faithful representation of beloved characters without compromising their original charm.

Notable Quote:

• [18:27] Grace: “It actually is more comic strips than less so the Fleischer cartoons or certainly the later cartoons.”
• [23:16] Evan: “It is really nicely stylized and effective and it feels like you're inhabiting this cartoon world, but it also feels real at the same time.”

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Personal Opinions and Reception (09:17 - 19:43)

Evan expresses his growing admiration for "Popeye," suggesting that repeated viewings could lead him to deem it the best movie ever made. Grace shares her initial uncertainty about categorizing the film as a children's movie, acknowledging its layered storytelling and artistic merit that transcend typical kid-friendly fare. Both hosts reflect on the film's mixed reception, attributing its misunderstood status to its unconventional approach and depth.

Notable Quotes:

• [03:07] Evan: “I really, truly believe that on the 100th viewing of this movie, I will be convinced it's the best movie ever made.”
• [10:19] Grace: “I still don't really know what the answer to that question is... it is about as far away from a kid's movie as...”

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Iconic Scenes and Cinematic Moments (50:32 - 58:23)

Evan and Grace highlight memorable scenes from the film, such as Bluto's dramatic transformation to yellow and the striking red-tinted sequence during a climactic battle. These moments are celebrated for their visual impact and cinematic brilliance, showcasing Altman's ability to infuse traditional storytelling with innovative artistry.

Notable Quote:

• [52:00] Grace: “That's cinema right there.”
• [52:16] Evan: “And it's one of the most, like, incredible images in the whole movie filmmaking.”

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Conclusion: A Labor of Love (57:13 - End)

Wrapping up the episode, Evan and Grace reiterate their appreciation for the film's dedication and artistry. They commend the collective effort of everyone involved, from the actors to the musicians and creative team, emphasizing that "Popeye" stands as a testament to passion-driven filmmaking. They express a desire to revisit and further discuss the film in future episodes, underscoring its enduring appeal and significance.

Notable Quote:

• [57:13] Evan: “Great work, everyone. Great work. Robin Williams. Great work. Shelley Duvall. Just great, great, great. All over the place.”
• [58:00] Grace: “Great movie. Popeye. Great work. Van Dyke. Great work. Harry Nilsson.”

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Final Thoughts

This episode of the Jokermen Podcast offers an in-depth exploration of the 1980 "Popeye" film, shedding light on its artistic nuances, behind-the-scenes challenges, and the passionate collaboration between its creators. Through Evan and Grace's engaging discussion, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of why "Popeye" remains a beloved and intricately crafted piece of cinematic history.

Transcript

[Evan]

This could be considered a track. Not really, though.

[Grace]

We don't want to do that.

[Evan]

This is a little intro, you know.

[Grace]

Hey, what's this? One of Bluto's tricks. I'm in the wrong movie. Sweet.

[Evan]

Welcome back to Jokerman at the Movies. Tangentially, welcome back to the Jokerman Beach Boys podcast. Yeah, I'm Evan.

[Grace]

I'm in Jokerman, in Sweet. In sweet Haven. How about that?

[Evan]

Oh, sweet Haven.

[Grace]

Oh, sweet Haven. Sweet, sweet Haven. Yeah, it's the. It's the Popeye the Movie episode which we're managing to wedge in here in 1980, which is when this movie came out under the banner of one Mr. Van Dyke Parks, who we have gone back and forth on this in the past, is involved in the music of this movie. It's a little unclear still to me exactly where the breakdown or what the breakdown was between him and Harry Nilsson, who wrote many of the songs here. But we know at least that Van Dyke Parks, I believe, arranged and conducted the score for the film. It's one of two films for which he's ever done that. And so we're gonna hit them both, starting with Popeye today.

[Evan]

Both? Oh, both, yes.

[Grace]

The other 10 years down the line.

[Evan]

I think we can just say what that is.

[Grace]

Yeah, it's the Two Jakes, the Chinatown sequel.

[Evan]

Yeah. The Jack Nicholson directed Chinatown sequel with music by Van Dyke Parks.

[Grace]

And I believe he's in that movie.

[Evan]

He is, yeah.

[Grace]

The same way that he's in this movie. Although I don't know. I've never seen the two Js.

[Evan]

No, he's not in. Is he in this movie?

[Grace]

He's in this movie. Of course. He's. He's Hoagie. He's Hoagie the piano player. Wow.

[Evan]

Okay, so that's the first thing about the movie I want to point out is that I feel like I've over the years, seen this movie. And, you know, we talk a lot on the show, I guess, about, like, when something is not impressive or doesn't leave an impact. And that's why it's kind of like I can't even recall what happened. But this is like the other side of that. This is like only positive version of that. I think that this movie. I really, truly believe that on the 100th viewing of this movie, I will be convinced it's the best movie ever made.

[Grace]

Wow.

[Evan]

But I'm only on my maybe four and a half. And every time I watch it, though, I notice something that is just one more grain of sand in the hourglass. Or one more drop in the bucket on the shores.

[Grace]

One more grain of sand on the shores of sweet Haven.

[Evan]

Yes, exactly. Exactly.

[Grace]

This was my first time ever seeing the movie. I never, never, never seen an inch a second of Robert Altman's pop. We buried the lead here. I mean, many people, I'm sure, are familiar already, but the one and only one of the great American motion picture artists of the second half of the 20th century, Robert Altman, directs Popeye.

[Evan]

Popeye from 1980.

[Grace]

1980, that's right.

[Evan]

Which, if you're following along on the podcast, you know is the same year as Keep the Summer Alive. Keeping the Summer Alive.

[Grace]

That was very Greg Turkington in On Cinema of you.

[Evan]

Why? Because I'm giving cogent information that has to do with the year.

[Grace]

Exactly. Yeah. Next thing you know, you're gonna be telling us the runtime of Popeye.

[Evan]

Well, what is the runtime of Popeye?

[Grace]

It's a little bit less than two hours. Hour 50, maybe something like that.

[Evan]

Hour 53.

[Grace]

OK, thank you. Thank you to the buff. Yeah, I think. I mean, listen, we probably don't need to necessarily talk about Popeye here. I didn't go into this series expecting us to be doing a Popeye episode, but, I mean, we don't need to.

[Evan]

Talk about Popeye on the Popeye episode.

[Grace]

What I'm saying we do need to talk about Popeye on the Popeye episode. There doesn't need to. There didn't need to be a Popeye episode. But what I'm saying is I have gotten. I feel like we've kind of shaded a little bit into just, you know, sitting on the podcast saying, oh, this sucks, this sucks. This sucks a little too much recently. And so I wanted to make sure to give ourselves, as well as all the listeners out there, something joyful and good to experience and listen to us talk about.

[Evan]

Well, that's very generous of you. I do feel like this isn't the last time we're going to talk about Popeye on Jokerman podcast. I feel like for reasons that people can probably put together, there will someday be occasion for us to talk about Popeye again.

[Grace]

The Shelley Duvall series.

[Evan]

That's right. The Robin Williams series.

[Grace]

That would be great. The Bicentennial man episode of Jokerman.

[Evan]

We're just starting.

[Grace]

We're starting Bicentennial Men. That's the name of the series. Bicentennial Men.

[Evan]

Yeah. So get ready for that in 2037. But until then, we are going to be doing this one because for the absurd reason that Van Dyke Parks is technically involved with the production.

[Grace]

He's a major part of it. He conducted. Arranged, presumably was in the writers room alongside Harry Nilsen. Help him crack these lyrics and let's say, you know, on. On. On the screen a little bit. I'll. I'll be honest. I had to go back to the movie and. And figure out where he was.

[Evan]

Yeah. You're like, oh, he's in it.

[Grace]

He is. Yeah. I knew he was in it. Cause I read the credits in advance.

[Evan]

Oh, he has a mustache and a funny suit.

[Grace]

He does have a mustache. He doesn't have too funny of a suit. He's in sort of like he's playing the piano. He's Hoagie the piano player. He's in the burlesque or the, you know, where Wimpy takes Sweetpea to watch the horse races.

[Evan]

Yeah, I love that part where he's like, no son of mine's gonna be exploited.

[Grace]

It's great. Yeah, he really brings that to life. Anyways, Van Dyke Parks is just there, like off to the side. You mostly just see his back. You really have to know, oh, that's Van Dyke Parks. To know that that's Van Dyke Parks. But everyone out there, Anyone out there re watching the film. Keep an eye peeled. It's about two thirds of the way through. Van Dyke Parks is there, you know, looking like a piano player from a turn of the century piano bar, which I'm sure is exactly what he always wanted to be.

[Evan]

But yeah, Harry Nilsson. This is his music.

[Grace]

The songs that are written. Yes. With the lyrics are Harry Nelson's songs.

[Evan]

Nobody went to see this movie because of Van Dyck parks. Even Van Dyke Parks fans probably were going to see this because of Harry Nilsson and then found out, oh, wow, Van Dyke Parks. Isn't he.

[Grace]

I watched this. I watched it because of Van Dyke Barnes.

[Evan]

But that's. You're in the minority. And I'm not saying that that's a bad thing. It's. I didn't even know that he was involved. I knew this to be a Harry Nilsson and Robert Altman collaboration. And yeah, obviously, someday maybe we'll talk more about Harry Nilsson. But Van Dyke Parks, I do think is a perfect. It's just another great confluence, great piece of the puzzle here. Why this whole. Feels so good, why it works. A movie which, by the way, is basically thought to be terrible by the forces of evil, which Jokerman podcasts exist to fight. Basically. Like the. The exact same reason that people think Popeye is terrible is the reason they think that Bob Dylan's last great album is Desire. You know, there's. There's like, a similar kind of received wisdom of like, oh, that's a turkey. And I don't. I don't know what you think of the movie exactly. I assume you enjoy it. But for me, I think that there's plenty of things people could criticize, but I don't think there's another movie that is like this. So it's like kind of. You can't really even say that it's bad because it's doing something very well that nothing else attempts to do.

[Grace]

It is a unique specimen. Yeah. With a bit of a tortured and elaborate history behind it, which maybe we can spend a few minutes talking about at some point. But, yeah, I watched it for the first time last night. Like I said, I watched it with my wife, Grace. And, you know, going into it, she was unaware of the existence of the film. And I was like, yeah, it's from 1980. Robin Williams is Popeye. And she was like, you know, she confirmed first that it was live action, not a cartoon, which we should touch on the history of the Popeye cartoons as well at some point. But she asked me, like, is this. Is it a kids movie that we're gonna watch? And I had never seen it. And I said, I don't know. We'll find out. And I. You know, thinking about that question now, having seen it, I kind of still don't know the answer to that question. Is this a kids movie? Because in some. In some ways, yes, it is. It is. It's a Popeye movie. Of course it's a kids movie. But in other ways, it is absolutely not a kids movie. And I.

[Evan]

What is a kids movie?

[Grace]

Well, I mean, I think a kid's movie is something that is, to me, it's something that's, like, sort of targeted towards children. You know, whether. And there can be good. Good kid that doesn't make a film bad. Just ipso facto, there can be good kids movies, there can be bad kids movies, but films that are consciously made and targeted towards that as a specific audience. And like I was saying, I still don't really know what the answer to that question is, having seen this movie, because, again, in some ways, absolutely, it's a kids movie. It's a Disney movie about Popeye the Sailor, but in other ways, it is. It's about as far away from a kid's movie as. As you can possibly imagine.

[Evan]

Well, that's not to say that it's a pornographic film.

[Grace]

Well, sure, but.

[Evan]

Yes, because that would, that's as far as I can possibly imagine. That's fair, but. Or it's, it's not, it's not like a, a torture porn type movie either. It's, it's quite different from both of those.

[Grace]

I mean, it's a piece of, it's, it's a piece of filmmaking, I think, first and foremost. And again, that's not to say that children's movies can't also be pieces of filmmaking. You know, consciously artistic in that way. But like, I mean, from the performances to the cinematography to obviously the music that hopefully we'll talk about here, this is all, you know, several steps beyond whatever kind of pap and pablum children are usually force fed. I mean, it's Popeye. From what I understand, the movie kind of got spun up in the wake of Annie.

[Evan]

Oh, that makes sense.

[Grace]

Big success of Annie from 1977, which had been a comic character turned into a 30s. Exactly. Turned into a musical and then, you know, becomes a cultural phenomenon. And so they basically decided, hey, let's, let's reiterate on this formula with the beloved character of Popeye the sailor man. And like, I don't know, it just. It kind of shouldn't work, I think, but it somehow.

[Evan]

Well, it doesn't kind of.

[Grace]

But it does in the way that it doesn't, if that makes sense. I don't know. I love it. I really dug it.

[Evan]

I think it's great. I mean, what did Grace think of it?

[Grace]

She liked it. Yeah, I mean, she was, it was funny at the beginning. I didn't. She also, you know, I don't think is terribly familiar with like Robert Altman or something. But like, her first comment five minutes into the movie was like, it's kind of hard to hear. There's a lot of mumbling going on. I didn't even open that can of worms. About the entire, you know, sound design of Robert Altman films.

[Evan]

It would have been very Altman esque if you were just explaining, actually all his films are like that wall that was also playing. Yeah, I just watched the Long Goodbye with my significant other great picture. I, I mean, I've seen it like a million times, but she'd never seen it. And yeah, she loved it. Loved it and yeah, why wouldn't it? It's like one of my favorite movies ever. And I don't know, when you talk about like a kids movie, I think, I think that this is a movie that respects children in the same way that like when, when David lynch made the Straight story for Disney that's a kids movie technically, but it's really just a movie that is not going to be offensive to children or adults. And it's, it's more attuned to a kind of innocent, childlike way of not even. I don't know, it's just what children's media ought to be like to me is like, in a perfect world, children's media, it's not just like lobotomized. This movie is very nuanced. Like the movie equivalent of giving a kid a seat at the table for a fine meal where you're like, all right, well, enjoy a fine meal, but.

[Grace]

It still is like, you know, a hamburger perhaps, you know, on the, on the. On the note of a certain character from this motion picture who beloved character I was thrilled to see just a few minutes into the film.

[Evan]

Yes, we love Wimpy.

[Grace]

Absolutely.

[Evan]

But do you know, I mean, this.

[Grace]

Movie can be easily enjoyed. Cause like, if you sit a kid down for, you know, like a 30 course, you know, esoteric, you know, that's. You're not setting them up for success. But something that is fine dining but still, you know, broad and easily.

[Evan]

Well, it's just not baby food is what it is. Sure. It's not baby food movie. And actually I was thinking about like today, would it be hard for kids to get into watching this movie? I think probably, like, I think yes. If your kid has an iPad, like, they will not be able to enjoy this. And that's the world we live in, unfortunately. That's why you got to give them this movie. Well, well, well, before you give them iPad, like, this is. This is the kind of thing that a kid could be planted in front of and watch and get really into. And the trick is don't let them on. Don't let on that there's like, other things. Don't give them, like, the nuclear grade entertainment device exists. Just like, wait, wait, there are things that are like, still able to be readily accessed. Like the Popeye movie by Robert Altman. It's like, here's your. If you've not heard of it here, here you are hearing of it. Show this to your child. I would have loved to have had this be something that I was shown as a kid.

[Grace]

Oh, I was, I was assuming, based on the way you were talking about it, that it was something that you watched as a kid.

[Evan]

Popeye was like Popeye, the actual Max Fleischer Popeye cartoons. Like, you know, I had those VHS tapes, which I think a lot of kids had or like, were, you know, hand me down of, like, 10 great cartoons or whatever. They're like Little Lulu and, like, Casper and, like, Superman and Popeye. And some of them have, like, really shitty Popeye. Like, later Popeye. That's not what we're talking about. Like, the. The Max Fleischer Popeye cartoons are, like, basically the finest animated things ever. Like, they're so beautiful and they're so fun, and the texture and depth of all the. The artwork and the backgrounds is amazing. And there's, like, songs, and it's just incredibly fluid, like, unbeatably creative.

[Grace]

Well, to say nothing of the just, you know, hilarious and wildly creative physical comedy of all of Popeye and Bluto and Olive Oil's hijinks in those cartoons.

[Evan]

But those early cartoons, the Fleischer ones are the ones in which that is rendered, like, to a true artistic point, like it is. And the same goes for the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons, which, if you watch any of these today, it's just like. It's like looking at it. It's that joke about, like, the cathedral joke, you know, meme, whatever. Like, we. We don't know how to do this anymore. Like, this is something that is basically like a lost alchemical art that for a brief time, a few really, really dedicated Jewish guys were like, yes, in charge of. And that. Yeah, I mean, there's a ton of people who worked on the animation for those. But that is the inspiration, I think, that. And maybe the comic strips.

[Grace]

It actually is more comic strips than less so the Fleischer cartoons or certainly the later cartoons. And that was a point of disagreement, I think, and debate in the production of the film. Cause Robert Altman specifically, I don't know all the lore behind this, but he seems to have believed that Popeye sort of lost his innocence. And what made him special in transitioning from the newspaper funny strips to the cartoon cartoons. Cartoon. As brilliant and fantastic as the Fleischer cartoons are, which I fully agree with you.

[Evan]

The timeline, though, the cartoons I'm referring to. So, like, the Fleischer cartoons were in the 30s, and then there was Popeye cartoons that were in the 60s and the 50s that were really shitty, that were, like, really stilted animation. Like, that's when Popeye looks way more flat. The comic strips happened in the interim.

[Grace]

No, the comic strips is where they started this all. I was reading up on the Popeye lore last night. The whole history of Popeye started in comics. Popeyes, then it's the Fleischer cartoon, then it became the Fleischer cartoon, first under the aegis of Betty Boop, and then. Yes.

[Evan]

What do you mean, under the aegis of Betty Boop?

[Grace]

He was shoehorned into the Betty Boop universe.

[Evan]

The Boopaverse.

[Grace]

Exactly. That's right. Yeah. Popeye had started as a character in the Thimble Theater Daily comic strip from EC Segar, which he used to sign his little name with a cigar in the comic strip, which is clever because that's how you spell his last name. But just as sort of a random tertiary character, Popeye came up. Ham Gravy and Olive Oil were a couple together in the comics.

[Evan]

Ham Gravy.

[Grace]

Ham Gravy. Who's in the movie Ham Gravy? And then eventually Popeye shows up and everyone goes crazy for him. Popeye fever sweeps the nation. So Ham Gravy gets sort of shunted to the back and Popeye steals his girl, and Olive Oil becomes Popeye's paramour instead of Ham Gravy's and he becomes, you know, he becomes the star of the show. Most of the comics are Popeye and Castor Oil, you know, Olive's little brother, and then Olive with Bluto appearing here and there. Also, interestingly enough, spinach barely even played a part in the initial comic strips. He would eat it every now and then. But the conceit of the Fleischer cartoons is, like, basically every cartoon, every Fleischer cartoon ends with Popeye eating the can of spinach. And then that does the whole thing. You know, he kind of turns the tables and saves the day that way.

[Evan]

As happens in this film.

[Grace]

As happens in the film. Exactly. But initially, you know, he just. He would eat spinach every once in a while and would help him out because it had a lot of vitamin A in it, but wasn't quite as integral a part of the Popeye universe. Anyways, all of that is to say there's a lot of lore and interesting history, or I guess, quote, unquote, interesting history.

[Evan]

I think it's interesting. I mean, I wish I knew more about it coming in, but I. What I do know is that I think. Yeah, it definitely has more of a connection more broadly. I think you're right. The comics were more a reference, but the cartoons by the Fleischer studios were, I think, also an influence.

[Grace]

Sure, absolutely.

[Evan]

And definitely, like, the thing about them, too, is that those cartoons have, like, a very specific kind of textural, like, depth. Like, there's a lot of really interesting colors and there's a lot of fine details and atmosphere in them. And I think that this movie is able to find a nice sort of medium between the more like broad primary color, more streamlined initial versions of stuff in the comics and then the more kind of lush Fleischer stuff. And then thankfully it doesn't really do much to resemble the like the later, the diluted kind of whack later Popeye.

[Grace]

It's a fascinating approach to turning two dimensional cartoon type material into three dimensional, you know, live action stuff. I couldn't help but think, of course, of all of those just wretched Disney live action remakes of the Lion King and Snow White and Cinderella and all those things that have been coming out recently.

[Evan]

Just made another one. Lilo and Stitch.

[Grace]

Lilo and Sich. Exactly. Which just. I haven't seen any of them. But from what I do see, like in the trailers and stuff and little clips online, they're just like completely flat and style less and draining all of the interest and excitement and beauty of the animated worlds out of them in order to transpose them just onto the most mundane television quality filmography there. And in this case, Popeye, like, you know, the almond vision of Popeye, it is real and it isn't too kind of over the top necessarily, but it is, it is really nicely stylized and effective and it feels like you're, you know, kind of inhabiting this cartoon world, but it also, you know, it feels real at the same time.

[Evan]

It literally is real. I mean, they built an entire town in Malta.

[Grace]

In Malta, yes. Which does still exist, apparently as a tourist attraction.

[Evan]

Yeah, they apparently thought like, okay, after this movie, like this will be up for what, six months and it's still there.

[Grace]

Stalag Altman, according to Robin Williams, it's what Stalag Altman like, you know, apparently it wasn't a very fun and enjoyable filming environment for most people because Robert Altman, bit of a nut and megalomaniac on the set of motion pictures.

[Evan]

Yeah, well, I've heard that, yeah, this was a troubled. It was a difficult, a difficult production.

[Grace]

We just saw that story going around recently out of nowhere. Some random old producer guy, you know, brought this up all of a sudden. But apparently the entire set, the whole time was just flooded with cocaine and they were shipping it back and forth from Malta to the United States in film canisters as they were, as they were shooting the. Or sending the exposed film back to the States for development and dailies. It would be returned with a nice hefty pouch of the fine Colombian.

[Evan]

I wonder how that was, if that was part of the kind of negotiations of the movie going wildly over budget and over time and then just being like, I'll send you another. Another.

[Grace]

Another dose. Yeah. Another role, quote unquote, of film.

[Evan]

And then somebody at the motion picture studio just being like, actually, they are. It's just the bad, really bad weather over there right now. And, you know, they just got to wait out. So we're just going to let them do that.

[Grace]

Man, those are the days. Like nightmarish prison, like environments, wildly expensive, elaborate sets that are overrun with high quality narcotics. That's right.

[Evan]

I don't know. You don't. Do you feel the influence of cocaine on the movie? Like, not really. Like, it's not like it's a. In fact, like, the movie feels kind of narcoleptic.

[Grace]

Yeah. More dressed down and shaggy. And it's not slow paced necessarily, but it's kind of formless. Yeah. And shapeless. And, you know, a lot of the scenes are great, but it's kind of just like they aren't going. They aren't going anywhere. It's just. I'm thrilled to be sitting there watching things play out on the screen, but it's really one of the most, I don't know, shaggy dog takes on comic book material you can imagine.

[Evan]

Yeah. It sort of fumbles into being and it just kind of feels weird. The first time watching it, I remember I was just kind of like, am I, like, tired or is the movie just at a pace that I'm not expecting a movie to be at? And it's definitely the latter. Like, this is an oddly paced movie. One note on the set before we move on is that apparently they had all these, like, craftsmen from England working on. On the actual structures. The British guys, I guess, were like, really exacting and someone in charge, I guess presumably Altman, was like, take away their measuring tapes because, like, there's no way to get this sort of, like, off kilter and sort of cartoony proportions.

[Grace]

It should look shittier.

[Evan]

And the only way to do that, you know, you couldn't really do that by actually planning that stuff out. But if everything is just kind of guessed and then put together, it would work. And it did. It looks great.

[Grace]

Brilliant. Yeah, it's. But it looks realistic at the same time. You know, it. I was. I'd seen images and little clips of this movie before going into seeing it the whole time or, you know, watching the whole thing. And I, for some reason, I thought it was gonna be a little more kind of cartoony and consciously dressed up. Almost like a Pee Wee type of feel. And it has that at points, but, you know, I was kind of shocked at how straight they play it and how kind of realistic it looks, even as it is obviously very stylized.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Grace]

We haven't said anything about the plot to this movie, which I think is fine, because there is. I mean, it's basically a Popeye cartoon. And stretched out over the course of two hours, Popeye shows up in Sweet Haven't. Olive Oil, is engaged to marry Bluto. There's some hijinks back and forth. They find Sweepy, the little baby.

[Evan]

Sweet Pea.

[Grace]

Sweet Pea.

[Evan]

Great performance by that baby.

[Grace]

Sure, absolutely. And then, you know, ultimately, Popeye woos Olive Oil away and Bluto gets angry. There's a big battle there at the end, and then he saves the day. So it's, you know, it's about what you would expect in terms of the dramatic arc of this motion picture. But just so everyone is aware of what we're dealing with, what do you think of the performances in this. In this film?

[Evan]

Well, I think that Shelley Duvall as Olive Oil is one of the best casting decisions.

[Grace]

Fantastic.

[Evan]

Of all time.

[Grace]

Bye. Bye.

[Evan]

I mean, she just. She just looks exactly like her.

[Grace]

It's great.

[Evan]

It's perfect.

[Grace]

She nails it.

[Evan]

I. I think that Robin Williams is very good as Popeye. I think it's a good. I think he's good. I mean, who else would it be? Is the thing. I. I heard that. I guess initially they were thinking maybe it could be, like, Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman, Yeah. Which I can't picture. I could see.

[Grace]

I could see Dustin, like, imagine him doing a Rain man type of thing.

[Evan]

But, I mean, in a way, that's what. What we have with. With this Popeye.

[Grace]

I think Robin Williams is perfect. I think he's.

[Evan]

I think he's great.

[Grace]

And when he. I mean, when he shows up for the first time, you know, the movie starts, he's rowing ashore. You know, basically there's just this long telephoto lens shot of someone in a. In a big, like, sailing. Sailing jacket coat, like a waxed coat or something, rowing their boat ashore. And he, you know, he finally shows up, and you realize it's Popeye. He takes this coat off, and it's revealed that he's got the arms, he's got the forearms and the. You know, of Popeye, but they're actually real. They look, you know, pretty good. It's. It's a great little bit of physical humor. Yeah, he commits to it. Robin Williams, you know, he's. Which is what I think he. For better or for worse always seemed to do in almost all of his roles. But he. To the extent that you can inhabit a character like Popeye, I think that he totally does that.

[Evan]

They find an elegant solution to the fact that Popeye is always mumbling, which is that a ton of the movie is kind of really hot mic. Tiny little sounds and grumbles, and even the singing is kind of almost whispered a lot of the time.

[Grace]

Yeah. Apparently, contra the standard way that a musical is made, Altman actually made people sing the songs live on set as they were being filmed. You know, typically they're just lip synced, and then you. You know, you dub it with the actual professionally recorded music from the studio after the fact to make it sound good. And in this case, he. He had these people actually just singing in reality, which lends it this, you know, kind of homespun quality, I think. Apparently Robin Williams had to go back and, like, redo a bunch of his dialogue also because he couldn't really speak with the pipe in his mouth, so he would just kind of like, yeah, he's already muttering, but with the. Trying to keep a pipe in your mouth at the same time, it's, like, really hard to enunciate. And so he. I think you do hear some of that at certain points, but some of the other dialogue from him is dubbed. Even when it is, it's still pretty mumbly and hard to understand.

[Evan]

What do you think of Bluto?

[Grace]

Bluto. He was.

[Evan]

Who is that?

[Grace]

Paul L. Smith? Yeah. I didn't really recognize basically anyone else in this movie as an actor.

[Evan]

Besides, there's some character actors I kind of. I feel like I recognize, I'm sure.

[Grace]

Yeah. Paul L. Smith typically played the heaviest. He was a vicious prison guard in Midnight Express. He was in. Oh, he was in Dune.

[Evan]

Oh, yeah. Is he Rabban?

[Grace]

He's Rabban in Dune. Yes. That's. Oh, yeah. Okay.

[Evan]

That's crazy. Completely unrecognizable, transformed.

[Grace]

And looks like mostly a TV actor there. Who was. Who's Wimpy? Who's. Who's that guy?

[Evan]

I don't know.

[Grace]

Paul Dooley, known for his roles in Breaking Away, Popeye, Sixteen Candles, and various oh, Christopher Guest mockumentaries. Interesting.

[Evan]

Who is he in? Yeah, yeah, I don't. I guess I recognize him sort of. I think he's great.

[Grace]

I've never seen him. I love him.

[Evan]

I mean, he's. That's one of the best things about the movie is just that Wimpy is there, and he's kind of just like not really explained what he's about.

[Grace]

He's just.

[Evan]

He's just Wimpy.

[Grace]

But that's. I mean, it operates according to the logic of a Popeye strip or a Popeye comic. Like, no one's asking for Wimpy's motivation or, like the history of Wimpy. You know, if this movie were made today, it'd be like, you know, Wimpy Begins, and it would be some story about how he fell in love with hamburgers as a child for the very first time or something. In this case, it's just. There he is, he's walking around, he's looking for a hamburger. So he'll pay you for it tomorrow.

[Evan]

Yeah. What do you think of the song? The song? The song. Everything Is Food.

[Grace]

Yes. One of the few songs that's not. I started listening to this record before I saw the movie. So I was more familiar with, you know, some of the music, the way that it sounds on the album versus the way that it does in the movie. Everything Is Food is not on the album. So that was a fun little delight for me to show up there. It's great music. And I think that Nilsson and Van Dyke Parks, again, we know Harry Nilsson wrote the songs, but Van Dyke Parks, I feel like you can hear him singing backup on some of these songs. And some of the music beds certainly sound like Discover America or Clang and the Yankee Reaper. Ass music. Which I think not knowing that going into the music, going into the movie, maybe you wouldn't imprint on it, but, I mean, for you and I, I think it's a very clear connection. It's great music. It's fantastic. I mean, I didn't realize this was another bit of trivia or whatever that I'm sure everyone was well aware of. But he needs me from. From Punch Drunk Love is like, this is where that comes from.

[Evan]

Yeah. Which is. You know, much has been said about PTA being an Altman acolyte, but Punch Drunk Love is kind of like a sort of spiritual Popeye movie. Popeye Story.

[Grace]

Yeah. I think it operates according to, you.

[Evan]

Know, sort of cartoon logic and the colors.

[Grace]

Well, yeah, certainly.

[Evan]

But, yeah, that's. That's a boon to that movie. And I think I really feel like this movie is misunderstood. Like, when I think about when I grew up hearing about this movie and it being, you know, there's, like, people saying it was bad, I kind of thought like, oh, this must have just been like a really, horribly misguided, like, just like a really, really bad misfire creatively, of like, this is not the appropriate medium for this. Like, but the actual movie, I think, is saved by how much it has clear adoration for the source material. Like, I don't think that you could love Popeye truly and then watch this movie and not like it. So, like, I don't really get what people are talking about so much. Like, I think it's clearly made by people who love Popeye. And if you. If you don't like the movie, I kind of. It's sort of makes me think you don't love Popeye.

[Grace]

That's a you pro. That's a yp, not an mp.

[Evan]

I love the scene where he talks to the baby when. And he's actually talking to the baby. That happens a couple times where it feels like they're actually like talking to this baby sweet pea. And he's like sort of responding as a baby could and they leave it in and make it part of the film.

[Grace]

Yeah, it's method acting with a baby. Back to the music, though. Because this is ostensibly a Van Dyke Parks episode. I mean, I do think that he is a perfect choice to do the music for a movie like this. You know, we've covered to some great extent already his interest in like cartoons, classical Americana type stuff, you know, you know, pre early 20th century and a pre pop culture. Bits of American culture. He wanted to call song cycle, Looney Tunes. Right. And I think that this. This movie kind of is a Van Dyke Parksian approach to that kind of. That kind of thing or the subject matter, I should say, in that it, like, takes this, you know, kind of silly, you know, on one level at least, silly, light, chintzy art form, you know, in this case the Popeye comics or cartoons. But approaches it with absolute seriousness and sincerity and attempts to do honor to it and treat it as something just as worthwhile, a, you know, a medium as classical music or classical painting or, you know, sculpture or whatever. And I think there's a way to do that in sort of a cloying and annoying way and, you know, maybe be a little overly serious self serious in some cases. But this is absolutely not bad because it manages to be so fun and, you know, clearly just loves the source material so much the same way that Van Dyke Parks loves, you know, whatever little like Tin Pan Alley songs and vaudeville routines and stuff like that. And I think his approach towards music making gels just seamlessly with Altman's approach towards filmmaking in this case.

[Evan]

Well, yeah, I mean, I just want to give most of the credit again to Harry Nilsson. But yeah, they work perfectly together in that you don't really notice where Nilsson stops and dyke parks begins. A beautiful team.

[Grace]

It's a match made in heaven. Absolutely.

[Evan]

I really want to just re. Watch this movie.

[Grace]

I thought you were going to rewatch the movie.

[Evan]

No, I mean I've kind of been sort of just watching it and then re Watching parts. Like I just. There's a lot of detail in it. So like every time I just even go back, like watch a scene again, there's like something happening in the background or there's like a little gag I missed or like it's just full of stuff like that. So I feel like it's just kind of like discovering a diner that you could just go to every day or like a pair of jeans that you can just wear and wear. Like this movie feels like a renewable resource of quality entertainment. And I think it actually will get better. I think it gets better the more you watch it.

[Grace]

I thought it was great, you know, in the first watch. He's large, he's tall, good looking and he's large.

[Evan]

He's large.

[Grace]

Large.

[Evan]

Large. Some of the songs are pretty. Like they're extremely low effort. Like the. They're like two lines which is just repeated and repeated which you know.

[Grace]

Hey, yeah. There is no, I mean to. To think about like Annie again, the sort of inspiration behind this movie being made in the first place.

[Evan]

There is no like popularity of the Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow.

[Grace]

There's no Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow. There's no Hard Knock Life on.

[Evan]

Not even close. Also, how much you like Harry Nilsson will also dictate, I think, how much you dig the music here because I really like Harry Nilsson's like shocker. I like a lot of his second rate later stuff. I love buying those records when I see them and I just like listening to them a lot. And the sense of humor that he has on like especially his later records where he's kind of like sauced up and you know, a bit kind of phoning it in. He's still like, maybe even more so. Like kind of this sort of lackadaisical sense of humor comes out on those albums and you definitely feel that, you know, in this soundtrack or in these songs. And I like that. I already like. I'm already down for kind of like low effort Nielsen. But yeah, basically the songs are not the main event and that's also fine. Like they're not supposed to be. It's not a musical. It's not Popeye the Musical. The songs are more for they're there. The same reason that, like, the set direction and. And the costumes, which are amazing. Excellent, excellent costumes. It's just all part of a greater whole. Whereas something like Annie, the owner. Owner. The writer, the guy who made the book and lyrics. At least the lyrics and music for Annie, died recently. Forget his name. But I was just like, listening to the radio and they were playing this. The music. Like Charles Strauss. Yeah. They're playing like Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow. And he also did Bye Bye Birdie.

[Grace]

Bye Bye Birdie. I was in Bye Bye Birdie. I was Conrad Birdie.

[Evan]

Wow, you were Conrad Birdie.

[Grace]

Yeah.

[Evan]

There's a lot of good music in that. It's like really catchy songs and like, you know, the. The one where they're all, like, gossiping.

[Grace]

Yeah.

[Evan]

Anyway, Annie, like, the music from. From Annie the Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow is amazing. Sure. I just, like, heard it again on the radio and I was just like, this song is powerful. Like, it absolutely works. It just like, does make you care more than anything during those few minutes about Little Orphan Annie, very powerful music. The closest thing to that show stopping number in this is like. I guess you get I am what I Am, which I like.

[Grace]

I am what I am. Well, yeah. I mean, you know, when you think of a musical also, you typically think of. I think of at least like, you know, like a dancing, you know, and it doesn't need to be like a Busby Berkeley type production where there's a hundred extras and these big extravagant, like, fountain sets built on Hollywood soundstages and such. But the music and the dancing, you know, you think of like a Singing in the Rain type of thing, for instance, or cabaret or whatever, you know, that's. That's part of it. And here the music is kind of incidental to what's happening on the screen. I can't think maybe there's a bit of dancing, you know, at some point, but I really can't think of any. If there is. Nothing is really sticking out as like, wow, that was a great little bit of choreography there.

[Evan]

Well, the choreography is more the gas.

[Grace]

The physical comedy.

[Evan]

Yeah. Which is really plentiful.

[Grace]

Well, yeah. And again, it makes this more akin to a Popeye cartoon or comic strip than any other standard way of approaching material like this.

[Evan]

Well, even the cartoons, the Fleischer ones, do have songs like the one, the great one, Sinbad and Popeye meets Sinbad, where it's like Bluto's Sinbad. And they. There's. There's a song for Sinbad this is.

[Grace]

The last record, I guess, however you want to consider it. Like this is the end of Harry Nilsson's career as a working music. He didn't put any more records out?

[Evan]

No, no. And actually I just bought the other day when I was walking around Little Tokyo and I went into like a little record store there where it's mostly just kind of Japanese records and like some weird like just oddball imports and whatever. But I found this, this record. Flash Harry. Flash Harry is.

[Grace]

Seems to be his last actual record. Came out same year as Popeye and.

[Evan]

Not released in the us.

[Grace]

Okay.

[Evan]

It was only released in the uk. It has Eric Idle featured. Well at the end he also. The last song is a cover of Bright side of Life.

[Grace]

Van Dyke Parks is on the credits on this. It's nice to see, even up until the end.

[Evan]

Lennon is on a song. Ringo and John Lennon are on here. It's completely mid for him record. But I love it and yeah, it is. It is right there toward the tail end of his. His life that this all comes out and. Or doesn't come out in the case of this in the US but it's. Yeah. I mean someday we will talk more about Harry Nilsson, but he's. He's interred. He's buried in Westlake Village.

[Grace]

Wow.

[Evan]

I realized that he's buried at that cemetery by the Costco. Yeah.

[Grace]

Oh God. Bleak.

[Evan]

Yeah. Well, it's a. It's a nice cemetery. I mean it's not in West Lake.

[Grace]

It's Westlake Village.

[Evan]

So it's like, it's. There's beautiful mountains. It's. It's a nice area.

[Grace]

Could be worse, I guess.

[Evan]

He died in Agora Hills.

[Grace]

Harry Nelson.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Grace]

Wow. Okay. Well.

[Evan]

Boy to live and die in Agora.

[Grace]

Hope that ain't me.

[Evan]

There's worse fates.

[Grace]

There's better too. It's a great set of songs, I think. Very fun. And musicals can often, at least amongst parts of the culture that we tend to orbit around in like, you know, musical films, musical theater, like typically maybe not super highly thought of, you know, not everyone's favorite type of thing. And that's fine. And it doesn't need to be everyone's flavor, but I think it's cool to see a weird, like almost outsider approach to a musical with this movie. It's sort of an anti musical in many ways.

[Evan]

How many stars do you get?

[Grace]

Three stars? Why not? I mean, come on. This is one of the like weirdest approaches to like major quote unquote ip, you know, they wouldn't have obviously referred to it in such crass terms back then, but frankly, that is what it is at the end of the day. You know, establish intellectual property made by the Walt Disney Corporation, or, you know, the film at least is made by the Walt Disney Corporation. I can never imagine in a million years such a weird cast of creatives, from the director to the, you know, musician to the songwriter and the composer, Van Dyck barks to the actors themselves. Such a wild, woolly cast of people. Being given this big of a check to do this with this kind of property feels like just a remnant from a lost era.

[Evan]

Well, you know, you say it's weird, but I would say that the things that we do today that are done today to beloved characters, that's often weird. Like, what happens is they think they have to completely gut and taxidermy and Frankenstein, these beloved characters, and have Chris Pratt be the voice of them for it to be palatable. It just clearly didn't occur to Robert Altman or to anyone making this movie, it seems to do, that it was like, how can we bend ourselves into shape with what Popeye is? Accurately, like, how can we change ourselves to be more like Popeye? Not, how can we make Popeye more like Chris fucking Pratt?

[Grace]

Sure.

[Evan]

I think it's a labor of love, this movie.

[Grace]

And all at once I knew I knew at once I knew he needed me until the day I die I won't know why I knew he needed me it could be fantasy or maybe it's because he needs me he needs me, he needs me, he needs me, he needs me, he needs me the.

[Evan]

Way that it ends is perfect, where it's just like, if anything about this movie is Popeye begins, it is that he doesn't like spinach at the beginning, and at the end, he eats spinach.

[Grace]

There you go.

[Evan]

And then they couldn't have sung the song until the end. And the movie ends with Popeye dancing on the water like Jesus Christ while singing the classic song Popeye the Sailor man, which of course, features the lines about, he eats his spinach.

[Grace]

I eats me spinach.

[Evan]

After beating down an extremely rubber octopus.

[Grace]

Yes. Yeah. Who? Yeah.

[Evan]

Okay. Two other things I want to point out that are just incredible in the movie are, like, right around that time. Spoiler. Bluto's defeated, and he turns yellow. There's like. He turned yellow.

[Grace]

Yes.

[Evan]

And his entire outfit is yellow.

[Grace]

He's just in yellow. Yeah.

[Evan]

Extremely. Mario coded that yellow moment. And then there's the red moment earlier on in the movie where, for one spectacular shot, they just paint everything red. And they're all wearing a red versions of the costumes they're wearing because Pluto is so angry.

[Grace]

That's, that's. That's cinema right there.

[Evan]

And it's one of the most, like, incredible images. It's easily one, like the most striking image in the whole movie filmmaking. Cinema. And, you know, people do like the, the Bob Hoskins Mario movie. I love Bob Hoskins. I would have loved to have seen a. A, A Bob Hoskins Robert Altman Mario movie. You know, in a universe where this was a huge hit and then the Robert Altman Mario movie, Robert Altman's Mario.

[Grace]

This also paves away for another movie that I love. Dick Tracy, of course.

[Evan]

Okay. Yeah.

[Grace]

Which, you know, just part of that.

[Evan]

30, 1930s comic book. Characters transform movies to.

[Grace]

Yeah, like live action filmmaking.

[Evan]

Live action.

[Grace]

Yeah, exactly.

[Evan]

God, that's another great movie. Incredible art direction.

[Grace]

God. The Goons in that movie. The, like the, the makeup on. On the Goons, you know, Al Pacino and all of his, you know, the cast of crooks and criminals. It just still unbelievable.

[Evan]

Do you know about Nothing Johnson in.

[Grace]

In Dick Tracy?

[Evan]

Yeah, it's one of my favorite characters. I don't know if he's in the movie because it would be probably too hard to do. But this character named Nothing Johnson, it's just. His face is just kind of like.

[Grace]

He's just like missing. He just doesn't have.

[Evan]

Can't really tell what it is. It's just kind of like. It's just not just one of the best names.

[Grace]

This is what the culture used to be. Just like weird shit made by weird guys. And that's what they put in the newspaper.

[Evan]

And then that's what they threw millions at to go to Malta.

[Grace]

That's right. I love that. Wimpy's also always just eating hamburgers. You never see Wimpy eat a cheeseburger. I think most typically the wimpy hamburger is just. It's a. Or it's a patty. It's a beef patty with mustard on a bunch.

[Evan]

I don't even know if there's a mustard.

[Grace]

No, he's putting mustard on. He's. I don't think there's ketchup when he's in the roughhouse. He's putting the mustard on. There are bottles of ketchup. But listen, I saw it. He was. He was just waxing that thing down with mustard.

[Evan]

And then I would like to see onions involved. You know, when I order. I've coined something or call it wimpy style. When I go to in n out sometimes I'll order a burger that's just the. Just the burger patty and the bun and raw onion.

[Grace]

Well, but when Wimpy's not eating onions, Wimpy's just a burger and a mustard man, at least as portrayed in this motion picture.

[Evan]

What's canon to me, as I understand it, is that Wimpy appreciates and enjoys all varieties of burgers. But when you're seeing him eat burger in any sort of discrete case, in any situation, any one situation, I think that that's. You can take it as an example of one of the types of burgers that Wimpy enjoys. But I think he basically goes all over the map. And I think of that style with the raw onion as kind of like probably what he would really eat in real life. Because that's like. I think that's more accurate to like the Depression era, probably the. Or the version he's having with just mustard, but I think, yeah, onions. That was like one of the things that he kind of still had some onions around in the Depression.

[Grace]

You ever have an onion burger?

[Evan]

You mean the one that's like steamed?

[Grace]

The one that where they, like, you know, like, dice up a bunch of. Or not dice, but slice up a bunch of very, very thin, thin, thin, thin onions and like, smash them into the patty. That was from the Depression. It's like an Oklahoma style burger that was from the Depression because they just.

[Evan]

Needed to fill out, stretch the meat.

[Grace]

The material of the. Of the burger. Yeah, it's. It's a great burger.

[Evan]

Yeah, I'm sure it is. What could be bad?

[Grace]

Onions, beef, mustard.

[Evan]

Everything is food. I don't know what that song's about, really, except that's like the most preposterous song on the whole thing. And I. I do love it, though. It's like. It's very poetic. I like, just. Everything is food. We need to write a food song. So we're just gonna write about Everything is Food.

[Grace]

You know, if you think about it, everything is food.

[Evan]

Yeah. Yeah. Actually. Yeah.

[Grace]

Great movie. Popeye. Great work. Van Dyke. Great work. Harry Nilsson.

[Evan]

Great work, everyone. Great work. Robin Williams. Great work. Great work. Shelley Duvall. Just a great, great, great. All over the place.

[Grace]

Just great, great work all around.

[Evan]

Stay tuned for Bicentennial Men when we talk about Popeye again.

[Grace]

I'm Popeye the sailor man. I'm Popeye the sailor man I'm strong to the finish. Cause I eat spinach. I'm Popeye the sailor man He's Popeye.

[Evan]

The sailor man he's puffed by the sailor man he's strong to the finish the sea spinach he's pu by the.

[Grace]

Sailor man I'm wonderful that hates all polucas that ain't on the up and square Biffs and men muffsum and always outrux em and none of em gets.

[Evan]

Nowhere if anyone passes to whisk his fist it's moth and it's wham.

[Grace]

Understand? So keep good behavior that's your one lifesaver with Popeye. The sailor man he's caught by the.

[Evan]

The sailor he's pumped by the sailor he's brought to the beach he's bumped by the sailor man.