Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Time to open up another can.

Our favorite spinach-eating sailor's Famous Studios run continues with Popeye: The 1940s Collection, Volume 3, which closes out that decade (and possibly this one) with 17 more color theatrical shorts. Classic animation fans will find this third volume very encouraging for two reasons: we get even more cartoons for our money within the shortest release window to date, which means that the hard-working folks at Warner Archive Collection will probably keep 'em coming. It's been exactly 70 years since most of these shorts were originally released, so what better way to celebrate?

For an overview of the franchise and its history, please read my review of Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1, which includes 14 earlier Famous Studios shorts originally released between 1943 and 1945. If that's not enough for you, travel onward to 1946-47 by checking out my review of Volume 2. Once you're all caught up, you know the drill: bite-sized recaps of all 17 Volume 3 shorts are below, as well as a run-through of this Blu-ray's great A/V presentation. Collectively, it offers another decent run of episodes though it's not without a few speed bumps along the way: all told, half a dozen -- over one third of these shorts -- are either remakes of earlier Fleischer Studios cartoons or clip shows of the same, which means that the franchise's creative spark was really leveling off. Still, most of 'em are still a lot of fun anyway, whether they follow Popeye's typical formula or try something a little different. Let's dig in, shall we?

• Olive Oyl for President (1948) - One of the least "Popeye" of the Popeye shorts, and for good reason: it's a remake of the Fleischer Brothers' 1932 cartoon Betty Boop for President that trades in spinach and brawling for an extended what-if scenario where Olive calls all the shots. It's also more dated than you remember (from both perspectives), which makes it eerily prescient and painfully myopic at the same time. Catchy song, though.

• Wigwam Whoopee (1948) - After sailing solo to the New World, Popeye and Pocahontas (Olive) fall for each other...much to the dismay of her husband-to-be, chief Shmohawk. Fun fact: this is the first of nine shorts produced in Polacolor, a cheaper style of processing than the previous Cinecolor. It didn't last, obviously.

• Pre-Hysterical Man (1948) - Popeye and Olive encounter a Bluto-like caveman. Pretty formulaic stuff: Olive falls for the hunk, he reciprocates, and she wails for help. Spinach, ass-whoopin', credits.

• Popeye Meets Hercules (1948) - Another formula-follower, but at least this one gets dressed up a mythical coat of paint. After losing a strength contest, our heroic sailor even ends up in space where he prays to the goddess Spinachia -- basically, Popeye with big boobs. Awkward boner, amirite fellas?

• A Wolf in Sheik's Clothing (1948) - One of several uncut and un-PC shorts in the collection, this outing follows Popeye and Olive as they battle the Bluto-like Sheik for her affections. A half-point deduction for the blatantly recycled gag from Popeye Meets Sindbad, but otherwise a passable entry.

  NOTE: A short text introduction to this episode (seen on screenshots #25 and #26) explains the state of its original Polacolor separation negatives, which were missing the Magenta record. This resulted in a discolored image commonly seen on prints used for TV and, combined with additional damage to the Cyan and Yellow elements, almost resulted in the episode not being included on this disc. Luckily, WAC's extensive restoration efforts once again result in a great-looking picture, which can be seen on screenshots #27-29.

• Spinach vs Hamburgers (1948) - A damn clip show made worse by Popeye's four nephews. Next!

• Snow Place Like Home (1948) - A freak storm transforms warm, sunny Miami Beach into the North Pole. That's not the least of Popeye and Olive's problems: coat shopping at Pierre's Trading Post turns deadly after the Blut-ish owner takes a liking to the fair maiden. Also, Popeye almost gets assaulted by a seal.

• Robin Hood-Winked (1948) - Popeye and his pal Little John defend Olive and other commonfolk from Bluto, the dastardly tax collector who's not above slipping our hero a Mickey.

• Symphony in Spinach (1948) - Bluto and Popeye compete for the privilege of playing in Miss Olive's band.

• Popeye's Premiere (1949) - Another clip show, but I'll let this one slide: it's a slightly longer ten-minute episode that mostly reuses footage from the Fleischer Brothers' 1939 short Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, which has likewise been fully restored and looks absolutely fantastic. It's very similar to the 1952 clip show episode Big Bad Sindbad, which we'll hopefully see on Blu-ray sometime next year.

• Lumberjack and Jill (1949) - A basic but fun short where lumberjacks Popeye and Bluto chop firewood for their new cook Olive, who apparently needs to work on her biscuit recipe.

• Hot Air Aces (1949) - The last of the Polacolor shorts, this one finds Bluto and Popeye competing in a trans-world airplane race that includes a memorable stop in Paris.

• A Balmy Swami (1949) - Olive and Popeye enjoy a variety show where Bluto performs as a magician, hypnotizing her and using other magic tricks. It's a remake of 1935 Fleischer short The 'Hyp-Nut-Tist'.

• Tar with a Star (1949) - Popeye stops in the rough Wild West town of Cactus Corners, where he assumes the role of sheriff and pledges to use his fists instead of guns. He even turns the local saloon into an ice cream soda shop, because everyone knows that Type 2 Diabetes is better than liver disease.

• Silly Hillbilly (1949) - Popeye brings his mobile department store to a hillbilly town, where Bluto and Olive become enamored with the modern conveniences. It's basically the full-length version of a deleted scene.

• Barking Dogs Don't Fite (1949) - Olive gets a new French poodle, which humiliates dog-walking Popeye. Things get worse when Bluto shows up with his rough-and-tough bulldog to give 'em both the ass-whooping of the century...until spinach comes out and the tables are turned. Though technically a remake of the 1937 Fleischer short Protek the Weakerist, this one is definitely a personal favorite.

• The Fly's Last Flight (1949) - Another Fleischer remake -- this one was originally a 1941 short called Flies Ain't Human -- in which Popeye battles a pesky housefly (and loses, for the most part).

Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As usual, Warner Archive Collection serves up another great round of 1080p transfers sourced from recent 4K scans of the original nitrate negatives. With the added benefit of additional cleanup and color correction, these shorts absolutely sparkle with detail -- they probably haven't looked this good since their original theatrical showings, and maybe better. Faded TV prints were how most fans first got to know Popeye, myself included, but theoe deteriorated source elements just couldn't properly showcase the series' colorful compositions and beautiful backgrounds. (One included episode, A Wolf in Sheik's Clothing, was in such bad shape that it almost didn't make the cut -- scroll up if you missed that story.) Yet WAC's careful restoration methods have results in another consistently great-looking collection with strong levels of film grain and an overall appearance that will really appeal to purists. Three different color processing techniques -- Cinecolor, Polacolor, and three-strip Technicolor -- were used by Paramount during this particular run of episodes, and their refined presentation on Blu-ray really showcases the subtle differences between each one.

Flaws are few and far between: occasional specks of dirt or the occasional scratch, but these are so infrequent that they're almost not even worth mentioning. Banding and compression artifacts are also virtually absent from start to finish, especially thanks to WAC's excellent disc authoring and typically high bit rate. This is true five-star treatment by Warner Archive and, without a doubt, the best reason to justify Popeye's continued existence on Blu-ray.

Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with previous volumes, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (mono) track stands far above broadcast versions, which were loaded with hissing, pops, crackles, and other age-related wear. Very little of that damage remains due to the careful treatment of said negatives, resulting in clean audio and music from start to finish. The material still shows its age in spots, but likewise maintains a pure and authentic quality that avoids faux-surround gimmickry. Even if the audio is doomed to trail slightly behind Warner Archive's terrific remasters, this is fine work that fans should appreciate.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all 17 shorts and are formatted nicely with no sync issues.

Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Like both previous sets, Popeye: The 1940s Collection, Volume 3 arrives in a standard keepcase with clean vintage design elements. There are no inserts, but the episode names (also listed above) are printed on the actual disc.

No bonus features have been included, which is customary for "new" Warner Archive Collection releases.

Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though it marks a slight step down in overall quality from Volume 2 (and further still from the first), this third collection of Popeye shorts from the 1940s is still plenty of fun. A full two hours of classic cartoons are included here, all lovingly remastered from their original nitrate negatives by Warner Archive Collection. It's an encouraging release that shows commitment to the franchise, so casual and die-hard fans alike are encouraged to pick this up to keep the ball rolling. With any luck, we'll be moving on to the 1950s before we know it! Highly recommended for obvious reasons.