Popeye: Original Classics from the Fleischer Studio [DVD]

I bought this DVD on May 7, 2009. I'd already purchased the Warner Home Video (WHV) releases that included all of the black and white shorts from the earliest Fleischer Studios cartoons to the earliest Famous Studios.......and I still found this release to be an essential part of anybody's Popeye collection.When it first came out, this DVD undoubtedly had the best versions available of all the cartoons included. They are:Little Swee Pea (1936)I'm in the Army Now (1936)I Never Change My Altitude (1937)The Paneless Window Washer (1937)A Date to Skate (1938)Customers Wanted (1939)Me Musical Nephews (1942)Popeye Meets Sindbad (1936)Popeye Meets Ali Baba (1937)Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939)What continues to make this DVD set so indispensable are the "SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES" described on the back of the DVD case:- RARE Interviews with Jack Mercer (voice of Popeye), Mae Questel (voice of Olive Oyl), Jackson Beck (voice of Bluto) and original animators!- Still Galleries of original animation art, posters and rare behind-the-scenes photos and interviews!- A visit to Chester, Illinois - Home of Popeye!- Original 1933 Sing Along with Popeye!- 4-Page Full Color Liner Notes and Photos- Soaky TV Commercial, Pencil Tests, Making of a Popeye Cartoon and MORE!A mini-comic book reprinting a story arc from 1936 is also included.True Popeye fans will enjoy this wonderfully produced set. It clearly merits an "A+"

I've owned Super 8 film copies of the three two-reelers included in this dvd and the color reproduction is just as good if not better than what is on the films. The two-reelers, running just under 20 minutes each, are "Popeye Meets Sinbad", Popeye Meets Ali Baba", "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" and they look excellent on this dvd.All the cartoons here are well presented but the inclusion of those three "extra-length color specials" in such pristine condition make this an enjoyable and valuable collection.I was honored to have part of my audio interview with Mae Questel included on this disk and it's fascinating to also hear the other rare interviews with those who performed the voices in these classics.My entire interview with Miss Questel ran over 6 minutes and she also talked about the Popeye two-reelers as well as being the voice of Betty Boop and numerous other cartoon characters.The complete interview is available free online at [...] as one of the tracks in the "1986 Convention" section. In the intro for that same section you can hear Mae do the "Popeye" voice and also sing "Button Up Your Overcoat".

COMMENT: Notice the review dates of others on this page...all before the release of the DVD. One is identical to the review written in January for anoher Popeye DVD! Having preordered this DVD, I received it and watched it today. I own and have viewed both of the DVDs I refer to in this review. You can decide who is hyping this product and who isn't. REVIEW: How many times can they repackage the same shorts? The release date appears to be perfectly timed for the holiday gift giving season. It has the same shorts already available on the "Special 75th Anniversary Edition Popeye Original Classics" DVD. The packaging is different, but that is all. They are both produced from public domain sources and not from original masters. Many times the contrast varies so much that some of the background scenes' details appear then disappear only to appear again. This is very annoying and distracting. The "Special Bonus Features" are also the same on both DVDs. So, if you already have the "75th Anniversary Edition" DVD, don't bother with this one. The public is still waiting on a real studio remastering of the Popeye classics.

I've been a big Popeye fan since I was a kid. Not the cheesy cartoons that were cheaply produced by Famous Studios in the 1960's but the classic 1930's B&W gems from the Fleischer Studios that were shown on Tom Hatten's program in the early 1960's. With the exception of a brief renaissance of these classic gems in the mid-1970's, these cartoons have remained in oblivion for the past 40 years, so when this collection came out, I was ecstatic!Unfortunately, every time I tried to play one of the individual cartoons on the disc, my DVD player was not only unable to recognize them, but it kept shutting off the player itself! I tried it again in another DVD player. Same thing. And when I was finally able to open the "Sing Along with Popeye" special feature, the print quality was faded, making it really hard to distinguish some of the details. Additionally, when I tried to access another special feature on the disc, it shut off in the middle of the feature. I was really disappointed, to say the least!Still, I am rating the DVD 2-1/2 stars to give the benefit of the doubt to those whose DVD players are able to play the disc in its entirety. It looks like it was a really good compilation(even though it didn't include some of my favorites). It's very likely that I received a flawed disc.Thankfully, Warner Brothers has come out with a complete set of Popeye B&W cartoons from 1933-1938 Fleischer era. The print quality and sound on that compilation are far superior to those on this set. If I were you, I would bypass this DVD and save your pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars, and buy "Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Vol. 1" instead.

This was a great set of cartoons. Sound and visual quality were execellent. I'm still waiting for Olive Oyl sleepwalking through a skyscraper ("did you ever see a dream walking"), Popeye at the circus with Sweet Pea (man on the flying trapeeze) and finally Sweet Pea in the factory. In the meantime this will keep me satisfied. BTW, my wife wants to know exactly how Sweet Pea fits into Popeye's geneaology? Or is this another one of those moral contradictions in the 1930s that included Porky Pig with a jacket and no pants?