Martin Juneau
11-08-2004, 04:38 PM
From http://www.turnerinfo.com/newsitem.aspx?P=BOOMERANG&CID01=5c1195a4-57fe-4202-ae7e-efa2b8df155e :sailor:
“Well, Blow Me Down!” Fans of the world’s most-beloved seafaring sailor, Popeye, will receive a special holiday gift this December as Boomerang, Cartoon Network’s 24-hour, commercial-free classic animation cable/satellite network, unveils four consecutive all-day Friday tributes to showcase original Popeye the Sailor six-minute shorts from the golden age of theatrical animation. More than 200 of the original Max Fleischer and Famous Studios theatrical cartoons produced from 1933-1954—several of which will appear on Boomerang for the first time—along with three animated short films, known as “two-reelers,” will be spotlighted in color within the month-long salute. The television event will commence on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 a.m. to run for 24 uninterrupted hours and then repeat the pattern the following Fridays—Dec. 10, 17 and 24—for what will eventually stand as a 96-hour Popeye the Sailor festival. This programming special also will be available nearly entirely in Spanish on Boomerang’s SAP option.
“Popeye and his supporting cast of characters are truly some of the best-loved cartoon characters around the world,” says Mark Norman, senior vice president and general manager of Boomerang. “Kids today, however, might not be aware of or have many opportunities to enjoy Popeye as their parents likely did when these shorts were screened on television as syndicated packages in the ‘60s,‘70s and ‘80s. This is a rare chance, then, for families to enjoy these wonderful cartoons together, presented back to back and without commercial interruption.”
Based on the popular E.C. Segar “Thimble Theatre” comic-strip of the 1910s-20s, the ever-muttering, spinach-gulping cartoon swabbie first appeared onscreen in 1933’s “Popeye the Sailor.” Paramount Pictures soon recognized they had a star on their hands, and during the next 20 years, commissioned 211 shorts from the Max Fleischer and Famous Studios that concluded with 1954’s “Spooky Swabs.” In addition to Popeye himself, his indelible co-stars also made a big impression with audiences, including the bullyish brute Bluto, who competed with Popeye for the fickle affections of string-bean Olive Oyl, the ever-broke and always hamburger-hungry Wimpy and the adorably curious and regularly-in-harm’s-way Swee’pea. And even more than the familiar theme of a can of spinach supplying the superhuman strength Popeye needed to save the day, the remarkable voice inflections of the leading characters became cultural icons in themselves. Both Jack Mercer and William Costello (“I Yam What I Yam!”) portrayed the good-natured Popeye onscreen, while Mae Questel became forever linked with her inimitable interpretation of Olive Oyl.
Along with the rich collection of theatrical shorts, Boomerang also will present three Technicolor two-reelers starring Popeye and his friends in familiar, if somewhat re-purposed, tales of classic literature. These include “Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor” (1936—long-form animation prior to Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), “Popeye Meets Ali Baba and His 40 Thieves” (1937) and “Popeye Meets Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp” (1939). These three special presentations will air back-to-back in chronological order on Friday, Dec. 3 (8-9 a.m., 4-5 p.m. and 12-1 a.m.), and Friday, Dec. 12 (12-1 p.m., 8-9 p.m. and 4-5 a.m.).
“Well, Blow Me Down!” Fans of the world’s most-beloved seafaring sailor, Popeye, will receive a special holiday gift this December as Boomerang, Cartoon Network’s 24-hour, commercial-free classic animation cable/satellite network, unveils four consecutive all-day Friday tributes to showcase original Popeye the Sailor six-minute shorts from the golden age of theatrical animation. More than 200 of the original Max Fleischer and Famous Studios theatrical cartoons produced from 1933-1954—several of which will appear on Boomerang for the first time—along with three animated short films, known as “two-reelers,” will be spotlighted in color within the month-long salute. The television event will commence on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 a.m. to run for 24 uninterrupted hours and then repeat the pattern the following Fridays—Dec. 10, 17 and 24—for what will eventually stand as a 96-hour Popeye the Sailor festival. This programming special also will be available nearly entirely in Spanish on Boomerang’s SAP option.
“Popeye and his supporting cast of characters are truly some of the best-loved cartoon characters around the world,” says Mark Norman, senior vice president and general manager of Boomerang. “Kids today, however, might not be aware of or have many opportunities to enjoy Popeye as their parents likely did when these shorts were screened on television as syndicated packages in the ‘60s,‘70s and ‘80s. This is a rare chance, then, for families to enjoy these wonderful cartoons together, presented back to back and without commercial interruption.”
Based on the popular E.C. Segar “Thimble Theatre” comic-strip of the 1910s-20s, the ever-muttering, spinach-gulping cartoon swabbie first appeared onscreen in 1933’s “Popeye the Sailor.” Paramount Pictures soon recognized they had a star on their hands, and during the next 20 years, commissioned 211 shorts from the Max Fleischer and Famous Studios that concluded with 1954’s “Spooky Swabs.” In addition to Popeye himself, his indelible co-stars also made a big impression with audiences, including the bullyish brute Bluto, who competed with Popeye for the fickle affections of string-bean Olive Oyl, the ever-broke and always hamburger-hungry Wimpy and the adorably curious and regularly-in-harm’s-way Swee’pea. And even more than the familiar theme of a can of spinach supplying the superhuman strength Popeye needed to save the day, the remarkable voice inflections of the leading characters became cultural icons in themselves. Both Jack Mercer and William Costello (“I Yam What I Yam!”) portrayed the good-natured Popeye onscreen, while Mae Questel became forever linked with her inimitable interpretation of Olive Oyl.
Along with the rich collection of theatrical shorts, Boomerang also will present three Technicolor two-reelers starring Popeye and his friends in familiar, if somewhat re-purposed, tales of classic literature. These include “Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor” (1936—long-form animation prior to Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), “Popeye Meets Ali Baba and His 40 Thieves” (1937) and “Popeye Meets Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp” (1939). These three special presentations will air back-to-back in chronological order on Friday, Dec. 3 (8-9 a.m., 4-5 p.m. and 12-1 a.m.), and Friday, Dec. 12 (12-1 p.m., 8-9 p.m. and 4-5 a.m.).