Popeye (1980)

The adventures of the famous sailor man and his friends in the seaside town of Sweethaven.

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Jules Feiffer (screenplay), E.C. Segar (based on characters by)

Stars:

Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Ray Walston

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	Popeye
Shelley Duvall	...	Olive Oyl
Ray Walston	...	Poopdeck Pappy
Paul Dooley	...	Wimpy
Paul L. Smith	...	Bluto
Richard Libertini	...	Geezil
Donald Moffat	...	The Taxman
MacIntyre Dixon	...	Cole Oyl
Roberta Maxwell	...	Nana Oyl
Donovan Scott	...	Castor Oyl
Allan F. Nicholls	...	Rough House (as Allan Nicholls)
Wesley Ivan Hurt	...	Swee'pea
Bill Irwin	...	Ham Gravy, the Old Boyfriend
Robert Fortier	...	Bill Barnacle, the Town Drunk
David McCharen	...	Harry Hotcash, the Gambler

Storyline

Buff sailor man Popeye arrives in an awkward seaside town called Sweethaven. There he meets Wimpy, a hamburger-loving man; Olive Oyl, the soon-to-be love of his life; and Bluto, a huge, mean pirate who is out to make Sweethaven pay for no good reason. Popeye also discovers his long-lost Pappy in the middle of it all, so with a band of his new friends, Popeye heads off to stop Bluto, and he's got the power of spinach, which Popeye detests, to bust Bluto right in the mush. Watch as Popeye mops the floor with punks in a burger joint, stops a greedy taxman, takes down a champion boxer, and even finds abandoned baby Swee'pea. He's strong to the finish 'cause he eats his spinach.

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Plot Keywords:

sailor | spinach | abandoned baby | bully | based on comic strip | 

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Taglines:

The sailor man with the spinach can!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Popeye - Der Seemann mit dem harten Schlag

Filming Locations:

Anchor Bay, Malta

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$49,823,057

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Productions, Robert Evans Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Vistasonic

Color:

Color Black and White (prologue)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paramount green-lit this film after losing a bidding war with Columbia for the screen rights to the musical Annie (1982). When producer Robert Evans found out that Paramount had lost the bidding for "Annie", he held an executive meeting in which he asked about comic strip characters that they had the rights to, that could also be used in order to create a movie musical, and one attendee recommended Popeye.

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Goofs

During the scene in the Diner where Whimpy sits down at Popeyes table there are two ketchup bottles present. Each time the shot switches perspective, one of the bottles keeps going from half full to completely full.

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Quotes

Poopdeck Pappy: [to Bluto] Don't talks to me about the future. I hates the future, and I hates the past, and I hates the present. Especially you.

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Crazy Credits

There is a statement in the closing credits: "Our gratitude to an international crew whose artistry helped to bring Sweethaven and the world of Popeye to life."

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Alternate Versions

In the original theatrical and video release, the scene in which everyone abandons ship after Pappy rams Bluto's boat runs a little longer. The scene ends with Popeye diving into the water shouting out "Oh shit!" This has been removed from the DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Billy Crystal/Rose Byrne/Chef Nobu Matsuhisa (2014)

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Soundtracks

He Needs Me
(uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Harry Nilsson
Performed by Shelley Duvall

User Reviews

Popeye

Williams is perfect in the title role of director Altman's adaptation of the lesser known Popeye of the comic strip, and not the character made famous in the cartoons. It makes for quite an entertaining film with Duvall dutifully filling the shoes of Olive Oyl and Walston decked out as Popeye's long lost Pappy. Kids should be entertained and adults should find the style and characters interesting throughout.