Popeye Is Back By Popular Demand When Warner Home Video Releases “Popeye The Sailor 1938-1940 Volume 2” And “Popeye And Friends Vol. 1” On June 17, 2008
(April 7, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – Everyone’s favorite sailorman hasn’t aged a day since his Silver Screen debut over 75 years ago, showing the true power of eating your spinach. Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto are back to entertain fans in 2008 when Warner Home Video (WHV), Hearst Entertainment and King Features Syndicate get set to release “Popeye The Sailor 1938-1940 Volume 2” and “Popeye and Friends Vol. 1” on June 17, 2008. Available for $34.98 SRP, the 2-disc Authorized Edition 1938-1940 DVD collection includes 31 original re-mastered and unedited theatrical shorts created by the legendary Max Fleischer. “Popeye and Friends Volume 1” is a 1-disc set including 8 full-color shorts available for $14.97 SRP. Order due date for both titles is May 13, 2008.
Popeye, infamous for his “muskles,” spinach and pipe, was introduced to American audiences and became one of the most beloved characters in animation history. Because of his distinctive jargon and memorable catch phrases such as, “Thas’ all I can stands, ’cause I can’t stands no more,” Popeye became a household name. A humble hero, Popeye was always true to his uncompromising moral standards and although he looked like a tough guy, he only resorted to force when faced with a conflict that affected his loved ones. Even when close to defeat by the evil Bluto, Popeye’s obsession with spinach guaranteed him victory over his competition. Unassumingly, Popeye was also a hopeless romantic, faking illness to get Olive Oyl’s attention, as seen in the short, “I Yam Love Sick.”
“Popeye The Sailor 1938-1940 Volume 2” comes with more than three hours of cartoons – 31 (7- to 10-minute) theatrical black-and-white shorts and one two-reeler 20-minute color cartoon – all in one amazing collectible package. Included on the 2-disc DVD are two of the most memorable Popeye shorts, featuring the re-mastered “I Yam Love Sick!” and “With Poopdeck Pappy.” “Popeye Volume 2” also consists of more than three hours of incredible bonus features, including:
• Popeye Commentaries – Including historians, animators and filmmakers
• Popeye Popumentaries – A closer look at Eugene the Jeep, Poopdeck Pappy and the voices of Olive Oyl
• “Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story” – a featurette chronicling the lives, work and legacy of brothers Max and Dave Fleischer
• “Men of Spinach and Steel” – a featurette debating who was America’s first superhero, Popeye or Superman?
• Classic Paramount Short
• Early Max Fleischer Short & Art Gallery
• Females is Fickle Pencil Test
• “Stealin Ain’t Honest” Storyboard Reel
• Vintage Audio Recording from “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man”
• Interview with Jack Mercer (audio only) “Popeye and Friends Vol. 1” is an authorized edition from the legendary Hanna-Barbera. The DVD features full-color shorts from the “All-New Popeye Hour” TV show which originally premiered on CBS as part of their Saturday morning cartoon lineup. The first volume DVD contains eight shorts from this series in full-color, including “Ship Ahoy” and “Popeye the Plumber.” “Popeye continues to be one of the most widely recognized and beloved characters in the animated world. It’s a pleasure to go back in time and watch this cultural icon come to life,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing. “Popeye’s biggest fans can now add ‘Popeye The Sailor 1938-1940 Volume 2’ and ‘Popeye and Friends Vol.1’ to their expansive collection and gain new fans for future generations.” About King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate is a member of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Group, which combines Hearst Corporation’s cable network partnerships, television programming activities, and newspaper syndication and merchandise licensing operations. King Features is the world’s premier distributor of comics, columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games, distributing some 150 features in print and online to nearly 5,000 newspapers around the globe. It is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in merchandise licensing and entertainment. Among its most beloved and successful classic characters are “Popeye,” “Betty Boop,” “Blondie,” “Dennis the Menace” and “Flash Gordon.” In recent years, the company has diversified and now represents properties such as the trendy apparel and accessory brand, “David & Goliath”; the publicly displayed, life-size art sculptures “GuitarMania” and “The Trail of Painted Ponies”; the conscientious-living brand, “Mutts”; and “SeeMore’s Playhouse,” the Emmy® Award-winning children’s safety series for public television. About Warner Home Video With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.# # #
• Popeye Popumentaries – A closer look at Eugene the Jeep, Poopdeck Pappy and the voices of Olive Oyl
• “Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story” – a featurette chronicling the lives, work and legacy of brothers Max and Dave Fleischer
• “Men of Spinach and Steel” – a featurette debating who was America’s first superhero, Popeye or Superman?
• Classic Paramount Short
• Early Max Fleischer Short & Art Gallery
• Females is Fickle Pencil Test
• “Stealin Ain’t Honest” Storyboard Reel
• Vintage Audio Recording from “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man”
• Interview with Jack Mercer (audio only) “Popeye and Friends Vol. 1” is an authorized edition from the legendary Hanna-Barbera. The DVD features full-color shorts from the “All-New Popeye Hour” TV show which originally premiered on CBS as part of their Saturday morning cartoon lineup. The first volume DVD contains eight shorts from this series in full-color, including “Ship Ahoy” and “Popeye the Plumber.” “Popeye continues to be one of the most widely recognized and beloved characters in the animated world. It’s a pleasure to go back in time and watch this cultural icon come to life,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing. “Popeye’s biggest fans can now add ‘Popeye The Sailor 1938-1940 Volume 2’ and ‘Popeye and Friends Vol.1’ to their expansive collection and gain new fans for future generations.” About King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate is a member of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Group, which combines Hearst Corporation’s cable network partnerships, television programming activities, and newspaper syndication and merchandise licensing operations. King Features is the world’s premier distributor of comics, columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games, distributing some 150 features in print and online to nearly 5,000 newspapers around the globe. It is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in merchandise licensing and entertainment. Among its most beloved and successful classic characters are “Popeye,” “Betty Boop,” “Blondie,” “Dennis the Menace” and “Flash Gordon.” In recent years, the company has diversified and now represents properties such as the trendy apparel and accessory brand, “David & Goliath”; the publicly displayed, life-size art sculptures “GuitarMania” and “The Trail of Painted Ponies”; the conscientious-living brand, “Mutts”; and “SeeMore’s Playhouse,” the Emmy® Award-winning children’s safety series for public television. About Warner Home Video With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.