Popeye the Sailor

Popeye the Sailor (1933) is a seven-minute Fleischer Studios animated short you can watch online on iFILM — the screen debut of the spinach-fuelled sailor who first appeared in E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1929. Director Dave Fleischer turned the character loose on film for the first time here, with Betty Boop even making an appearance.

Popeye and Bluto fight over Olive Oyl as expected. William 'Billy' Costello voiced the sailor; Mae Questel — already famous as Betty Boop — took on Olive. Seven minutes of squash-and-stretch chaos that launched one of animation's most durable franchises. Watch Popeye the Sailor online on iFILM.