Popeye – Greek Mirthology (1954) Popeye tells his nephews the story of his great Uncle Hercules to convince them to eat their spinach. Director: Seymour Kneitel, Tom Golden Screenplay by: Isadore Klein Produced by: Famous Studios Starring: Jack Mercer as Popeye (voice) Jackson Beck as Bluto (voice) Mae Questel as Olive Oyl (voice) Production Company: Famous Studios Distributed by: Paramount Pictures Release Date: 1954 Runtime: Approximately 7 minutes Country: United States Language: English Genres: Animation, Comedy, Family ------------------------------------------------------------ Synopsis - Popeye’s nephews refuse to eat their spinach, preferring ice cream instead. - To convince them, Popeye tells the tale of their ancestor, Hercules, who gained strength from garlic. - Hercules faces a bully resembling Bluto, who challenges him to feats of strength. - The bully sabotages Hercules by neutralizing his garlic with chlorophyll, weakening him. - Hercules accidentally discovers spinach, which restores his strength and allows him to defeat the bully. - Popeye finishes the story, only to find his nephews still uninterested in spinach. ------------------------------------------------------------ Key Themes & Highlights - Mythological Parody The cartoon humorously reimagines Hercules as Popeye’s ancestor. - Spinach vs. Garlic Hercules initially gains strength from garlic before discovering spinach. - Public Domain Status *Greek Mirthology* is widely available due to its public domain status. - Technicolor Animation One of the later Popeye cartoons, featuring vibrant color animation. ------------------------------------------------------------ Trivia - The cartoon borrows elements from *Popeye Meets Hercules* (1948). - Popeye’s nephews—Pipeye, Peepeye, Poopeye, and Pupeye—appear in the framing story. - Some public domain versions replace the original Paramount logo with the a.a.p. logo. - The cartoon was featured in the video game *The Darkness* (2007). ------------------------------------------------------------ Hashtags #PopeyeCartoon #GreekMirthology #ClassicAnimation #BlutoVsPopeye #OliveOyl #PublicDomainCartoon #FamousStudios #TechnicolorAnimation #ParamountPictures #VintageCartoons