In 1960, King Features Syndicate brought forth \u201cPopeye the Sailor,\u201d an animated television series featuring new misadventures of the beloved spinach-chomping hero and his wacky circle of friends and foes. A total of 220 short cartoons were created for the series by multiple animation studios, and most them were forgettable. But there was one short that stood out for being an extraordinary detour from the usual Popeye-fueled knockabout.
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The 1960 \u201cCoffee House\u201d from Jack Kinney Productions put Popeye in the unlikeliest of environments: the then-prevalent beatnik subculture. The concept was pure old-school Popeye, with Olive Oyl being lured into an unlikely setting by a rival suitor \u2013 in this case, the big bully Brutus \u2013 with Popeye trying to extract her and bring her back to reality.<\/p>\n
However, in \u201cCoffee House\u201d things are very different. For starters, Olive is not in any real danger from Brutus. Indeed, Popeye comes across as the aggressor for violently trying to break up Olive\u2019s shared beatnik lifestyle with Brutus. But rather than take her out of a dangerous surrounding, Popeye himself goes beatnik, declaring in a hipster tone, \u201cLike, I am what I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
The production has a lot of fun spoofing the beatnik scene. Olive, Brutus, and the other denizens of the eponymous venue wear beatnik-appropriate turtlenecks, berets, and oversized glasses. The cartoon\u2019s soundtrack is a light jazzy instrumental played by a flute and bongo drums, a pure beatnik sound. And the characters speak in the hipster jargon of this scene, with a lot of \u201cDaddy-o\u201d talk and the chanting of \u201ccool\u201d in approval positive happenings. Even Popeye\u2019s strength source is beatnik friendly: a can of \u201ccultured spinach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brutus recites a beat-inspired poem called \u201cOde to an Onion\u201d which would probably make Allen Ginsberg howl. It has to be shared:<\/p>\n
O Onion, Onion The Popeye-Brutus brawling is very funny. Brutus initially gets the best of Popeye by shoving him head-first into a television set while sneering, \u201cHi-Fi, 3D, in color with a square picture tube.\u201d Even more zany is their fight in the coffee house, where Brutus runs face-first into Popeye\u2019s extended fist.<\/p>\n Unlike the earlier incarnations of the Popeye characters that played theatrically for viewing by both adults and children, \u201cCoffee House\u201d is most unusual because the \u201cPopeye the Sailor\u201d series was aimed at the kiddie audience. Were the children back in 1960 to get the parody references in this short? I believe that I first saw this either when I was in high school or college back in the 1980s and my reaction was one of total disbelief that something so wildly out of context was made.<\/p>\n It is a shame that the other 219 cartoons in this series came nowhere near this offering for style and imagination. But, hey, at least have this one true gem to savor.<\/p>\n
\nYou are the gone-est
\nSo green yet so honest
\nO Onion, Onion
\nLike, I dig you the mostest
\nO green and lovely hostess
\nHip! Hip! Hip! And crazy-daisy
\nLike, your breath just leaves me hazy
\nO brave and noble Onion
\nGreen stem and creamy bunion
\nYour personality is hallion
\nLive! Grow! Breathe!
\nO gracious scallion!<\/em><\/p>\n