History Film / Popeye

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/popeye_8127.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Or ''is'' he?]]

The plot is effectively the origin tale of the two-fisted sailor man. After years on the sea, Popeye arrives in the ramshackle town of Sweethaven searching for his [[LongLostRelative long-lost father]] (Creator/RayWalston) and winds up not only caught in a LoveTriangle with Olive Oyl (Creator/ShelleyDuvall) and Bluto (Paul L. Smith), but also becoming an adoptive father to an abandoned baby boy he names Swee'Pea...

Though a financial success (the movie grossed more than twice its enormous budget in the U.S. alone), critical reception towards the film was mixed. ''Popeye'' fans were upset that the film was nothing like the Fleischer/Paramount cartoons and instead drew heavily from the Thimble Theater comic strip which birthed ''Popeye''. The film derailed Altman's directorial career for a decade and was largely disowned by Williams for the rest of his life.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* DoesNotLikeSpam: Popeye does not like ''spinach''. No, really!

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Only ''Bluto'' could be so stupid as to force Popeye to eat his spinach, and get the mega-knuckle sandwich he so deserves because of that.

''Popeye'' is a 1980 [[TheMusical Musical]] LiveActionAdaptation starring Creator/RobinWilliams as the [[ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} eponymous character]] and directed by Creator/RobertAltman, with a song score by Music/HarryNilsson, and a screenplay by Jules Feiffer.

* EvilSoundsDeep: A [[SubvertedTrope subverted example]]: Bluto is played by Paul L. Smith, who also sung on the soundtrack, but his deep baritone singing voice in the film proper is provided by "Big" John Wallace, who was Music/HarryChapin's bassist. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSBtBSLlr6w Bluto's "I'm Mean" song]] shows a prime example of his baritone voice.

* DarkerAndEdgier: For a Popeye adaptation, this film has a gritty feel to match the dilapidated town of Sweethaven. Bluto imposes curfews, intimidates the entire town with is demeanor, has a tax collector who is implied to be bleeding the townspeople with little to show for it in quality of life, and despite the townspeople trying to put on a happy face, you can get the impression that they'd relish the opportunity to move somewhere else.

[[caption-width-right:300:Or is he?]]

The plot is effectively the origin story of the two-fisted sailor man. After years on the sea, Popeye arrives in the ramshackle town of Sweethaven searching for his [[LongLostRelative long-lost pappy]] (Creator/RayWalston) and winds up not only caught in a LoveTriangle with Olive Oyl (Creator/ShelleyDuvall) and Bluto (Paul L. Smith), but also becoming an adoptive father to an abandoned baby he names Swee'Pea...

* NumberOneDime: One of Bluto's motivations for villainy (other than "I'm mean, if you know what I mean") is getting his hands on Poopdeck Pappy's treasure. When the treasure is finally revealed, it turns out to be things like an empty picture frame of Popeye (Pappy's son) as an "infink", his baby rattle, baby booties, and other sentimental mementos of childhood.

* AmbiguouslyJewish: The entire town of Sweethaven. (You can remove the "Ambiguous" from Geezil.) It's worth noting that Bluto was played by Paul L. Smith, a RealLife BadassIsraeli.[[note]]He grew up in Florida but went to Israel to fight as a volunteer in the Six-Day War, then settled there permanently after he retired from acting[[/note]]

* AdultFear:
** One minute, Popeye and his adopted kid are being congratulated by the entire town for [[spoiler: getting rid of the much-hated tax collector]]. And suddenly, he realizes that somewhere in the crowd, ''Swee'Pea has disappeared''.
** In the climax, Swee'pea is confronted by an octopus that tries to bring him under. Olive starts freaking out and calls out to Pappy to save him, especially since she's unable to save him herself.
** When the Oyls are given the rundown of their crushing debts, Cole hides his tears behind a newspaper. His family is ruined and he sees no way out.

* SmallParentHugeChild: Mrs. Oxheart is a seemingly frail, bent old lady. Her son Oxblood Oxheart is a MOUNTAIN of a man (and a Mighty Glacier in the boxing ring). He's still an unabashed Momma's Boy.

* IDoNotLikeGreenEggsAndHam: Until the last scene, anyway. Seems he never really gave it a chance. This is not as farfetched as it sounds: When the character first debuted, ''way'' [[LongRunner back in 1929]] in ''Thimble Theater'', he found out about spinach the same way.

** Bluto, of course. He's not merely the blowhard bully from the cartoon... he has no problems resorting to kidnapping and murder.

* DarkerAndEdgier: For a Popeye adaptation, this film has a gritty feel to match the dilapidated town of Sweethaven. Bluto imposes curfews, intimidates the entire town with is demeanor, has a tax collector who is implied to be bleeding the townspeople with little to show for it in quality of life, and despite the townspeople trying to put on a happy face, you can get the impression that they'd relish the opportunity to move somewhere else.

** Wimpy becomes one when he brings Swee'pea to Bluto in exchange for hamburgers, and after Olive makes him confess what he knows about where Swee'pea and Bluto are going, he makes a HeelFaceTurn and joins with Popeye's and Poopdeck Pappy's crew to rescue Swee'pea, Olive, as well as stopping Bluto from taking Poopdeck Pappy's treasure.

* EvilDebtCollector: The Tax Man will come up with all sorts of frivolous charges to squeeze arbitrary amounts of tax from the townspeople. And he demands exact change!

* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: It's clear from Popeye's stories from his childhood that his pap was ''not'' a good father, even before he abandoned him. It's all PlayedForLaughs, since Popeye seems to either be in denial or trying to make excuses for his father.

* YouAreNotMyFather: Briefly, when Popeye and Poopdeck Pappy bicker while chasing after Bluto's ship; "Is that any way to talk to your father?" "You ain't my father. My father was tall, and kind, and looked like Abraham Lincoln."

* SmallParentHugeChild: According to IMDb, muscular Sylvester Stallone, who plays the police sergeant main character, is 5'9.5", fairly average height, yes. But, his overbearing mother is played by petite Estelle Getty who was a full 11 inches shorter than him at 4'10.5".

* NotSoDifferent / LikeFatherLikeSon: Both Popeye and Pappy have empty picture frames with "Me Pappy" and "Me Son", respectively, scribbled where a picture should be.

** Olive Oyl, of all people, is portrayed this way in the beginning: she's snippy, conceited, self-centered and generally a raging bitch to everybody in her orbit. [[DefrostingTheIceQueen She gets better, though.]]