Margie Hines

From the A&E "Biography" series, a review of the birth, development and cinematic history of Betty Boop, the flapper cartoon character who has been a popular icon since the 1930s.

The happy tranquility of Bugville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town.

Popeye spanks Swee'Pea and sends him to bed without supper. He wrestles with his conscience over this, while Swee'Pea packs a bundle and runs away from home.

One of the first and most famous sex symbols on the animated screen, Betty Boop was an irresistible package of playful sexuality, made even more endearing by her absolute childlike innocence. She represented the unsinkable American spirit in the heart of the Great Depression, and endures as a pop culture icon today — favored by children and adults alike. Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 4 is comprised of thirteen animated shorts: Stopping the Show (1932), Snow White (1933, featuring Cab Calloway), Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (1934), She Wronged Him Right (1934), Red Hot Mamma (1934), Poor Cinderella (1934, in color), There’s Something About a Soldier (1934), When My Ship Comes In (1934), Zula Hula (1937), Riding the Rails (1938), The Swing School (1938), Pudgy the Watchman (1938), Sally Swing (1938).

The race is on for the state railroad franchise: It's the Onion Pacific - Popeye - against the Sudden Pacific - Bluto. There's a kiss from Olive for the winner!

Bluto's in the Army; he tries to sneak off base, but can't. Popeye passes by, Bluto invites him in, then swaps uniforms. Popeye ends up in a tank drill.

This Tom and Jerry cartoon (the human versions, not the cat and mouse) is an opportunity for the animators to have fun with the medium. There is no specific plot. One of the boys uses a pencil to create a myriad number of animated illusions that could only work in a cartoon. For example, a short vertical line is drawn, which when held by both ends suddenly becomes a saxophone. When played, the notes pop out of the bell of the instrument to suddenly grow legs and transform into ducks. After the song, the saxophone itself quickly follows suit and becomes a goose. The entire short consists of these disjointed, though often creative and humorously unlikely events.

Olive sends a farewell letter to Popeye: She's over sailors; it's cowboys for her; she's gone out west, to Bar None Ranch. Popeye immediately travels there to find her - and discovers Bluto runs the place.

A hypnotist, frustrated by not having anyone to practice on, cold-calls Olive and hypnotizes her over the phone into coming to his office. Popeye rushes after her.

It's Popeye's birthday, and Olive Oyl invites him over and bakes him a cake. Popeye invites depressed shipmate Shorty to join them.

Popeye and Bluto show up simultaneously to take Olive to the movies. She needs to visit the hairdresser first, and tells the boys to take care of Swee'Pea.

Olive has a map that shows the location of her secret gold mine, but while she's showing it to Popeye, claim jumper Bluto photographs it and gets there first.

Bugs of all kinds convene on a jazz club for an evening of fun.

Olive is going shopping and drops Swee'pea off for Popeye to watch. Popeye carves a sailboat for him, but the tyke spots Popeye's battleship, and the puny toy boat will no longer do.

Popeye brings his magical dog, The Jeep, over to see Olive and Swee'pea, just as the tyke has escaped from his crib. The Jeep leads Popeye on a merry chase looking for Swee'pea.

Mystery Pictures is looking for a stunt man. Swee'pea tags along with Popeye, but he sends the tot home. Popeye shows clips of his stunts to the director, who is impressed; when he goes to put on the last reel, Swee'pea, who snuck back in, hands him Lost and Foundry (1937), which features Swee'pea saving the day. The director signs Swee'pea.

Popeye has replaced Bluto in the Spinach Theatre's production of Romeo and Juliet (Olive, of course), much to Bluto's surprise and dismay. Bluto does what he can to sabotage the production, like cranking up the snow and wind machines, and eventually coming onstage, even though Olive wants no part of him.

Popeye is having a dream. In it, Bluto interrupts his and Olive's flirtations with one another and keeps having the upper hand.

Olive Oyl brings her new pet goldfish onto Popeye's ship, but the fish jumps out of its bowl and into the sea. Olive pressures Popeye to go after it.

The Fleischer's Talkartoon short that debuted Betty Boop.

Olive Oyl's screenplay for an Aladdin movie comes to life and Popeye battles for control of a genie in this, the last of the three Popeye color films.

A classic about an anteater who makes life rough for a colony of ants. In the ant community, the queen spreads warnings of their greatest enemy, the Anteater. "He's a menace, he's a brute, he will scoop you with his snoot." Their motto is "make him yell uncle," which they do when the anteater invades them.

Popeye is heading over to see Olive when he hits a traffic island where a cop is directing traffic; when he gets there, he manages to get more tickets for blowing his horn and parking illegally. The cop rings the bell, and Popeye manages to wreck Olive's apartment by dropping what he's doing, each time he writes a ticket.

Popeye and Poopdeck Pappy are trying to play poker, but Swee'Pea's crying keeps interrupting them. Pappy wants to smack the tot, but Popeye persuades him to try psychology instead. Popeye tells the story of how "George Washlincoln" chopped down the cherry tree. Inspired, Swee'Pea chops a hole in the floor, then tells the truth. Popeye rushes out to buy him a reward, leaving Pappy in charge, but Pappy believes in a rather dangerous style of parenting, introducing him to William Tell (from both ends of the gun). Pappy lies about it to Popeye.