Poe's Saturday Cartoon: Goonland (1938)

During the early to later 1930s, Walt Disney dominated the film market in the field of animated cartoons. No other studio could match the success of the studio's amazing output of great animation and roster of popular cartoon stars. The only animation studio that came close was the Flesischer Studios based out of New York. Distributed through Paramount Pictures, the Flesischer shorts were edgier and more adult than the Disney product. Cartoon stars such as Betty Boop brought a sexiness and urban grit to cartoons that Disney could never had gotten away with. When the studio introduced a character from an E.C Segar comic strip called Popeye the Sailor in a Boop cartoon, they found a new star. By the late 30s, Popeye would surpass Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in popularity. Today's short, Goonland, is one of Popeye's best. Both surreal and funny, the short introduced popular Segar characters Poopdeck Pappy and the Goons to film audiences. Features some of the best Jack Mercer (Popeye's voice) "mumblings" in the series. Take that Mickey Mouse!

Zevk,
Poe