Popeye's Junior Headache

Popeye's Junior Headache was one of the 1960-61 King Features made-for-television Popeyes that I remember well. Diesel Oyl was interesting play on words; that brat was Olive Oyl's niece, whether she was part of the Thimble Theater comic strip I do not know, as that was before my time. If Diesel Oyl WAS part of the strip, she may have been daughter of Castor Oyl(Olive's brother), coming under Aunt Olive's care when Castor was lost at sea. At all events, she was a brat if ever there were one! Popeye was understandably reluctant to baby-sit Diesel, as he was fatigued and needed rest. Olive Oyl insisted, and Popeye found the assignment a nightmare from the start. He tried first to tell Diesel a story "Once there was a witch..", Diesel interrupting "Which witch?". Popeye shot back "How does I know which witch?" Popeye pleaded with Diesel to let him sleep (to dream up ending to this fairy tale); Diesel said "NO! I want to play horse", which Popeye did not want. He grabbed SPINACH can but Diesel had switched the labels AND EATEN the spinach! So, this Popeye WAS amusing to a degree. There was SOME benefit to this brand-new Popeye series in that it made for variety after three years of seeing the oldies produced by Paramount/Famous Studios between 1933 and 1957, syndicated by Associated Artists Productions to television stations. What led King Features to produced this new Popeye cartoon package was that the original contract that Paramount, under Dave and Max Flesicher, had negotiated with King Features and Elzie Segar (who died in 1938), was only meant for the showing of the Popeyes in theaters. King Features was miffed when in 1957, Associated Artists Productions brought Popeye to television, not part of the original arrangement. King Features wanted to regain the limelight, hence the new Popeye series. One must remember that in the 1930's, no one anticipated that Popeye would be brought to television as there were no televisions-- NOT EVEN MUNTZ TV's! So, King Features did have a point, even though they understandably did not anticipate television. So, though I prefer the old Popeye series(1933-57), some of the new Popeyes were funny, including this one.

. . . for individuals considering an imminent entry into the babysitting profession. POPEYE'S JUNIOR HEADACHE centers on teaching otherwise home alone kids how to torment their sleep-deprived sitters. Among the cruelest of all 9,000 Popeye pictures, the juvenile delinquent featured here gains sneak-attack super strength by switching all the labels of canned vegetables in her "Aunt" Olive's pantry, and eating the beleaguered sailor's spinach before he even arrives there after his being coerced into this hellish sitting assignment despite just have worked a 72-hour sleepless shift. As a consequence, Win Diesel is able to whip, brand and shoot her hapless attendant to her heart's content.

On the phone, Popeye pleads with Olive, "I've been working three full days and nights and I need my peask and quiet." Olive keeps jabbering away. Popeye says, "No, no, no, I will not babysit your niece."

Of course, the next scene in dead-on-his-feet Popeye at Olive's door. Upon opening it, a bucket of water rains down on his head. The "niece" is a holy terror. "It looks like it's going to be one of those days," moans the sailor man.

He is prophetic as this little girl is a monster. She inflicts a lot of pain on pour Uncle Popeye, especially when SHE, not Popeye, eats the spinach.

This is perhaps the worst Popeye cartoon I have ever seen. Not only is there nothing funny in here, there is no justice! No wonder these King Features Popeye cartoons of this era are ridiculed.