| The Mighty Navy | |
| Number 100 | |
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The Mighty Navy (Fleischer Studios, 1941) is not only Popeye's hundredth theatrical short, but the first in which the iconic character is depicted as a member of the United States Navy, as well as given the white Navy uniform that he would mostly wear onscreen for decades to come.
Plot[]
Onboard a U. S. Navy training ship, the Commander takes notice of and examines the odd-looking recruit Popeye, and asks him if he truly wants to be a sailor. The latter protests that he is indeed a sailor, Popeye the Sailor, and was born to sail. The Commander tells him to hoist anchor - which he does manually instead of operating the battleship's complex controls. He encounters similar hurdles when his ability to aim the cannons is tested, leaving them tied up as he fiddles with the switches. Next, the Commander puts Popeye's ability to fly a plane to the test. Noticing it is a Dive Bomber, the recruit makes it perform a graceful dive into the ocean. After this, Popeye is left to peel onions below deck, just as eight Enemy (Name Your Own) battleships approach, guns blazing, and surround the training ship like Indians would a caravan. The other recruits are also ineffective at handling the guns so Popeye, after averting a shell impact, says "That's all I can stand 'cause I can stand no more" and runs up in order to grab the cannon in his bare hands and shoot it at the battleships, sinking them one by one, then all the planes from a remaining aircraft carrier. He then notices another, huge destroyer approaching so he boards the torpedo tube and shoots himself after eating some spinach, proceeding to sink the enemy vessel with only his fist. Later, he is honored by the Commander and the whole crew, with his likeness adopted as the official insignia of the Navy Bomber Squadron.
Trivia[]
- This marks the first appearance of Popeye's Navy uniform, which would become his standard outfit going forward. The uniform in this short is an early prototype version as it has more color on its sleeves.
- Despite the debut of this new look, Popeye's original outfit can still be seen in the intro and on the emblem used for the planes.
External links[]
- The Mighty Navy at the Internet Movie Database