Popeye

The Peggy Mount Sunday Matinee Hour video shop is open and the tapes are simply flying off the shelves. But far from numbing their brains to the latest popcorn-fodder, Doctor Velvet and Blackout prefer to crack open the reserve rum and engage with a maritime marvel from the vintage selection...

Under the critical microscope this week is Robert Altman's seminal 1980 tale of nautical neuroses, Popeye. With its comedy/adventure/musical format and a cast of certified comedy genii, horror movie icons and character actor stalwarts, there's bound to be something in here for everyone. That's what it said on the back of the box, anyway.

Which of our podcast hosts chose what could possibly be the most haunting cinematic voyage of its era? Who will pay for the years of therapy which will now be required by the other one? And who the flipping, ruddy heck was in charge of Disney's live-action quality control processes in the late 1970s?

Lash your hulls to our ports and find out...

WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING:

Title: Popeye
Original release: Thursday 09 April 1981 (United Kingdom)
Studio/Distributor: Paramount Pictures / Walt Disney Productions
Writer: Jules Feiffer
Music: Harry Nilsson / Tom Pierson (arrangements by Van Dyke Parks)
Producer: Robert Evans
Director: Robert Altman
Starring: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Paul L Smith, Paul Dooley, Ray Walston, Donald Moffatt

...and if you want to read some words about the film which aren't quite so caustic, you can do that here:

Popeye is available to buy on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, with a soundtrack album on CD and Vinyl. A novelisation was also produced.

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The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet, with additional live accompaniments by Ozzy Bognops. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to PeggyMountPod@gmail.com