Many people remember Popeye the sailor man, either from the various cartoon iterations, the live action movie starring Robin Williams, or his beginnings as a comic strip. In the latter half of the 1930s, he also had a radio adventure series. Popeye would be joined by known characters like Olive Oyl, Whimpy, and the reprehensible Bluto in 15-minute episodes broadcast first by NBC radio then later by CBS radio on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In these adventures, though, he no longer relied on his trusty spinach, as the first two seasons were sponsored by Wheatena, a hot breakfast cereal, and the final season was sponsored by Popsicle brand ice pops, which was a part of the Joe Lowe Corporation at the time. Though critically panned, the thrice weekly radio serial ended with an impressive 117 episodes. 

Housed at the American Heritage Center, the Anne and Frank Hummert scripts collection has drafts for all 39 episodes of the Popeye radio show’s final season. The Hummerts created and produced the first radio soap operas, going on to build an exceptional catalog of radio serials such as The Romance of Helen Trent and Backstage Wife. Their collection at the AHC is contained in 432 boxes, totaling 460 cubic ft of materials. The Popeye scripts are bound together in one large volume. The episodes of Popeye were written while they were working at Blackett, Sample & Hummert before Anne and Frank started their own production company.  

Every Popeye script in the Hummert collection starts and ends with a reminder for kids to save their bags from their Popsicles, Fudgicles, and Creamsicles to send in for amazing prizes like roller skates, fishing tackle, and wrist watches. Fudgicles, while sounding exactly like what Popeye would call them, would later be renamed to the now familiar “Fudgesicles.” The same promotion would be heard for the “Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century” radio program. Kids could even obtain a prize catalog that had a coupon worth 10 bags. After reading some of the scripts, the Popsicle ads might have been the bigger draw. 

Popeye’s radio program was criticized for its poor production quality, sounding like it was recorded in a tin can. Noticeably absent from the series were Popeye’s use of spinach for strength and the well-known musical theme. Without these hallmarks, the show felt disconnected from other Popeye media, and struggled to maintain an audience. The show further struggled as each season saw a new voice actor for Popeye. Popsicle pulled their sponsorship at the end of the season, seeing greater success with Buck Rogers, and the Popeye radio show ended as they were unable to secure sponsorship for a 4^th season. 

Visit the American Heritage Center to learn more about the Anne and Frank Hummert scripts collection or one of our many other radio collections.