Popeye - First Episode

Popeye was adapted to radio in several series broadcast over
three different networks by two sponsors from 1935 to 1938.
Popeye and most of the major supporting characters were first
featured in a thrice-weekly 15-minute  radio program, Popeye
the Sailor, which starred Detmar Poppen as Popeye, along with
most of the major supporting characters—Olive Oyl (Olive Lamoy),
Wimpy (Charles Lawrence), Bluto (Jackson Beck) and Swee'Pea (Mae
Questel). In the first episode, Popeye adopted Sonny (Jimmy
Donnelly), a character later known as Matey the Newsboy. This
program was broadcast Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights at
7:15pm. September 10, 1935, through March 28, 1936, on the
 NBC Red Network (87 episodes), initially sponsored by
Wheatena.  a whole-wheat breakfast cereal, which routinely
replaced the spinach references. Music was provided by Victor
Irwin's Cartoonland Band. Announcer Kelvin Keech sang (to
composer Lerner's "Popeye" theme) "Wheatena is his diet / He asks
you to try it / With Popeye the sailor man." Wheatena paid King
Features Syndicate $1,200 per week.


The show was next broadcast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from
7:15 to 7:30pm on  WABC and ran from August 31, 1936, to
February 26, 1937 (78 episodes). Floyd Buckley played Popeye, and
Miriam Wolfe portrayed both Olive Oyl and the Sea Hag. Once
again, reference to spinach was conspicuously absent. Instead,
Popeye sang, "Wheatena's me diet / I ax ya to try it / I'm Popeye
the Sailor Man".


The third series was sponsored by the maker of Popsicles three
nights a week for 15 minutes at 6:15 pm on CBS from May 2,
1938, through July 29, 1938.


Of the three series, only 20 of the 204 episodes are known to be
preserved.