Welcome to week three of Paramount Sales News. Either the first June 1934 issue was missing, or they didn’t print one this week, but we’ve got another fine assortment of Hal Seeger cartooning.
In this installment, Betty and Popeye begin to regularly appear in the same panels, an example of when “crossover” didn’t mean lawyers and fees. May 23rd’s seems to anticipate July’s release of Betty Boop’s Life Guard, just as last week’s had the kids from Strong to the Finich. There will be more direct tie-ins in future entries.
We also have two panels (May 2nd and June 23rd) drawn by Elzie Segar, Popeye’s creator. I know the first has seen print many times but I hadn’t seen the second before. Note the shout-out to George Schaefer, future president of RKO (and casualty of Orson Welles), who was at Paramount at the time.
May-June 1934
May 2, 1934 – by Segar
May 9, 1934 – Click to enlarge
May 16, 1934 – Click To Enlarge
May 23, 1934 – Click To Enlarge
May 31, 1934 – Click To Enlarge
June 13, 1934 – Click To Enlarge
June 23, 1934 – Click To Enlarge
June 23rd 1934 by Segar – Click To Enlarge
June 27th 1934
Here’s a sample of what the salesmen were peddling at the time these promotional pieces above appeared in print.
Betty Boop’s Rise To Fame (released May 18th, 1934)
Strong to the Finich (released June 29th, 1934)
THAD KOMOROWSKI is a writer, journalist, film restorationist and author of the acclaimed (and recently revised) Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story. He blogs at 
Love the disgusting way eating is depicted in ‘Putting On The Bag!’ Great stuff-Keep ’em comin!
I’m really enjoying seeing these pieces of a bygone age that serve to reinforce the fact that Fleischer was Disney’s main rival in terms of popular animated shorts in the 1930s, before Warners and Metro got their acts together.
Since “Betty Boop’s Rise to Fame” is one of the shorts mentioned here, I may as well ask: does anyone know who played the reporter? Was it just some actor from the New York film scene or was he an actual Fleischer Studio employee?
I suppose I did wonder that as well. Often when you see someone like the reporter stuck in a short like this, you really don’t often thing of the actor behind it. That information might seem important to some even though any records or recollections of that person may be long forgotten.
Yes, it was an actor playing the reporter. A number of years ago, some silly person declared that it was Dave Fleischer portraying the reporter. (Cue the Laugh Sign!). HOW RIDICULOUS! Apparently that person never grasped the concept of “family resemblance.
They actually got Segar to do one?!
You can instantly tell it was his because Popeye was both hatless and had the sort of hair that only Segar seemed to ever draw. Also Popeyes mouth was like it often looked in the comics–more minimalistic without going through the trouble of drawing out his lips.
Thanks for these, Thad. You’re obviously digging deep.
Hmmm, Popeye and Betty make a cute couple. Olive may well be better suited for Bluto.
Ha, fanart possibilities there!
Hello
Just discovered this cartoon and interview with Mr Fleischer.
My father was Jack Ozark, animator on Popeye in the late 30’s before he went to war in WW2… i have tons of pictures of the Fleischer guys back in those day…interested?
Ellen
Now that we have seen Betty Boop and Popeye collide on several occasions that miami sex tape must be 100 percent true!
Betty Boop Looks CUTE in a one piece bathing suit.