Pappy first appeared in Thimble Theatre not long after Popeye acquired Eugene the Jeep in 1936. Popeye decided to use the creature's supernatural
knowledge to find his father. An expedition was set up to go to
Poopdeck's home on Barnacle Island, which included Toar the caveman and Olive Oyl.
The ungrateful father answered Popeye's greeting with, "You look like
something the cat dragged in... I don't like relatives." He came to
Popeye's home anyway, followed by some mermaids whom he had flirted with.
Poopdeck Pappy made his first animated appearance in the Popeye the Sailor short Goonland
(1938). In this cartoon, it is revealed that Popeye has a long-lost
father, not seen since infancy, who is being held captive in the bizarre
realm of Goon Island. When he goes to rescue the "ol' goat" in the Goon prison,
his father refuses to acknowledge Popeye as his son, but when Popeye
himself is captured by the Goons, he eats Popeye's mislaid can of spinach
to rescue his only child. In the mêlée that ensues, the filmstrip is
broken and the animator must safety pin it back together to finish the
cartoon.
At the southern tip of Greece's Attic peninsula lies the temple of
Poseidon at Sounion Head: the first landfall in the classical
city-state of Athens when coming from the south, a temple to the god
of the ocean.
Walking the tan dust of the path to the temple, you see first massive
columns of white marble rearing the temple epistyle into the
sky. Then, as you walk forward, past the columns you see the sea.
The headland that holds the temple is surrounded on three sides by
water. Ahead, to the south, you see a scattering of islands, the
beginning of the Cyclades. But what impresses you most is not these
islands, not the striking temple, but their setting. Water. Water on
all sides, deep sapphire blue: the wine-dark sea. The smell of
salt. Fishing boats pass, occasionally a freighter, though my
companions and I saw surprisingly little shipping when we visited last
October.
Set sail for uncharted hilarity as you help Popeye the Sailor Man rescue
Olive from the clutches of that big blowhard Bluto. Brave white-water
rapids as this twisting, turning raft ride makes you wish you'd have
brought your spinach... and a towel.
After the theatrical Popeye cartoon series went out of production in 1957, Bluto's name was changed to Brutus because it was (wrongly) believed that Paramount Pictures, distributors of the Fleischer Studios (later Famous Studios) cartoons, owned the rights to the name Bluto.
"Brutus" (often pronounced "Brutusk" by Popeye) appears in the 1960–1962 Popeye television cartoons. (with his physical appearance changed, making him morbidly obese rather than muscular)
Another subtle difference between the characters of Brutus and Bluto is
that while Bluto was often portrayed as a fellow sailor who also sought
to win the heart of Olive Oyl, Brutus was portrayed as a generic
villain, or bank robber, who showed no romantic interest in Olive.
Instead, he usually took her hostage, leaving Popeye to rescue her.
Prior to the name change to Brutus, the bearded strongman was known as
"The Big Guy That Hates Popeye," "Junior," "Mean Man," and "Sonny Boy"
in the comic strip and comic books.
There is considerable inconsistencies with regards to how strong Bluto
actually is. In some episodes he is weaker than Popeye, usually
resorting to underhanded trickery to win. Other times Popeye stands no
chance until he eats his spinach. Other times he and Popeye are evenly
matched with Bluto eventually winning, as in the episode, We Aim to
Please.
And other times he's a match for Popeye even after he's eaten
his spinach, as in the episode Pleased to Meet Cha.
1711, mezzanino, from mezzano "middle," from L. medianus"of the middle," from medius (see medial). Sense of "lowest balcony in a theater" first recorded 1927.
ScienceDaily (May 9, 2012)— A detailed
description of development of the first practical artificial leaf -- a
milestone in the drive for sustainable energy that mimics the process,
photosynthesis, that green plants use to convert water and sunlight into
energy -- appears in the ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research.
The article notes that unlike earlier devices, which used costly
ingredients, the new device is made from inexpensive materials and
employs low-cost engineering and manufacturing processes.
