Popeye – Gopher Spinach (1954) Popeye battles a mischievous gopher that keeps stealing his spinach plants, leading to an unexpected alliance. Director: Seymour Kneitel, Thomas Johnson Screenplay by: Carl Meyer Produced by: Famous Studios Starring: Jack Mercer as Popeye (voice) Production Company: Famous Studios Distributed by: Paramount Pictures Release Date: December 10, 1954 Runtime: Approximately 6 minutes Country: United States Language: English Genres: Animation, Comedy, Family ------------------------------------------------------------ Synopsis - Popeye carefully plants his spinach garden, treating each sprout like a baby. - As soon as he finishes, the plants start disappearing—sucked underground by a sneaky gopher. - Popeye tries multiple tricks to stop the gopher, including flooding its tunnel and chasing it with a shotgun. - The chase leads Popeye straight into a raging bull, forcing him to flee. - In a surprising twist, the gopher eats a spinach sprout and defeats the bull, earning Popeye’s respect. - The two become friends and work together to replant the spinach garden. ------------------------------------------------------------ Key Themes & Highlights - Gardening Chaos Popeye’s attempt to grow spinach turns into a battle against a clever gopher. - Unexpected Friendship The gopher proves its worth by saving Popeye, leading to an unlikely alliance. - Public Domain Status *Gopher Spinach* is widely available due to its public domain status. - Technicolor Animation One of the later Popeye cartoons, featuring vibrant color animation. ------------------------------------------------------------ Trivia - First Popeye cartoon to use the 1954 Paramount Cartoons logo. - The cartoon shares themes with *The Song of the Birds*, where the protagonist regrets being too harsh on an animal. - Some public domain versions replace the original Paramount logo with the a.a.p. logo. - The gopher’s spinach-powered strength mirrors Popeye’s own transformation. ------------------------------------------------------------ Hashtags #PopeyeCartoon #GopherSpinach #ClassicAnimation #PublicDomainCartoon #FamousStudios #TechnicolorAnimation #ParamountPictures #VintageCartoons #GardeningChaos