Popeye – Insultin’ The
Sultan & Other Fun Fan Favorites (Koch)
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: D Animated shorts: B
Insultin’ The Sultan is one of three new
single DVDs Koch has issued for fans of Popeye, particularly those who missed
out on the terrific 75th Anniversary set of the 1960-61 TV
shorts, as reviewed elsewhere on this site.
There are still copies out there, some still brand new, but if you
cannot find that set or did not want to spend the money on the set, these
singles are fine alternatives. The
titles for this set are:
1) Motor
Knocks
2) Popeye
The Lifeguard
3) College
Of Hard Knocks
4) Duel To
The Finish
5) The
Medicine Man
6) Egypt Us
7) The Big
Sneeze
8) Wimpy’s
Lunch Wagon
9) Operation
Ice Tickle
10) The Mark Of Zero
11) The Super Duper Market
12) Insultin’ The Sultan
13) Wimpy The Moocher
14) Popeye’s Double Trouble
15) Rags To Riches To Rags
16) Me Quest For Poopdeck Pappy
17) The Golden Touch
18) Gem Jam
19) Popeye’s Hypnotic Glance
20) Olive Drab
21) The Seven Swee’peas
The titles are as funny as they are politically incorrect,
yet the shows are not offensive or problematic. Despite the fights between Popeye and his opponents, these are
literally TV safe and as good as any later incarnation of the characters. The only other set we can recommend at this
time is VCI’s collection of the original theatrical Fleischer studios shorts,
including all three original color shorts that went from the studios through
Paramount Pictures at the time. This
set runs about 114 minutes long.
The shorts are presented in their original ratio of 1.33 to
1, but cel dust is still visible with some print flaws here and there. At least Koch did not over-digitize and
manipulate the detail and color quality out of them. There is also a the small amount of interlacing errors that show
up from time to time as they did in the set.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also better than you would expect for any
TV material from the early 1960s. The audio levels remain balanced
throughout here as well, proving that these are the same transfers as the
original set. After all, why change
them? Some companies often degrade
titles when they re-release them, but that did not happen here. Now, you have new options in how to get them
without compromise.
- Nicholas Sheffo
