Jack Mercer Movies
- 1941
Two years after the release of Gulliver's Travels, the Fleischer brothers produced Hoppity Goes to Town, their second feature-length cartoon. The film is based in Bugtown, an insect community, and the insects that populate the picture are a sort of melting pot of the bug world. There is Hoppity the grasshopper, who is the dreamer of the bunch; Mr. Bumble the bee, who operates the honey shop, and his daughter Honey Bee, who loves Hoppity; C. Bagley Beetle, the ruthless businessman who plots against his own community for his personal greed; Smack the mosquito and Swat the fly, Mr. Beetle's comic-relief henchmen; and little Buzz, a young bee and a member of the Bee Scouts. The insects live in their isolated world, forever in dread of the increasing encroachment of the humans, but their world is shattered when their protective fence is knocked down and the humans begin making more and more excursions into their area and destroying their homes. Mr. Beetle sees this as his opportunity. He lives in what he believes to be a safe zone and wants Honey for his wife, so he continually pressures Mr. Bumble to let him marry Honey in exchange for moving Bumble into the safer area. But Hoppity has his own plans. Convinced that there are greener pastures elsewhere, he embarks on a journey with Bumble to the big house on the hill, the home of a struggling young songwriter named Dick Dickens and his wife, Mary. Hoppity and Bumble decide that the Dickens' garden is an insect utopia, and try to convince their community to abandon their homes and start fresh. Ultimately, Hoppity and Mr. Beetle must battle not only for control of Bugtown, but also for Honey's heart, and there are some songs by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser along the way. Hoppity Goes to Town was originally released under the title Mr. Bug Goes to Town. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gwen Williams, Jack Mercer, (more)
Impressed by the success of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Paramount Pictures ordered the studio's resident animation producer Max Fleischer to come up with a feature-length cartoon of his own. Utilizing an expanded staff and new production facilities in Miami, Florida, Fleischer and his brother Dave Fleischer spent six months mulling over story properties before deciding upon Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels; 20 months later, the film was completed and ready for release. Only the first part of Swift's novel, taking place in the miniature lands of Lilliput and Blefuscu, was used in the film, while the original plot, a satire of warfare stemming from an argument over which end of an egg to crack, was jettisoned entirely in favor of a sappy love story with slapstick overtones. Shipwrecked by a storm at sea, normal-sized Lemuel Gulliver washes up on the shore of Lilliput, where the citizens are no larger than Gulliver's thumb. Discovered by excitable town crier Gabby, Gulliver is roped to the ground by the Lilliputians, only to escape with ease upon waking up. While longing to head homeward to England, Gulliver becomes involved in a feud between Lilliput's King Little and Blefuscu's King Bombo. On the eve of the wedding between Little's son Prince David and Bombo's daughter Princess Glory, the two monarchs have a falling out over which national anthem will be played at the ceremony. After a seemingly endless series of misunderstandings and intrigues-many of them perpetrated by Bombo's comic-opera spies Sneak, Snoop and Snitch-Gulliver solves everyone's problems by suggesting that both anthems be played together, resulting in what was supposed to have been the film's hit song "Faithful Forever". Lacking the emotional "pull" of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs--not to mention the excellence of Disney's animation--Gulliver's Travels must rely upon the slapstick antics of Gabby, the three spies, and carrier pigeon Twinkletoes to keep the audience awake (all of these characters would be spun off into cartoon series of their own). The songs, like the film itself, are nothing special, though Paramount managed to get a lot of mileage out of "All's Well" and "It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day". Singers Sam Parker, Lanny Ross and Jessica Dragonette are heard as Gulliver, David and Glory, while such Fleischer "regulars" as Jack Mercer and Pinto Colvig play the comic roles. Its many flaws aside, Gulliver's Travels was reasonably successful at the box office, though one wonders if it wouldn't have been an even bigger hit had the Fleischers followed through with their original plan to cast Popeye the Sailor in the role of Gulliver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1939
The third and last of the two-reeler Popeye cartoons, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp starts out with a framing device. Olive Oyl is working at Surprise Pictures as a script girl, and she decides that remaking the story of Aladdin as a vehicle for her beloved Popeye would be a great idea. As she begins contemplating this scenario, we see Aladdin (Popeye), a poor boy who pines for the beautiful Princess (Olive, of course). A wicked Wazzir comes to Aladdin and tricks him into searching for a magical lamp that is deep inside a mysterious cave. The Wazzir intends to use the power of the lamp to get the Princess for himself, but he does not get that chance after Aladdin becomes trapped in the cave. Striking the lamp to light a match, Aladdin inadvertently summons a Genie who must do his bidding. With the Genie's help, Aladdin becomes a prince and woos the Princess, but the Wazzir becomes wise to the boy's true identity and plots his ruin. Fortunately, Aladdin uses the really magical power of spinach to ultimately defeat his enemy and live happily ever after with the Princess -- which is not the fate of Olive herself, who awakens from her reverie to find herself surrounded with scripts. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- 1937
The second two-reeler Popeye cartoon finds the spinach-promoting sailor as a member of the Coast Guard near an unspecified Arabian country. Having heard about the evil Abu Hassanand his forty thieves, Popeye sets off with Olive Oyl and Wimpy to bring them to justice. Unfortunately, they end up wandering in the desert, stricken by thirst and heat, and encountering several mirages and passing by dozens of skeletons before making their way to an actual town. Once there, Popeye and Olive seat themselves at an open air restaurant (while Wimpy goes for a more direct approach to his hunger). After ordering and being served the special of the day (bacon and eggs), they are all set to dig in when Hassan and his cutthroats appear, taking everything in sight. The frightened restauranteur reclaims the meal he has just laid for Popeye and Olive before they can take a bite, and the thieves also make away with the hot dogs Wimpy has discovered. Popeye puts up a fight, but is temporarily defeated. Hassan takes Olive and Wimpy back to his cave, where the former becomes an overworked laundress and the latter is wrapped in chains and forced to watch Hussan eat a delectable lunch. Popeye follows the thieves but is captured and dangled above a man-eating fish in an underground lake. Taking advantage of the powers provided him by spinach, he defeats the fish and "licks the forty," proving once again that he is the mightiest sailor of them all. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- 1937
The scene is an apartment courtyard, where all the residents are grooving on the music provided by organ-grinder Wimpy, and are enjoying the antics of Wimpy's cute little pet monkey. The only killjoy in the bunch is Bluto, who hates both music and monkeys and does everything he can to destroy both. Fortunately, Popeye comes to the rescue in splendid fashion--with a little help from the monkey, who has apparently seen enough cartoons to know that the one-eyed sailor derives his strength from spinach. Heard throughout this sprightly cartoon is the title song, written by Will Hudson and Irving Mills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Little Swee'pea just won't stop crying, and Olive Oyl is at her wit's end in her efforts to quiet the baby down. Popeye and Bluto both offer their services, going through a variety of funny faces and silly stunts to get Swee'pea to stop bawling--all to no avail. Inevitably, a fistfight breaks out between the two traditional antagonists, whereupon Popeye grabs for a can of spinach. Unfortunately, he opens a can of onions instead, and before long everyone is sobbing hysterically--everyone but Swee'pea, that is. Highlights include the "invisible bicycle" gag, and Bluto's steady stream of bad puns as he bakes Popeye into a "pop-pie". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Popeye is mortified when Olive Oyl forces him to take her sissified dog Fluffy for a walk--so much so that he goes to great lengths to avoid being seen by his friends. Unfortunately, who should be walking down the same street but that big bruiser Bluto and his equally fearsome bulldog (who is so tough that he wears an eyepatch). As Bluto holds Popeye back, his bullying bow-bow torments poor little Fluffy. Clearly, drastic measures are called for--and that's when the inevitable can of spinach comes out, providing superstrength for Popeye and Fluffy alike. This cartoon boasts some impressive "3-D" background effects, as well as a steady stream of hilarious adlibs from Jack Mercer as Popeye. Protek the Weakerist was remade in 1949 as Barking Dogs Don't Fite. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
The first Popeye cartoon produced in color, Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor was also the longest Fleischer production to date, and the first to be nominated for an Academy Award. In this colorful tale, Bluto plays the legendary Sindbad, introduced as the toughest and most remarkable sailor around. He lives on an island that floats on the back of a whale and that is populated by ferocious lions, deadly serpents, a two-headed giant, fiery dragons and an enormous bird, the Roc. Popeye, his pal Wimpy and the "irresistible damsel" Olive Oyl appear in the ocean near Sindbad's island. Stricken with desire for Olive, Sindbad sends the Roc to wreck Popeye's ship and to abduct the delectable damsel. Popeye, singlehandedly carrying Wimpy to safety, swims after the bird and his beloved. Once on the island, Popeye must battle with the various dangerous denizens before going one-to-one with Sindbad and proving -- with the help of a little spinach -- that no evil-doing sailor like Sindbad can get the better of him. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- 1936
It may be a "Popeye" cartoon, but the real star of this show is the inimitable J. Wellington Wimpy, who opens the proceedings with "Hamburger Mine", a musical paean to his favorite food (with lyrics like "A hamburger lives/for the pleasure it gives"). Currently employed as a counterman at Bluto's restaurant, Wimpy will go to any lengths to mooch a free meal, compelling Bluto to lock up the establishment's one-and-only hamburger in the safe. Enter Popeye the Sailor, who after perusing the menu written on Wimpy's shirt ("Men-oo? Don't want any of that.") orders roast duck. In his efforts to claim the duck for himself, Wimpy manages to turn Popeye against Bluto and vice versa, leading to the usual fistic fracas and a wickedly wry closing gag. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1935
"Professor" Popeye runs an exercise gymnasium for ladies, which happens to be right next door to a cheap cabaret owned by Bluto. Upset that Olive Oyl prefers exercise to entertainment, Bluto decides to get even with Popeye by making him look ridiculous in front of his women customers. To do this, Bluto shaves his mustache, dons a curly wig and sashays into the gymnasium in female drag--and then challenges Popeye to several awesome feats of strength. The highlight of this cartoon is Bluto's "female impercolation", even though his limp-wristed mincing may not entirely fall within the boundaries of political correctness. Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky was remade in 1950 as Gym Jam. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1935
This landmark cartoon opens with a live-action sequence, in which a little boy purchases a "Adventures of Popeye" comic book and heads homeward. En route, the youngster is tormented by a big bully, who knocks the poor kid down and calls him a sissy. Appalled by this spectacle, an animated Popeye emerges from the cover of the comic book and assures the crying boy that tough guys can always be defeated if you remember to eat your spinach every day. To prove his point, Popeye turns the pages of the book, whereupon the illustrations come to life. Adventures of Popeye is the first of several entertaining "cheaters", utilizing stock footage from earlier cartoons as a cost-cutting strategy. In this case, we are treated to excerpts from the 1933 entries Popeye the Sailor, I Eats My Spinach and Wild Elephinks, as well as 1934's Axe Me Another. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1935
This festive entry opens with a lusty rendition of the title song, written by Bob Rothberg and performed by the eponymous "King" Bluto, an accomplished acrobat, sword swallower, high diver, tightrope artist and snake charmer (One quibble: If Bluto is "King of the Mardi Gras", why does the entire story take place on Coney Island in New York?) While Bluto draws a huge crowd, his tap-dancing competitor Popeye performs before an audience of one--namely, Wimpy. Gradually, Popeye wins over the Mardi Gras revellers in general and Olive Oyl in particular, prompting the humiliated Bluto to try to kidnap the heroine. The climactic roller-coaster chase is a tour de force of virtuoso height-and-perspective gags This cartoon marks the debut of the immortal Jack Mercer as the voice of Popeye, a job he filled well into the 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
