We circle back to Famous Studios Popeye a lot sooner than expected to take a look at Warner Archive's Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3. This is when Famous got its, uh, famous reputation for "principled badness". What went wrong so fast, even if it was mostly the same powerhouse crew working on these cartoons? We try to figure out exactly what did...

Highlights: a rare Famous recording session courtesy of historian Mark Newgarden! Bob remembers directing Sid Raymond, the original Baby Huey! The history of animator George Rufle! And how "Popeye Man" Johnny Gent directed a sequence in our highlighted cartoon, possibly the new collection's only standout, A Balmy Swami!