And for that matter, shows us how deeply talented Billy West is for having to master such a voice. He can't beat Frank Welker only because Frank's larynx is weird. He's like an X-Men with his esophagus, he mimics an entire forest with it alone.
I don't personally think I would carry that banner too high ever since Paramount took all the cartoon rights from Fleisher Studios and went to Famous Studios for the Popeye cartoons series. They were almost as pathetic as the Felix the Cat Cartoons to me.
William Costello may have been the first voice of Popeye, but Jack Mercer WAS the character. And he voiced him for all his cartoon appearances since 1935 to 1957, except for select cartoons from 1945-1946 due to the WW2 draft. No actor can compare to Jack Mercer.
@@ericcaires6423 Bonnie Poe was the first voice of Olive Oyl, but then Mae Questal quickly took over the role for every cartoon, except when production moved to Miami and she was recast with Margie Hines.
Jack Mercer is the 2nd Voice of Popeye from 1935-1945, 1946, 1947-1984 (Mercer passed away in 1984), and William 'Billy' "Red Pepper Sam" Costello is the original voice of Popeye from 1933-1935 (Costello also passed away back in 1971).
There was one other Popeye voice in one of the Popeye cartoons from 1935, "Be Kind To Aminals", a really weird-sounding voice. I used to think that it was Disney voice actor Candy Candido, who said in a magazine interview that he did Popeye's voice in only one Fleischer cartoon because his price was so high and that "I was the lowest Popeye ever.". But now I think that Candy Candido misremembered which studio it was and that he did some of Popeye's voice in "Peep in the Deep", with some of it being done by Jack Mercer, maybe when he was on leave. I think Floyd Buckley, who was one of the voices of Popeye on the Popeye radio show, is the oddball voice in "Be Kind To Aminals". I have a 78RPM record of "Floyd Buckley, Radio's Popeye" singing songs from the Fleischer cartoons like "A Clean Shaven Man" and "Brotherly Love", along with an original song, "Popeye on Parade".
@@denniseudela411 Right; .....just because of Dennis...I'm off to watch (Thanks to UA-cam) an episode of Popeye (with the 'sliding doors' intro) and totally relive my lovely childhood!Thanks Dennis (and UA-cam)
@@mitchly Hi Billy...I can relate so well. I was always longing to see those doors episodes, like since the late 60's. Then... (No You Tube yet), I ordered online a 3-disc special Popeye collection Vol 1 1933 -'38 in 2007. That's when I feasted my eyes & traveled in my time machine to be a kid again, this time with my own (2) kids & introduced them to the Sailor guy! The discs contained both B&W & when they first have shorts in technicolour!😊👌 Of course now, just type it on YT!
When Jack mumbles them zingers under his breath in the old Popeye cartoons, I'm rolling back again constantly to hear the last 3 lines I just laughed over
Jack had a wonderful voice and was skilled/talented. I love the train whistle he does at the end. My late father introduced me to Popeye, when I was a child. He would record lots of episodes on VHS tapes and play them. Popeye and Tom and Jerry. Happy memories. Kindly, C.
I've read that other actors who did Popeye's voice found it to be a strain on their voice doing it over lengths of time, but Jack Mercer did it naturally. He practically had monopoly on Popeye for close to 50 years.
Thanks for the Vid. Reminds Me of My Old Grandpa. He Would Do Funny Stuff To Make His Grandkids Giggle. Thanks for Bringing Back Such Great Memories from My Childhood. Much Appreciated. 👍
when i was a kid, i literally wore out my vhs tape of popeye and sinbad the sailor/ ali baba and 40 thieves....the voice acting is incredible...some of popeyes seemingly random mumblings and weird jazz scatting are actually really, really impressive
You’re related to him and yet your family doesn’t have any of his tape or memorabilia? That’s sad to think about. But I’m glad the internet basically has everything lol
No I think his final performance as Popeye was for a TV commercial for the home version of the Nintendo Popeye video game. The commercial also had Mae Questel doing the voice of Olive and Jackson Beck doing the voice of Brutus. So the old gang was back together again one last time. ua-cam.com/video/tTGUameYJmk/v-deo.html
Pretty sure Jack Mercer could easily do Tuvan throat singing if he wanted to. Is anyone else here hearing how much control he has over his projected overtones?
my son is all over jack mercer as them other characters in those paramout cartoons regularly without the stars besides popeye when he was going against inuyasha for them when we still had directv which we don't anymore he likes jakatsu and kagura over over those stupid noveltoon kids in land of the lost jewels cause of global wrestling federation on espn classic that still lives on at&t uverse
Finally, I can puts a faesk to the voisk... and it's not the face I excepted such a voisk to come outta! Translated from Popeye-speak: Finally, I can put a face to the voice... and it's not the face I expected such a voice to come out of!
wish there was an actual full length candid interview of this great man who gave meaning to our childhood instead of this bullshit tv game where they waste pointless minutes "guessing" who the real celebrity is.Worst part,this seems to be the ONLY actual video of Jack on the internet :/
I edited this from a tape of Mercer's full appearance - the link is in the description. Mike Sporn - a NY animator, interviewed Mercer in 1978. Here's a link to the audio file on SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/cartoon-research/jack-mercer-interview-by
FYI, "To Tell The Truth" never does in-depth interviews with anyone. Hell, you should be thankful for this "bullshit TV game" show; otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten to see Mr. Mercer in action.
@sagniknath5537 Jack Mercer was interviewed by animation historian G. Michael Dobbs, though I don't where you would find it. Here's a quote (probably not exact): "One of my greatest pleasures was interviewing Jack Mercer. He was a very nice man and he wasn't really aware of his large number of fans and his influence on animation."
@sagniknath5537 G. Michael Dobbs' long-in-the-works history of the Fleischer studio is finally finished. But it's so long that it's going to be published in more than one volume! So far the first volume, Made of Pen and Ink: Fleischer Studios, The New York Years, has been published. As I said in my above post, G. Michael Dobbs interviewed Jack Mercer while he was still alive.
@@bobbybickert Thank you Bobby. I just watched it. Pretty funny episode, although I don't even think Mr. Mercer used his actual voice speaking as the rental attendant either. Let me know if you find any other opportunities!
@@stevealaska73 Another UA-cam member uploaded this entire episode of To Tell the Truth, in which you can hear Jack Mercer's natural voice when he's being asked questions by the panel. It's definitely the same voice as the man at the skate rental counter counter in "A Date To Skate". (Taking into account the time difference of over 35 years.) ("A Date To Skate" was one of the first Fleischer Popeye cartoons I watched, back when I could only watch them while visiting an aunt and uncle who lived near Atlanta. "The Woody and Popeye Show" opened with the bit of Popeye asking for a can of spinach from someone in the theater audience. Luckily I got to see the entire cartoon the next year, 1984.)
I couldn’t help but think this man was lip-synching to a cartoon soundtrack instead of actually singing this live! I could not put his actual face to what I only know as Popeye.
from Popeye the Sailorpedia: Bluto was voiced by a number of actors, including William Pennell, Gus Wickie, Pinto Colvig, Tedd Pierce, Dave Barry and Jackson Beck. Beck also supplied the voice for Brutus in the early 1960s. In the 1980 live-action movie, he is portrayed by Paul L. Smith. In The All-New Popeye Hour and Popeye and Son, he is voiced by Allan Melvin, and in Popeye's Voyage by Garry Chalk.
@@tdalaskaJack Mercer did Bluto's voice in some of the Popeye cartoons released in 1940 like "Fightin' Pals" and "Nurse Mates". For some reason he did the voice of Brutus in one of the made-for-TV Popeye cartoons from the early 1960's, "Sea No Evil", instead of Jackson Beck. And he did the voice of Brutus in the Saturday Superstar Movie "Popeye Meets The Man Who Hated Laughter" from the early 1970's, which I watched for the first time last year. But I didn't know that writer Tedd Pierce was one of the voices of Bluto. There are 3 Popeye cartoons from 1939 and 1940 that I can't pin down the voice of Bluto: "Customers Wanted", "Ghosks is the Bunk" and "Stealin' Aint Honest". None of them sound like Pinto Colvig or Jack Mercer. I wonder which one is Tedd Pierce?
Per Wikipedia: Winfield B. "Jack" Mercer (January 13, 1910 - December 4, 1984) was an American voice actor, animator and writer. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor and Felix the Cat.
Billy West said his was one of the most difficult voices to learn. Shows the talent of Jack Mercer and other legends like Mel Blanc.
And for that matter, shows us how deeply talented Billy West is for having to master such a voice.
He can't beat Frank Welker only because Frank's larynx is weird. He's like an X-Men with his esophagus, he mimics an entire forest with it alone.
Such a talented man. If he only knew how many generations he brought joy to the numbers would overwhelm . Thank you Jack .
I don't personally think I would carry that banner too high ever since Paramount took all the cartoon rights from Fleisher Studios and went to Famous Studios for the Popeye cartoons series. They were almost as pathetic as the Felix the Cat Cartoons to me.
R.I.P Jack Mercer
You'll always be our Popeye.
William Costello may have been the first voice of Popeye, but Jack Mercer WAS the character. And he voiced him for all his cartoon appearances since 1935 to 1957, except for select cartoons from 1945-1946 due to the WW2 draft. No actor can compare to Jack Mercer.
He is golden icon of Popeye nothing to compare it now
Back in 1974, Jack Mercer still nailed it.
Well he was the original voice lol
@@ericcaires6423 No he wasn't. But the longest performer of him at the time.
@@stephenholloway6893 William Arnold Costello was the original voice I ment and Mae Questel was the first to do olive oyl
@@ericcaires6423 Bonnie Poe was the first voice of Olive Oyl, but then Mae Questal quickly took over the role for every cartoon, except when production moved to Miami and she was recast with Margie Hines.
@@theodorecarter6601 and Margie Hines is also Jack Mercer's wife until they divorced in 1950.
This is amazing. I grew up in the 80s watching Popeye, which was made 50 years earlier, and Popeye is still timeless in the 2020s.
Amen I love to watch Popeye on Saturday mornings on METV.
No editing softwares no nothing...... Only sheer talent.👍👍👍
Sadly lacking these days
15 dislikes? Who could dislike this other than bluto.
Liberals
@@mr.potatohead5670 haa haa so true !!
People are stupid and need to complain. That’s who complains
Bluto´s a Democrat, so he voted three times. I see, now that a few of his friends have voted since then.
@@mr.potatohead5670:
LOL! Liberals aren´t happy unless everyone´s as miserable as they are.
The good old days when you could sit down and watch a cartoon and just enjoy it.... Thank you Popeye and friends
Jack Mercer is the 2nd Voice of Popeye from 1935-1945, 1946, 1947-1984 (Mercer passed away in 1984), and William 'Billy' "Red Pepper Sam" Costello is the original voice of Popeye from 1933-1935 (Costello also passed away back in 1971).
There was one other Popeye voice in one of the Popeye cartoons from 1935, "Be Kind To Aminals", a really weird-sounding voice. I used to think that it was Disney voice actor Candy Candido, who said in a magazine interview that he did Popeye's voice in only one Fleischer cartoon because his price was so high and that "I was the lowest Popeye ever.". But now I think that Candy Candido misremembered which studio it was and that he did some of Popeye's voice in "Peep in the Deep", with some of it being done by Jack Mercer, maybe when he was on leave. I think Floyd Buckley, who was one of the voices of Popeye on the Popeye radio show, is the oddball voice in "Be Kind To Aminals". I have a 78RPM record of "Floyd Buckley, Radio's Popeye" singing songs from the Fleischer cartoons like "A Clean Shaven Man" and "Brotherly Love", along with an original song, "Popeye on Parade".
if you werent grinning ear to ear and clapping at the end, you just dont have a soul.
I just started singing along. I was so giddy.
Popeye one of my favorite cartoons of all time, & who doesn’t love Jack Mercer best voice ever Rip Jack
For me, the best Popeye edition was the one with the opening & closing sliding doors in the opening credits.
Super Classic!
Same here. I loved the one with the sliding doors on the ship.
Yep! Your not wrong Dennis!
@@mitchly
Cool!
@@denniseudela411 Right; .....just because of Dennis...I'm off to watch (Thanks to UA-cam) an episode of Popeye (with the 'sliding doors' intro) and totally relive my lovely childhood!Thanks Dennis (and UA-cam)
@@mitchly
Hi Billy...I can relate so well.
I was always longing to see those doors episodes, like since the late 60's.
Then... (No You Tube yet), I ordered online a 3-disc special Popeye collection Vol 1 1933 -'38 in 2007. That's when I feasted my eyes & traveled in my time machine to be a kid again, this time with my own (2) kids & introduced them to the Sailor guy!
The discs contained both B&W & when they first have shorts in technicolour!😊👌
Of course now, just type it on YT!
Anyone else tear up when he did the voice ?
Definitely a huge grin on my face
No
That was fun to see Jack perform his Popeye voice, gave me a warm loud laugh, thanks for the video clip.
Talented and Mel Blanc 🎉❤ Thank you 🙏 people will never know that talent again.
When Jack mumbles them zingers under his breath in the old Popeye cartoons, I'm rolling back again constantly to hear the last 3 lines I just laughed over
this guy was the voice of my childhood I used to watch popeye as a kid.
Jack had a wonderful voice and was skilled/talented. I love the train whistle he does at the end. My late father introduced me to Popeye, when I was a child. He would record lots of episodes on VHS tapes and play them. Popeye and Tom and Jerry. Happy memories. Kindly, C.
I've read that other actors who did Popeye's voice found it to be a strain on their voice doing it over lengths of time, but Jack Mercer did it naturally. He practically had monopoly on Popeye for close to 50 years.
The good ol days. I miss them terribly.
Wow! I am BLOWN away.
Well blow me down! Gagagagagaga!
That was impressive on how he was able to voice Popeye for many years since the 30s.
What an awesome guy.
Jack Mercer is a genius
(Crying)I still miss you..Jack.
Now I understand the song Real Slim Shady
These works will remain immortal through time,
He will always remain as the best Popeye! No doubt about it!
What boggles my mind, is that i just found out, he also voiced Felix the Cat
Really. I have to go find a Felix cartoon.
That's correct. He did every single voice in the Joe Oriolo Felix the Cat tv cartoon series (1959-1961).
Thanks for the Vid.
Reminds Me of My Old
Grandpa. He Would Do Funny Stuff
To Make His Grandkids Giggle.
Thanks for Bringing Back Such Great
Memories from My Childhood.
Much Appreciated. 👍
Thanks for watching.
when i was a kid, i literally wore out my vhs tape of popeye and sinbad the sailor/ ali baba and 40 thieves....the voice acting is incredible...some of popeyes seemingly random mumblings and weird jazz scatting are actually really, really impressive
My Lord, to hear and see him...the voice and spirit of America's beloved POPEYE.
Rip jack Mercer 1910 _ 1984 stomach cancer
Awesome, I always wondered who voiced Popeye .🎉
Thank you for uploading this video, otherwise I would never actually see my great uncle in action!!
You're welcome! Thank you!
You’re related to him and yet your family doesn’t have any of his tape or memorabilia? That’s sad to think about. But I’m glad the internet basically has everything lol
@@Justaperson354 😂😂😂
Świetny. Ja uwielbiam popeya
Popeye el marino descanse en paz siempre lo extrañaremos un saludos de lima perú
Jack mercer was the best Popeye voice actor ever. I grew up watching his version on dvd and vhs
I'm Popeye the sailor man, when it comes to spinach I ain't no beginner, I eat spinach for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I'm Popeye the sailor man.
He was also on What's My Line back in the black & white days.
Finally, after all these decades. I Finally see the voice of Popeye. I've waited aged to see this.
Awesome informative Video experience Y'alls God Bless Ya 🙌🙏
Mr Mercer, anybody who like Popeye never miss you! Rest in peace, Sir!
#3 is probably a barrel of laughs at parties
Oh...the stories he would tell about his 30 years in the travel business and the Exxon building....ahem.... and the awkward the staring eyes.
I remember that Game Show Network logo from when they first started. I was addicted to the old game shows. Now it's the Family Feud Network.
He would be great at throat singing
1:33 Oh my goodness! This guy is full of energy and fun loving!
I'm popeye the sailor man I'm popeye the sailor man I'm strong to the finish cause I eat my spinach I'm popeye the sailor man hoo hoo
I eat me spinach he said at times
me
@@vintagesavoiur I thinks it was "I eats me spinach".
This episode of "To Tell The Truth" was just on, a few minutes ago. Did anyone lese cry when he sang "I'm Popeye the Sailorman"???
One of my favorite cartoon characters ever, R.I.P. Jack...
The skippity dee di do is hilarious!
What a gift
Much love to our Popeye!
He did do his final performance as the voice of Popeye in the opening moment of the 1980 movie.
No I think his final performance as Popeye was for a TV commercial for the home version of the Nintendo Popeye video game. The commercial also had Mae Questel doing the voice of Olive and Jackson Beck doing the voice of Brutus. So the old gang was back together again one last time.
ua-cam.com/video/tTGUameYJmk/v-deo.html
Award winning popeye is jack
Awesome. In 2021.
The best can never be imitated
Jack Mercer was also a writer of Popeye in the Fleischer days.
Can you imagine how many chics at the bar he got phone numbers from when he did that voice? LOL
Wonder how his forearms got so big....
Iconic!!
Love it!
Wow..wat a voice.. I think it's computer voice in my childhood
That was great!
Pretty sure Jack Mercer could easily do Tuvan throat singing if he wanted to. Is anyone else here hearing how much control he has over his projected overtones?
Seeing your childhood cartoon voices come to life is amazing
my son is all over jack mercer as them other characters in those paramout cartoons regularly without the stars besides popeye when he was going against inuyasha for them when we still had directv which we don't anymore he likes jakatsu and kagura over over those stupid noveltoon kids in land of the lost jewels cause of global wrestling federation on espn classic that still lives on at&t uverse
Your son!? Is English your first language? - just curious...
That was amazing.
I LOVE HIM.
I knew who he was the moment Jack opened his mouth.
Popeye was my all time favorite.
🤔I believe Robin Williams took some of
Jack Mercer
And William Costello and added his own special sound to his version of the character
i b glad too, oooo LOOOOOOOOL HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
nice
Rip jack mercer
Our thanks and a carton of Salem’s
Along with Zeebrick and a fur from Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills.
I just realized he is doing a westernized version of Tuvian Throat singing.
See what learn watching cartoons.
WOW
Popeye was awesome growing up!!
Finally, I can puts a faesk to the voisk... and it's not the face I excepted such a voisk to come outta!
Translated from Popeye-speak: Finally, I can put a face to the voice... and it's not the face I expected such a voice to come out of!
Jack is still the definitive voice what people associate with Popeye.
Wow! Jack does a really good impression of Popeye!
[snicker]
🤣🤣🤣 I like popaye🇲🇼💪🏿👊🏿
wish there was an actual full length candid interview of this great man who gave meaning to our childhood instead of this bullshit tv game where they waste pointless minutes "guessing" who the real celebrity is.Worst part,this seems to be the ONLY actual video of Jack on the internet :/
I edited this from a tape of Mercer's full appearance - the link is in the description.
Mike Sporn - a NY animator, interviewed Mercer in 1978. Here's a link to the audio file on SoundCloud:
soundcloud.com/cartoon-research/jack-mercer-interview-by
FYI, "To Tell The Truth" never does in-depth interviews with anyone. Hell, you should be thankful for this "bullshit TV game" show; otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten to see Mr. Mercer in action.
@sagniknath5537 Jack Mercer was interviewed by animation historian G. Michael Dobbs, though I don't where you would find it. Here's a quote (probably not exact): "One of my greatest pleasures was interviewing Jack Mercer. He was a very nice man and he wasn't really aware of his large number of fans and his influence on animation."
@sagniknath5537 G. Michael Dobbs' long-in-the-works history of the Fleischer studio is finally finished. But it's so long that it's going to be published in more than one volume! So far the first volume, Made of Pen and Ink: Fleischer Studios, The New York Years, has been published. As I said in my above post, G. Michael Dobbs interviewed Jack Mercer while he was still alive.
Would have loved to hear him talk as Jack too.
Watch "A Date To Skate". Jack Mercer used his natural voice for the man at the skate rental counter.
@@bobbybickert Thank you Bobby. I just watched it. Pretty funny episode, although I don't even think Mr. Mercer used his actual voice speaking as the rental attendant either. Let me know if you find any other opportunities!
@@stevealaska73 Another UA-cam member uploaded this entire episode of To Tell the Truth, in which you can hear Jack Mercer's natural voice when he's being asked questions by the panel. It's definitely the same voice as the man at the skate rental counter counter in "A Date To Skate". (Taking into account the time difference of over 35 years.)
("A Date To Skate" was one of the first Fleischer Popeye cartoons I watched, back when I could only watch them while visiting an aunt and uncle who lived near Atlanta. "The Woody and Popeye Show" opened with the bit of Popeye asking for a can of spinach from someone in the theater audience. Luckily I got to see the entire cartoon the next year, 1984.)
Popeye is a good cartoon to watch
I couldn’t help but think this man was lip-synching to a cartoon soundtrack instead of actually singing this live! I could not put his actual face to what I only know as Popeye.
Cartoons work the opposite way. They record the voices first, then draw the cells to match the audio (back when cells were hand drawn)
Actually the best Popeye cartoons were the original Popeye cartoons. The Fleisher Stud
This guy got boys for decades to eat their spinach, that's an amazing acchomplishment!
Well played, sir - chomp chomp nom nom
Olive was Popeyes baby's mama
Who here actually likes eating some spinach?
So what happened to Brutus?
from Popeye the Sailorpedia:
Bluto was voiced by a number of actors, including William Pennell, Gus Wickie, Pinto Colvig, Tedd Pierce, Dave Barry and Jackson Beck. Beck also supplied the voice for Brutus in the early 1960s. In the 1980 live-action movie, he is portrayed by Paul L. Smith. In The All-New Popeye Hour and Popeye and Son, he is voiced by Allan Melvin, and in Popeye's Voyage by Garry Chalk.
@@tdalaskaJack Mercer did Bluto's voice in some of the Popeye cartoons released in 1940 like "Fightin' Pals" and "Nurse Mates". For some reason he did the voice of Brutus in one of the made-for-TV Popeye cartoons from the early 1960's, "Sea No Evil", instead of Jackson Beck. And he did the voice of Brutus in the Saturday Superstar Movie "Popeye Meets The Man Who Hated Laughter" from the early 1970's, which I watched for the first time last year.
But I didn't know that writer Tedd Pierce was one of the voices of Bluto. There are 3 Popeye cartoons from 1939 and 1940 that I can't pin down the voice of Bluto: "Customers Wanted", "Ghosks is the Bunk" and "Stealin' Aint Honest". None of them sound like Pinto Colvig or Jack Mercer. I wonder which one is Tedd Pierce?
Amazing...
jack mercer still alive???
Per Wikipedia:
Winfield B. "Jack" Mercer (January 13, 1910 - December 4, 1984) was an American voice actor, animator and writer. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor and Felix the Cat.
What about Fred Rich?
Jack Mercer was to NYC voice actors what Mel Blanc was to their LA counterparts.
I wanted to hear his natural voice, but it isnt on this clip.
Yeah - clink the link posted in this vid's description - it features the entire segment.
One is Olive Oyl wanting her back child support
Jack Mercer looks a bit like a young Martin Scorsese!
Sure, if you consider 65 years old 'young'.
That was so cool. lol