According to a 17 Oct 1977 LAT article, the genesis of Popeye began with actor Dustin Hoffman’s desire to do a kid-friendly movie. He approached producer Robert Evans with a project about clowns, and another about “Dracula,” but Evans did not share his enthusiasm. Instead, Evans noticed in the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) that the Popeye theme song earned $75,000 a year in royalties. The popularity of the character around the world made him think that a Popeye musical would have commercial potential. Evans bought the film rights from King Features Syndicate after a few months of negotiations. A 6 Dec 1979 LAHExam article reported that screenwriter Jules Feiffer worked eighteen months to complete a script. He based his screenplay on the 1930s-era comic strip character created by E. C. [Elzie Crisler] Segar, according to a 4 Apr 1980 NYT article. A 10-16 Dec 1980 Village Voice article stated that Evans considered the following directors for the project: Hal Ashby, Arthur Penn, Richard Attenborough, Jerry Lewis, and Mike Nichols. Feiffer said he ruled out Jerry Lewis, and commented that Robert Altman was chosen because of his strong grasp of the material.
       The 17 Oct 1977 LAT, the LAHExam, and a news item in the 24 May 1978 Var announced that actors Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin had been cast as leads. Hoffman began dance lessons to prepare for his role. The 10-16 Dec 1980 Village Voice stated that, in time, Hoffman disagreed with Feiffer’s interpretation of the character and suggested that Evans fire the screenwriter. According to Feiffer, Evans kept the script and dropped Hoffman from the project. “A first in Hollywood history,” Feiffer said. After actor-comedian Robin Williams was signed to replace Hoffman, Lily Tomlin withdrew from the project. The 6 Dec 1979 LAHExam reported that as a result of losing its star power, the project lapsed into limbo.
       A brief in the 10 Jul 1979 DV stated that actress Gilda Radnor was considered for a role, but opted to return to the cast of Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11 Oct 1975--present). According to the 8 Aug 1979 DV brief, Radnor would reconsider the part if the shooting schedule began in Mar or Apr 1980. However, when the timing could not be worked out, Radnor passed on the project.
       A 3 Mar 1980 Newsweek brief stated that Williams began lifting weights and dyed his hair red for his role as “Popeye.” Williams also researched his part by watching the 1930s Max Fleischer animated cartoons voiced by Jack Mercer, and later, Mercer’s work in Hanna-Barbera’s Popeye animation, according to a 1 Aug 1980 DV news item. A 3 Jan 1979 LAT article reported that actor Paul L. Smith, cast as “Bluto,” grew back his bushy beard, and bulked up to three hundred and fifty pounds to play the role.
       In the 17 Oct 1977 LAT, Evans suggested choreographer Patricia Birch and executive producer Richard Sylbert would be additional hires, but others were eventually hired to fill the positions.
       Articles in the 5 Dec 1979 LAT and the 6 Dec 1979 LAHExam stated that Paramount Pictures Corp. chairman Barry Diller brokered a deal between his company and Walt Disney Productions to co-finance and co-distribute the picture, and also Dragonslayer (1981, see entry). Paramount agreed to handle domestic distribution, while it was felt that Disney, with its greater overseas potential, would be responsible for the international market. It was the first time that Disney partnered to distribute a film, while Paramount had entered into a joint distribution deal once before with Universal Pictures to release Sorcerer. (1977, see entry).
       Production notes stated that, in spring 1979, Robert Altman and production designer Wolf Kroeger scouted U. S. locations including Catalina Island, CA, Florida, and Hawaii, before settling on Anchor Bay, Malta. The area, with its distinctive “horseshoe-shaped cove,” afforded filmmakers much privacy on the thinly populated northwest section of the island. During the summer of 1979, the crew built a two hundred-foot ferryboat to use as a breakwater in the bay, access roads and a model built to scale. Construction on the village began in Sep 1979 with one hundred and sixty-five crew members including draftsmen, scenic painters, carpenters, electricians, plasterers, welders, and sculptors. Hand-split cedar shingles were imported from British Columbia, and lumber was shipped from Austrian forests.
       A 18 Jan 1980 DV news item announced that principal photography would begin 21 Jan 1980 on Malta, but production notes in AMPAS library files stated the date was pushed to 28 Jan 1980. According to a 28 Jun 1980 HR brief, the production had a twenty-week schedule, and a 16 Nov 1979 DV news item reported that the film had a $12-13 million budget. Evans claimed that the movie would have cost $30 million to shoot in the U. S. The 28 Jun 1980 HR announced that principal photography was completed in late Jun 1980.
       The 6 Dec 1979 LAHExam and the 4 Apr 1980 NYT reported that crew members built an underwater tank, barges, and a seaport to represent the fictitious town of Sweethaven, which consisted of churches, houses, restaurants, and bars along a stretch of almost three blocks in a cove twenty miles from the Maltese capital of Valletta. Production notes stated that nineteen structures made up the village including the four-bedroom Oyl house, the Rough House Café and its short-order kitchen, and a working sawmill. In addition, the upper cabin of the ferryboat became the town’s gambling casino, and a half-submerged frigate in the bay was used as the Commodore’s headquarters.
       An all-around danceable, swimmable, walking and running shoe was designed and constructed for cast members by a London manufacturer of theatrical footwear named Anello and Davide. Shoes were made of leather and rubber, and padded with cork to suggest exaggerated toes and bulging heels. Each shoe was about twice the length of an actor’s regular shoe size, and the company prepared eighteen pairs for the production, while the bulk of the footwear was manufactured in the plaster shop on the set.
       A 12 Dec 1980 LAT article reported that filmmakers found it necessary to re-record some of Williams’ muttered “Popeye” dialogue just prior to the movie’s release to make it more comprehensible to audiences.
       The picture earned $44.2 million after thirteen weeks of domestic release, according to a news item in the 20 Mar 1981 HR. A 11 Sep 2000 WSJ article stated that the film made $61 million worldwide during its release.
       A brief in the 1 Dec 1981 HR reported Paramount Pictures Corp. filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court after director Altman went over budget on Popeye, alleging that Altman had agreed to repay ten-nineteenths of any amount that exceeded the budget, excluding interest, up to $250 thousand. The movie cost more than $22.7 million. Paramount asked for $250 thousand in damages from Altman, whose salary on the film was $600 thousand. Altman refused to honor the agreement, according to the suit. The outcome of the dispute could not be determined as of the writing of this Note.
       The 11 Sep 2000 WSJ stated that the outdoor Sweethaven set was saved from destruction by lifelong Maltese resident, Lino Cassar, a dedicated film buff and coordinator for area filming. Cassar battled Maltese officials to preserve the village, and eventually brought his case before the country’s prime minister. As a result, the site remains a popular tourist destination, where visitors can walk through nineteen buildings including a restaurant with menu items like spinach soup and Wimpy hamburgers.

      Opening credits include the statement: "POPEYE is a Trademark of The Hearst Corporation, King Features Syndicate Division." The following statements appear in end credits: “Jack Mercer is the voice of Popeye in the animated prologue”; “Filmed on location in Malta in collaboration with Malta Films Facilities”; and “Special air transportation by Alitalia Airlines.” The following acknowledgment appears in end credits: “Our gratitude to an international crew whose artistry helped to bring Sweethaven and the world of Popeye to life.”