Popeye Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves (1937)
“Forty thieves, one desert hideout — 'I may be a shorty, but I licked the Forty!'”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
While manning a Coast Guard post, Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Wimpy learn that the bandit Abu Hassan and his Forty Thieves are terrorizing a town in Arabia, and they set off to stop him. After crash-landing in the desert, Popeye clashes with the Bluto-like Hassan, who plunders the town and carries off Olive and Wimpy to his hidden cave. Locked out by a forgotten "open sesame," Popeye blasts his way in, takes on all forty thieves, and frees the captives.
Cast
About the Director
Dave Fleischer — Directed by Dave Fleischer and produced by Max Fleischer at Fleischer Studios, with Willard Bowsky as head animator. The Fleischer brothers ran Paramount's animation powerhouse and were Disney's foremost competitor, known for technical daring and a streetwise comic edge — this short was made as Disney was finishing 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.'
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
'Popeye Meets Ali Baba' is in the public domain because its copyright was not renewed under the rules then in effect, which required a renewal filing in the 28th year. No valid renewal was made, so the short entered the public domain and has been freely available for decades.
Behind the Scenes
This was the second of the three two-reel "Popeye Color Specials," running over seventeen minutes — about three times the length of a standard Popeye cartoon. It made full use of Fleischer Studios' multiplane camera and "setback" process, placing cel characters in front of 3D-modeled physical sets for dimensional, turntable-style backgrounds. Released just weeks before 'Snow White,' its advertising leaned hard on its "3-dimensional" effects.
Did You Know?
- Like Sindbad before him, villain Abu Hassan was designed to closely resemble Popeye's usual nemesis, Bluto.
- Popeye opens his spinach can with the pun "Open says me!" — a riff on "open sesame."
- After defeating the thieves, Popeye counts every single one as he punches them out.
- It was adapted from a tale in 'One Thousand and One Nights,' the same source as both companion specials.
Reception & Legacy
Widely ranked among the greatest cartoon shorts, it is frequently cited as a runner-up in 'The 50 Greatest Cartoons' poll — the only Popeye entry besides 'Sindbad' to feature in that recognition. Together with its companion specials, it stands as a high-water mark of Fleischer Studios' ambition and a beloved showcase of their pioneering 3D background technique.
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