Capt. Jim's Popeye Club facts for kids
Capt. Jim's Popeye Club was the name of two different TV shows for kids in the United States. These shows featured Popeye the Sailor Man cartoons. They also had live hosts and fun segments. Both versions were made by stations owned by Cox Communications, specifically WPXI in Pittsburgh and WSB-TV in Atlanta.
Pittsburgh Version
The first Capt. Jim's Popeye Club was a local Pittsburgh children's TV show. It aired on WIIC-TV (now WPXI). Jim Sanders first played the host, Captain Jim. Later, Ted Eckman took over the role. He also used the name "Jim" because another person was already using "Captain Ted."
This version of the show ran from 1959 to about 1965. It was on after school for an hour. It showed Popeye cartoons. Jim Martin did the puppetry for the show. He also played Bimbo the Clown in the early 1970s. Jim Martin later became a famous puppeteer for Sesame Street.
A second version of the show started in 1970. It was a half-hour show for pre-schoolers. This version aired in the early morning. It included the TV series "New Zoo Revue".
Atlanta Version
An earlier "Popeye Club" show was in Atlanta. It was hosted by "Officer Don," whose real name was Don Kennedy. This show ran for over ten years on WSB-TV. WSB-TV was a sister station to WPXI. It aired on weekdays from 5:00 to 6:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.
The show featured both old and new Popeye cartoons. It also had interviews with celebrities. These stars often promoted family movies. For example, Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers talked about their film Born Free. The show also had fun games for kids. These included "Untie the Knot" and musical chairs.
The most famous game was "Ooey-Gooey." In this game, there were four grocery bags on a spinning platform. Three bags held groceries. The fourth bag always had a gooey mix of egg yolk and other things. A child contestant would be blindfolded. The platform would spin. Then, the child had to put their hand into a bag. They never knew if they would grab groceries or the gooey mixture!
The WSB-TV show aired the older Popeye cartoons. It also showed cartoons made for the TV series Popeye the Sailor. In Pittsburgh, the ABC station WTAE-TV also had a Popeye show. It featured the 1960-62 TV series. WIIC (now WPXI) showed the older, theatrical Popeye cartoons.
See also
In Spanish: Popeye para niños
