Jack Mercer wasn’t the first voice of Popeye, but he’s the one everyone thinks of. He did it for decades. Here he is with two imposters in a 1974 broadcast of the Garry Moore version of “To Tell The Truth.” Most of you reading this blog probably know which one it is without him opening his mouth. There’s a ground buzz on the audio. Your announcer is Bill Wendell. You can read more about Mercer in this post.
Back in the early to mid-60s, nearly every city with a television station had a Popeye program, usually with a host and a group of local kids. Popeye was as popular as Bugs Bunny, in fact the local show I watched as a kid featured both. I have read a lot about jack Mercer, even had a Popeye LP starring the voice man, but I don’t remember ever seeing him until now. Thanks for sharing this classic video clip. BTW, I picked the right guy from the three.
ReplyDeleteMy friend took a Caribbean cruise with his parents when he was a teen back in the early 1970s where he said the guy (or "some old guy" in his words) who did Popeye's voice was one of the passengers. I suppose anyone who could do a halfway decent impersonation of the sailor man could claim to be his voice, but since Mercer lived in New York where the cruise began, it's quite possible it was Jack, and it is kind of fun to think of having spent a week on a boat with Popeye.
ReplyDeleteMy entire family watched this program when it first aired. They were all impressed at how quickly, I, at age 14, picked out the right Popeye.
ReplyDeleteThat was very entertaining! I'd never actually seen Jack do Popeye on screen before.It was great!
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for this since 1997. I missed its being rerun on Game Show Network. :(
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