When Popeye fought Brutus -- live and in person!

As I was researching the marketing of Popeye cartoons for television in the early 1960's, I came upon a few puzzling references to a "live" show that King Features Syndicate (who were producing new Popeye shorts for television syndication) had employed in many markets. Exactly how cartoon characters would be "live" was a bit of a puzzle until I stumbled on this publicity photo, dated to 1962.

As Popeye aficionados will know, the one-eyed sailor faced many opponents in the boxing ring and everyday life -- in the original newspaper comic, "Bluto" was but one of many. The Fleischer shorts made him a mainstay, but when King Features began making new shorts in 1960, they changed his name to "Brutus" (some say because they thought Paramount, who'd bought out the Fleischer studio, still had the rights to the name "Bluto"). King Features was also keen to promote Popeye as having educational value; they produced shorts for schools such as "Look Where You Are Going" (about crossing the street safely), and launched the live Popeye and Brutus show as part of "Popeye's Physical Fitness Campaign." Popeye was represented by Herb Messinger and Brutus by Brett Pearson. This campaign even had the approval of the (then infamous) President's Physical Fitness Council (who scarred me and other kids for life when we couldn't manage five pull-ups). Exactly what happened when the live show came to your neighborhood, I'm still looking to discover.