SHORELINES

18 Shor e l i n e S | 2014 Vol :1 and shows how a memorable character can stand the test of time. And, of course, it also reveals the importance of eating your vegetables. Sims didn't invent Popeye, who debuted 95 years ago in a little-celebrated comic strip called Thimble Theater. For its first decade, the strip had focused on Olive Oyl, her conniving brother Castor and her constant suitor Harold Hamgravy. The comic mainly appeared in afternoon newspapers and was often replaced by ads. But on Jan. 17, 1929, creator Elzie Segar introduced an immediately recognizable seaman with an anchor tattoo on his bulging forearm. Popeye, who appeared in a tale about a journey to take a luck-giving bird to an African island casino, was meant to be a throwaway character. But that first story established the basis for everything that eventually made the seaman a star. Although short-tempered and easily taken advantage of – Olive's brother skillfully got Popeye to gamble away his sea wages in dice games – the simple sailor eventually won the hearts of readers through his sheer strength and personality. In his second appearance, he also won over the fickle Olive, who soon dumped Hamgravy and began her long- lasting and often-rocky relationship with the gruff, but soft-hearted sailor. Soon, Popeye got top billing in the comic, and began to dominate every story. The Popeye universe grew to include such memorable characters as J. Wellington Wimpy, whose catchphrase, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today," perhaps foretold the rise of fast food. There was also Popeye's adopted son Swee'pea, and his nemesis Bluto, a constant rival for Olive's attention. Sims, who wrote the comic strip from 1937 to 1955, was credited with creating characters called the Sea Hag, Alice the Goon and Eugene the Jeep, an orchid-eating animal, that some believe provided the name for the World War II army vehicle. "He didn't create the strip, but he took the ball and ran with it," says Russell McClanahan, archivist at the Rome Area History Museum in Georgia, located near the source of the Coosa. Sims' route to cartooning was about as convoluted as a Popeye plot. Born in Cave Springs, Ga., in 1898, he grew up in Ohatchee near the Coosa, about 20 miles south of Gadsden. The former Birmingham News paperboy graduated from Vanderbilt University and worked as a reporter in Nashville and a staff writer for Life magazine. He went on to write scripts for Tom and Jerry cartoons, and was recruited as an idea man to develop plots for Amos 'n' Andy, one of the most popular radio shows in the nation. He also did some work on Popeye, and when Seagar, the cartoonist who invented the character, was hospitalized, Sims was asked to move to New York to take over the strip. A few years later, Sims returned to his Above: The Leota, originally named the Annie M., served as inspiration for Popeye comic strips written by Sims.

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