Whenever a memoir is set to be released, it can usually lead to some very interesting stories from the past. Former Paramount Pictures CEO Barry Diller is currently on a book tour promoting his recently released memoir, Who Knew, and with it came a very interesting Q&A reveal about the 1980 live-action adaptation of Popeye, starring Robin Williams,
and how, based on his assertion, the antics on set could maybe rival a night at Studio 54.
During a Q&A moderated by Anderson Cooper (via Variety), Diller was asked what was “the most coked-up film set” he ever visited during his tenure as Paramount Pictures CEO. It didn’t take Diller long to reveal that it was Popeye, released in 1980. The former CEO said:
“Coked-up film set? Oh, ‘Popeye.’ By the way, you can watch it. If you watch Popeye, you’re watching a movie that, you think of it in the thing they used to do about record speeds, 33 [RPM], whatever. This is a movie that runs at 78 RPM and 33 speed.”
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Popeye Sounds Like a Very Lively Film Set
Diller served on his share of hits during his time as Paramount CEO, including Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Beverly Hills Cop. Given the period of his work being between 1974 and 1984, cocaine being prevalent during the filming of a Hollywood movie isn’t really shocking, but Popeye isn’t a film that screams of that activity running rampant on set. However, a look at the movie now may make Diller’s revelation feel entirely accurate. According to Diller, “everyone was stoned” during the making of the film.
“You couldn’t escape it. They were actually shipping in film cans at the time. Film cans would be sent back to L.A. for daily processing film. This was shot in Malta. And we found out that the film cans were actually being used to ship cocaine back and forth to this set. Everyone was stoned.”
Directed by Robert Altman from a screenplay by Jules Feiffer, Popeye is based on E.C. Segar’s comic character and follows the titular character upon his arrival in Sweethaven. In addition to Williams, the film stars Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl, and it was Williams’ first starring performance in a major motion picture following television success in the hit sitcom Mork & Mindy, which ran from 1978-1982.
Popeye was negatively reviewed by critics at the time of its release, but it was a moderate box office performer, grossing $60 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. Over the years, the film has gained a cult following and has been reevaluated by critics more positively. The film currently carries a 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with a consensus that reads, “Altman’s take on the iconic cartoon is messy and wildly uneven, but its robust humor and manic charm are hard to resist.” Several creatives in Hollywood also positively speak about Popeye, including director Paul Thomas Anderson, who used Duvall’s song from the film, “He Needs Me,” in his 2002 film Punch Drunk Love.
Source: Variety
Popeye
- Release Date
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December 12, 1980
- Runtime
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114 Minutes
- Director
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Robert Altman
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