Episode 197 — Popeye (A Very Strange Movie We Love Anyway)

Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show!

This week, we dive into one of the strangest big-budget films ever made — Popeye — a movie that somehow shouldn’t work… and yet, for us, absolutely does.

Equal parts baffling, brilliant, and bizarre, this episode is a full-on exploration of a true cinematic oddity that has quietly become a guilty pleasure favorite.

Joined by our producer Ryan Dean Halbrook, we unpack the wild story behind the making of the film — from its famously chaotic, cocaine-fueled production to the fully practical seaside town built on the coast of Malta (which, incredibly, still exists today).

We talk about:

• 🎬 Why Popeye feels so unlike any other movie ever made

• 🌊 The surreal, hand-built world of Sweethaven and its lasting legacy in Malta

• 🎭 Why this might be one of Robin Williams’ most fascinating performances

• 💄 Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl — and why this may be her perfect role

• 🎶 The comic-strip-inspired score that somehow feels both spot-on and completely unhinged

• 🤔 How the film walks the line between cult classic, misfire, and misunderstood masterpiece

This is a fun, weird, and surprisingly affectionate deep dive into a movie that we can’t quite explain — but definitely love.

If you enjoy behind-the-scenes chaos, bold creative swings, and celebrating films that don’t fit neatly into any box… this episode is for you.

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