Popeye and Olive Oyl voice actors fell in love making the cartoon

Their marriage started strong with a spinach breakfast on wedding day, but it ended in heartbreak.

In 1938, the voice actor behind Popeye's love, Olive Oyl, changed when the animation studio went south. Literally. Fleischer Studios relocated from New York to Miami. Mae Questal wasn't willing to make the move with the company to continue voicing the character.

So, Margie Hines stepped into the role. Hines, the original voice of Betty Boop, started regularly voicing Olive Oyl in late December 1938, beginning with the cartoon "Bulldozing the Bull." Almost immediately, sparks started flying between Hines and Popeye voice actor Jack Mercer.

Things between the two got serious fast, and because Popeye and Olive Oyl were so wildly popular, the romance was front-page news when the voice actors announced they got hitched in 1939.

POPEYE, OLIVE OYL HONEYMOON IN MIAMI, the headline declared on the March 10, 1939, edition of The Miami Herald. The article gushed, telling everyone, "Both are good to look upon and have natural speaking voices." You can see Mercer and Hines in the image above. That's Mercer promoting The All-New Popeye in the late 1970s. Hines is acting in a 1933 film short titled Harry Warren: America's Foremost Composer. When you watch it, you can certainly hear Boop and Oyl in her natural voice.

While their hometown honeymoon in Miami was convenient for cartoon production, it meant that there were many fans wanting to join in the celebration of their nuptials. The Herald reported that so many fans showed up at the hotel that "the grizzled old sailor and his blushing bride just never did get any chance to be alone." You can see their wedding announcement photo here.

"Olive Oyl has been my bestest sweetie since I first seen her," Mercer said at the event, speaking in character as Popeye.

"Ain't he courageous?" Hines swooned in response, playing her part as Olive Oyl.

The newlyweds also indulged fans by saying that they ate spinach as their wedding breakfast.

In reality, both were just embarking on an exciting time in their lives as husband and wife, as well as cartoon soulmates.

Hines continued voicing Olive Oyl across from her husband until 1943, just about five years. Then, the animation studio decided to move back to New York, and Questal reclaimed her role of Olive Oyl.

Although Hines was out of Popeye's world, she remained Mercer's wife until 1950, when the couple divorced.

Not much is known about Hines and Mercer's marriage, because the couple was famously private, but in 1953, Mercer's second wife Virginia suggested his marriage to Hines ended in heartbreak.

"The National Enquirer asked if Jack had ever been married before and he turned white," she said in the book Jack Mercer: The Voice of Popeye. "I explained that it was a painful part of his life."

Mercer found love again with Virginia, and when Jack and Ginny wed in 1953, the animation studio drew a cartoon of the couple embracing on a cloud, surrounded in hearts. They were still together when Mercer passed away in 1984.

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23 Comments

Luke1977 29 months ago
Margie Hines remarried twice and died in 1985. Great research. 🙄
ChuckF 29 months ago
Quite a different rest of the story for Marjorie Hines after her divorce on Wikipedia if you’d like to check it out. Married twice more and died in 1985. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margie_Hines
KevinButler 36 months ago
When Jack Mercer died on December 8,1984 at NYC's Lenox Hill Hospital of heart disease..(Crying)it was on my 29 birthday.(Crying)I still miss him
36 months ago
I never knew that Mae Questel didn't voice Betty Boop and Olive Oyl the whole time. And I also had no idea that the other girl married the guy playing Popeye. I liked this article.
Yuuji 46 months ago
If Paramount Studios used to have Mel Blanc (well, Blanc been to Paramount to continue as Bugs Bunny for "Japser Goes Hunting") back then.............well Popeye is owned by Turner Entertainment while DreamWorks Classics owns other Paramount cartoons like Casper (paramount used to have same actors and actresses like mae questel)
F5Twitster 46 months ago
"Mae Questal wasn't willing to make the move with the company to continue voicing the character."

"Then, the animation studio decided to move back to New York, and Questal reclaimed her role of Olive Oyl."

Mae QUESTEL, with an "e," NOT "a."

Do your homework!
Thenamenoonehas F5Twitster 29 months ago
Keep it nice, Brutus!
CouchPotato19 46 months ago
Mae Questal in Christmas Vacation!!
CouchPotato19 36 months ago
Yeah. Aunt Bethany! I loved her character best of all.
Ashley000076 46 months ago
Love the Popeye cartoons. They are my favorites. I also love the Warner Brothers cartoons. But in all honesty, I could do without the Tom & Jerry and MGM cartoons. I wish MeTV could replace them with the Woody Woodpecker and other Walter Lantz cartoons.
moax429 Ashley000076 46 months ago
I don't like the MGM cartoons, either. The Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were always my favorites.

I wish MeTV would get the Filmation cartoons back, and, like the Walter Lantz shorts, those are also syndicated by NBC Universal! Maybe MeTV could negotiate on a package deal with them?
Yuuji Ashley000076 46 months ago
Or The Jetsons.....if they and Woody could team up
Yuuji Ashley000076 46 months ago
I wish MeTV should replace The Flintstones with The Jetsons this Valentine's Day, but some person replied me "Who Cares, watch on Streaming or get on DVD", gets on my nerves if I want MeTV to air that show.
RandolphVeale 46 months ago
Thanks for bringing back Saturday morning cartoons.

Deleted 46 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Barry22 46 months ago
Like that terrible music video this morning.
Bricat2001 46 months ago
I was wondering if the toon in with me segments were good but looking at the clips and stuff, it looked a little corny and something a youtuber would put together, I'll just have to stick with the Saturday morning cartoons and svengoolie:)
Pax 28 months ago
Who wants to hear you and YOUR chatter?
AaronHandyIII 46 months ago
Well, blow us all down! 😳😲
Yuuji AaronHandyIII 46 months ago
Well, Blow MeTV down, he's the one that didn't Premiere The Jetsons
justjeff 46 months ago
Always loved the Fleischer Popeye cartoons (and I own the three DVD volumes). The limited budget and animation of the later King Features releases were tolerable, but nothing took the place of those early, full animation efforts.
Barry22 justjeff 46 months ago
Those were the best.
justjeff Barry22 46 months ago
One of my favorites is where Popeye is working in a factory. Olive and Swee'Pea bring him lunch, and Olive pulls out of the small lunchbox a table with a giant roasted turkey and a huge cake. Popeye mutters to himself "I'll take the cake and I'll give you the bird!"...
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