Post by Mathius Young

E.C. Segar created Popeye the Sailor in 1919, after taking a course on drawing from a guy in Cleveland. Segar’s hometown of Chester, Ill. was full of characters, who Segar adapted to print. Dora Paskel, the owner of a the general store, was tall & thin, wearing her hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. J. William Schuchert was the local theater owner who had a an appetite for hamburgers. & Frank “Rocky” Fiegel was a 1-eyed, pipe-smoking brawler, who never turned down a fight. Fiegel died in 1947 & was buried in an unmarked grave. Popeye fans rectified this in 1996. Fiegel was more likely to down a few bourbons, instead of a can of spinach, to get his fighting power, but the rest of his caricature fit him, to a T. He had the same jutting chin, built frame, & trademark pipe as his cartoon counterpart. Fiegel was a bartender & not a sailor, but he did love the kids around Chester, & they used to love to play pranks on him. Fiegel would impress them with his feats of strength, as well as his telltale corncob pipe, something Segar would never forget. Feigel lived to know his image was soon in newspapers nationwide, the symbol of sticking up for the little guy. The sailor in the above photo is a British sailor, with 21 years of service, nicknamed Popeye, but not the inspiration.