Is it true that the photo shows a real prototype of Popeye the Sailor Man?

On the Internet you can come across an image of a man who allegedly became the prototype of Popeye - a fictional hero of American comics, games, cartoons and films. We checked whether the sailor in the photo is really his prototype.

The viral photo shows a man in a naval uniform with a smoking pipe in his mouth and a noticeable squint. If you believe online publications, this is the fireman of the British battleship Rodney, Frank Fiegel. nickname Popeye, who served as the prototype for the character of the same name. Moreover, the time when the image was taken is indicated in different ways: either 1920 a year or so 1940. Similar publications can be found on various entertainment sites, including “Cultural studies", Abrakadabra.fun, "I cried" And "Peekaboo", where the post received more than 2,700 upvotes. This alleged photo of Frank Figl is also circulating on social networks - for example, on VKontakte, in such public pages as “Science and technology"(23,000 views, 130 likes), "What inspires..."(43,000, 820), "Peekaboo" (139 000, 1600), "Pikabu educational"(31,000, 180), "Yachtsman | Yachtman"(12,000, 200), "Warships of Russia and the USSR" (6800, 240) and "Amazing stories"(320 likes), and also in LiveJournal And Twitter.

Popeye the Sailor Man, a spinach lover with disproportionate forearms and a pipe in his mouth, was created by Chester, Illinois, cartoonist Elsie Chrysler Segar. Character debut took place January 17, 1929 in the New York Journal in the Thimble Theater daily comic strips. In 1933, Popeye for the first time appeared in animation - in a short film from Fleischer Studios and Paramount Pictures, later becoming one of the most famous animated characters of the time.

The above publications about the prototype of Popeye may contain both a black and white photo and its colorized version from Romanian artist Jecinci. Using a reverse image search, we found the original photograph on the website of the Imperial War Museum in London. There indicated, that the photograph was taken in September 1940 on board His Majesty's British warship Rodney (HMS Rodney). According to the caption, the man in the photograph is a senior fireman nicknamed Popeye, with 21 years of service. However, we were unable to find the name of this sailor.

Moreover, Frank Figl, according to most sources, is actually considered the prototype of Popeye. How reports Associated Press (AP), when creating his characters, Segar was inspired by the residents of Chester, where he grew up and where he now located Popeye Museum. According to the recollections of locals, the one-eyed Figl had remarkable strength and a strong chin, and also loved to smoke a pipe and fight. However, the AP article notes that residents do not know whether Segar ever revealed his sources of inspiration.

On the character's origins in his book Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History told writer Fred Grandinetti. Below is a translation of the passage.

According to the history of the city of Chester, Illinois, the image of Popeye was inspired by local resident Frank Feigle, nicknamed Rocky (can be translated as “strong” or “solid.” - Ed.). Lee Huffstatler is from Chester herself and shares the same view. She said Rocky Feagl was of Polish descent and lived with his mother in a house near Evergreen Cemetery. Huffstatler described him as "tall, strong, always ready to fight and an eternal winner." <…> Moreover, Rocky (or Popeye) won even without spinach.

Rocky worked part-time in George Gozney's saloon. Having finished his work and having drunk a couple of glasses of beer, he would take a chair outside, sit down, lean back and, with a pipe in his mouth, begin to doze in the sun. Of course, the sleeping Rocky became an attractive target for passing schoolchildren. They sneaked up to him, screamed loudly and ran away. Rocky woke up and jumped out of his chair, waving his arms and preparing for a fight, but, alas, the enemy was no longer there. By then the kids were a block away.

The March 28, 1947 Chester Herald Tribune contains an obituary for Feagle, who died at his home in Chester on March 24, 1947. He was born January 27, 1868, and was 79 years of age at the time of his death.

The editor wrote that Rocky was a well-known character in Chester and that he was considered the man who inspired Elsie Segar to create Popeye. The article says: “In his younger years, he demonstrated miracles of physical fitness. Because of his strong build, he was kindly nicknamed Rocky.” His angular jaw and famous corncob pipe apparently made an impression on the young Segar.

It turns out that at the time of taking the viral photo of the sailor, Figl was already 72 years old. Despite claims in social media posts, Figl did not serve in the Navy at all, as reported in the Southern Illinoisan, April 8, 1979.

In Chester it is generally accepted that Feagle provided Segar with the basis for the character of Popeye. Although Figl was not a sailor and was more likely to drink alcohol than spinach, and he had a reputation for being as tough and fearless as the cartoon character. “He was never afraid of anything that walked on two legs,” said Feegle’s nephew, Clyde Feegle, 79, of St. Louis.

<…>

Feagle, a bartender and handyman from Chester, rarely had a permanent job and was often seen hanging around the city's saloons.

The same newspaper said that Figl had no idea about his role in the creation of Popeye until the last years of his life, although in some online publications approved the opposite: it was as if Segar had asked Feigl for permission to create the character.

He lived with his mother until her death, then continued to live in the house alone, and later, in old age, he lived with his elderly friend. It was not until 1938, nine years before his death, that he learned that he was the inspiration for Popeye. That same year, comic book writer Segar died. Newspaper St. The Louis Post-Dispatch published a photograph of Feigle sitting in a rocking chair smoking a pipe, stating that he was the inspiration for the character.

Figl died in 1947, two days after moving into a nursing home. He was buried in an unmarked grave next to his mother, but was not forgotten in Chester.

According to Grandinetti, on September 7, 1996, thanks to members of the Official Popeye Fan Club, Feegle's grave was installed a tombstone that also features the classic 1929 effigy of Popeye.

Thus, Frank Feagl from the United States is indeed considered to be the real prototype of Popeye the sailor, but he himself did not serve in the navy, and the viral photo shows a sailor on a British warship, probably just cosplaying as the famous character.

Cover photo: social networks

Not true

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