The Voices of Popeye the Sailor

My favorite cartoon character when I was a kid was Popeye the Sailor. Particularly, the cartoons from Max Fleischer Studio.

Did you know that Popeye was voiced by two different men? Well, blow me down! It's true!

Popeye's distinctive voice was originated by Billy Costello. But he was replaced by Jack Mercer after Costello made too many demands. Listen to the following and compare them.

According to Wikipedia:

William Arnold Costello (February 2, 1898 – October 9, 1971), commonly known as "Red Pepper Sam", was an American actor and the original voice of Popeye the Sailor in animated cartoons.

Although he never received onscreen credit, Costello knew of Popeye's international popularity and reputedly became difficult to work with, demanding more money and days off in the middle of a recording session. He was replaced with Jack Mercer, who was working in the studio. Costello's final appearance as Popeye was in You Gotta Be a Football Hero (1935).

Here's a recording of Costello's voicing of Popeye:

Following Costello's departure, Jack Mercer took over the voicing of Popeye.

From Wikipedia:

Winfield Bennett Mercer (January 31, 1910 – December 7, 1984), known professionally as Jack Mercer, was an American voice actor. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor Man and Felix the Cat. The son of vaudeville and Broadway performers, he also performed on the vaudeville and legitimate stages.

When his predecessor William Costello, the original cartoon voice of Popeye (1933–1935), became difficult to work with, he was dismissed. Mercer had begun imitating Costello's interpretation of Popeye, and he practiced it until his voice "cracked" just right and he had it down. Searching for a replacement for Costello, Lou Fleischer heard Mercer singing the Popeye theme song and gave him the job of doing the voice. Mercer's first cartoon was 1935's King of the Mardi Gras.

 Here's Mercer's voicing of Popeye: