Popeye and Olive are feeding squirrels in the park when the rich and elegant Count Marvo (Bluto), the magician (and practical joker), rides up on his horse and steals Olive away, while tricking Popeye with an exploding cigar and other gimmicks.
Popeye is Robin Hood; he's got a sidekick, Little John. Bluto is the tax collector, and Olive is the owner/barmaid at the local pub. Bluto comes to the pub to collect taxes and falls for Olive.
Gunfights are diminishing the population (1864- for the time being) in the tough Western town of Cactus Corners.
Popeye and Olive are at the premiere of Popeye's new movie. He gets a little too wrapped up in the movie, interacting with it at various points, and even handing the screen version of himself a can of spinach. The movie itself is the story of Aladdin, minus the songs and about half the footage of the short it's cut from.
Mystery Pictures is looking for a stunt man. Swee'pea tags along with Popeye, but he sends the tot home. Popeye shows clips of his stunts to the director, who is impressed; when he goes to put on the last reel, Swee'pea, who snuck back in, hands him Lost and Foundry (1937), which features Swee'pea saving the day. The director signs Swee'pea.
William Tell shoots an arrow, barely missing Popeye, then tells Popeye that he has just lost his son in an unfortunate arrow incident. Tell then defies the High Governor and is ordered to shoot an apple off his son's head; Popeye stands in for his son.
Olive invites Popeye over for a hamburger dinner. His roommate Wimpy hears this and disguises himself as Popeye in order to be who enjoys the feast.
Popeye's 99-year-old father won't admit he's too old to help Popeye build a ship. Popeye tells him to build one side while he builds the other; Pappy's side is a mess. He falls asleep helping hoist the mast. While Pappy sleeps, Popeye rebuilds his side and finishes the above-decks, with a little help from spinach, of course.
A hypnotist, frustrated by not having anyone to practice on, cold-calls Olive and hypnotizes her over the phone into coming to his office. Popeye rushes after her.
Popeye runs a small airport, and Pappy wants to be a pilot.
Popeye's Pappy takes a flagpole sitting job atop a tall building without telling Popeye. Popeye goes to rescue him, but he doesn't want to go until an electrical storm hits.
Popeye joins the US Navy and routs the enemy in a one-man battle, but not before he causes his commanding officer plenty of aggravation.
Rip Van Winkle is being thrown out for nonpayment of rent (for twenty years). Popeye happens by and carts the sleeper home, but soon discovers that Rip has a sleepwalking problem that gets both of them into some trouble with some dwarves.
Popeye and Olive compete as partners in a dance contest. Naturally, Bluto butts in.
As of his early childhood Robinson Crusoe has wanted to become a sailor. And when he does become one bad luck has it that the vessel he sails on gets shipwrecked. Being the only survivor of the catastrophe, he manages to take refuge on a desert island where he will spend several years, learning how to survive...
Bluto dirties all of an office building's windows himself, to drum up business for his window cleaning service. When he gets to Olive's stenographer office, about ten floors up, she says no: Popeye's going to wash her windows. And the battle with Popeye is on.
Popeye has a new car; Olive wants a driving lesson. Things don't go well.
Shore leave in South America; Bluto muscles in on Popeye's girl, Olivia Oyla. Popeye muscles him out, but when they get to the conga club, he doesn't care to dance, so Bluto wins again.
Popeye's on a battleship, on which he's banished to the boiler room. A Japanese sub comes along. Can Popeye save his ship from the enemy?
Olive has a map to a sunken treasure, but Bluto stowed away and is determined to beat Popeye to it.