George W. Geezil
Encyclopedia
George W. Geezil, also known as simply Geezil, is a comic strip
character
created by E.C. Segar for the Thimble Theatre (now Popeye
) strip.
. He re-appeared in 1933 as a Russian accented cobbler
(later pawn shop owner) and regular customer of Roughhouse who held a dislike for J. Wellington Wimpy
, although until his fifth appearance he went unnamed.
Over time, he was named Mr. Geezer, Mr. Geezle, George G. Geezil, eventually settling as George W. Geezil by his 33rd appearance, in 1935.
Geezil is a tall, bald, gangly man dressed all in black, wearing a black derby hat. He wears glasses, and most distinctively, a long, wild, tangly black beard. He often talks in a choppy, disjointed and flustered manner "Did you asking me? / Could I have stood it?"
Geezil's loathing for Wimpy grew and soon became his defining character trait, and Geezil is not shy about telling the portly scamster how he feels about him. Wimpy, for his part, seems to largely ignore Geezil's hostility—although he has often subtley retaliated by flustering and confusing Geezil.
, including A Clean Shaven Man (1936, nonspeaking role), Olive's Boithday Presink (1941), and Wimpy the Moocher (1960).
In the 1980 Popeye
film
, Geezil was a greengrocer
who was constantly arguing with Wimpy, but the two maintained a shaky friendship (at one point, he comments "Phooey! The Commodore! Besides Wimpy, I hate him best!). Geezil was played by Richard Libertini
.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by E.C. Segar for the Thimble Theatre (now Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
) strip.
Comics
Geezil made his first appearance in the strips in 1932, as an unnamed patron in Roughhouse's cafeCafé
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
. He re-appeared in 1933 as a Russian accented cobbler
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
(later pawn shop owner) and regular customer of Roughhouse who held a dislike for J. Wellington Wimpy
J. Wellington Wimpy
J. Wellington Wimpy, generally referred to as Wimpy, is one of the characters in the long-running comic strip Popeye, created by E. C. Segar and originally called Thimble Theatre, and in the Popeye cartoons based upon the strip...
, although until his fifth appearance he went unnamed.
Over time, he was named Mr. Geezer, Mr. Geezle, George G. Geezil, eventually settling as George W. Geezil by his 33rd appearance, in 1935.
Geezil is a tall, bald, gangly man dressed all in black, wearing a black derby hat. He wears glasses, and most distinctively, a long, wild, tangly black beard. He often talks in a choppy, disjointed and flustered manner "Did you asking me? / Could I have stood it?"
Geezil's loathing for Wimpy grew and soon became his defining character trait, and Geezil is not shy about telling the portly scamster how he feels about him. Wimpy, for his part, seems to largely ignore Geezil's hostility—although he has often subtley retaliated by flustering and confusing Geezil.
Other appearances
Geezil made a handful of appearances in the Popeye cartoonsAnimated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
, including A Clean Shaven Man (1936, nonspeaking role), Olive's Boithday Presink (1941), and Wimpy the Moocher (1960).
In the 1980 Popeye
Popeye (film)
Popeye is a 1980 live-action film adaptation directed by Robert Altman and adapted from E. C. Segar's Thimble Theatre aka Popeye comic strip.Marketed with the tagline, "The sailor man with the spinach can!", the film is a musical...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Geezil was a greengrocer
Greengrocer
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages...
who was constantly arguing with Wimpy, but the two maintained a shaky friendship (at one point, he comments "Phooey! The Commodore! Besides Wimpy, I hate him best!). Geezil was played by Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles and his ability to speak in numerous accents....
.