That was the famous, and often-used, line of J. Wellington Wimpy, the mooch, a cartoon character created by E.C. Segar in 1934 in the Popeye comic book series. Wimpy was Popeye’s friend. Web search the name and see how Mr. Segar derived this supporting character in his Popeye series. I want to talk about the friendship between Wimpy and Popeye.

Wimpy is overweight, a slug, a coward, and perhaps worst of all, he will scam anyone out of their money in order to obtain one more hamburger, including his dear friend Popeye. He never repays his benefactors on a Tuesday or on any other day of the week. So, why does Popeye tolerate Wimpy and consider him to be his friend? My theory is that the entire cartoon was the printed version of a Vaudeville comedy routine (an early 20th century onstage performance of seemingly disconnected entertainment that somehow connects in the end).

Popeye is the hero in the routine. Yet, he is also the comedian and the fool. Popeye’s main antagonist (enemy) is Bluto (later called Brutus), and Bluto routinely gets the upper hand on Popeye early in the cartoon. You read the cartoon and wonder, “How did Popeye let that Bluto get the better of him yet again?” Well, that is what fools do. Somehow, the fool (who is also the hero in this case) must wise up, defeat Bluto, and make things right again. In his recovery, Popeye turns to his friends. Wimpy is a friend, and in Vaudeville tradition, he is also “the straight man.”

Wimpy, as the straight man, sees Popeye’s anger and frustration, and he becomes the calming influence. He reasons with his friend, advises him to think through the situation at hand, and he promises to support Popeye. Even though Wimpy is a liar, a coward, and a cheat, and cannot be counted on for support, somehow his advice invigorates Popeye to change from fool to hero. Wimpy completes Popeye. Now, you may ask yourself, “Couldn’t Popeye find a better friend than that?”

Usually, you don’t go out and find a friend. Friends just happen, and in this case, by buying Wimpy hamburgers, Popeye acquired a friend. Perhaps the lesson here is that we should not find faults with our friends. We should appreciate them, and perhaps we might buy them a hamburger now and then.