‘Popeye’s Voyage’ holds onto qualities

On the year’s penultimate evening, Fox deviates from its lineup to broadcast three cartoons and a sitcom, including the 2004 computer-generated “Popeye’s Voyage: The Search for Pappy” (8:30 p.m., Fox).

As a cartoon-obsessed kid, I was always partial to this peculiar spinach-swilling hero. “Popeye” cartoons from the early sound era seemed to be in endless rotation on afternoon television.

Grainy, black and white and utterly strange, they were like relics of an ancient culture.

I had no idea that its creators were steeped in the surrealism of early 20th-century art. I just liked the bizarre visual tricks that seemed to make no sense at all.

When Popeye and Olive went to a party, the house itself seemed to be dancing to jazz tuba music. Or if Popeye had to stop an oncoming locomotive, he would merely punch it, and it would turn into a pile of alarm clocks.

The marriage between CGI animation and “Popeye” seems to have retained the weird, other-worldly nature of the original, along with its glacial pace and almost inaudible dialogue consisting of silly puns and sotto voce insults.

Sadly, “The Search for Pappy” jettisons the cartoon’s central theme, the odd romantic rivalry between Popeye and Bluto, for the stick-thin Olive Oyl. Bluto remains a negligible character in this mythic tale as Popeye sets sail on the Sea of Mystery to find his long-lost father, kidnapped by the Sea-Hag (Kathy Bates), an evil shape-shifting creature straight out of Homer.

And believe it or not, there is a Christmas theme, too, and time enough for a feast fit for the forever-hungry Wimpy.

“Movies that Shook the World” (10 p.m., AMC) glances back at the legend and legacy of “Pink Flamingos” director John Waters’ 1972 low-budget, bad-taste comedy that remained a midnight-movie staple for nearly 10 years.

While largely ignored by the mainstream press, “Pink Flamingos” was singled out by Variety as “one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made.” And John Waters has been wearing that review as a badge of honor for more than 30 years.

“Pink Flamingos” was all that and more. Its crude and spectacularly scatological plot may seem like a live-action “South Park” by today’s standards, but at the time it shocked some filmgoers into laughter and others into fleeing the theater. Waters clearly wanted to challenge jaded filmgoers of the post-hippie era who thought they “had seen it all” and couldn’t be outraged by anything.

With the runaway success of “Pink Flamingos,” Waters successfully bridged a gap between the underground “art” films of Andy Warhol and mainstream gross-out comedy.

It’s interesting to note that while AMC is showing this “Movies that Shook the World” appreciation, it hasn’t added “Pink Flamingos” to its schedule.

Other highlights

Orphan spirits seek solace on “Ghost Whisperer” (8 p.m., CBS).

Scheduled on “Dateline” (8 p.m., NBC): Did a feud over property result in homicide? A mother charged with infanticide.

Homer takes on Quimby on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox).

Brothers conspire to fix up their meddling in-law (Gabrielle Union) with a smooth player (LL Cool J) in the 2003 comedy “Deliver Us From Eva” (8 p.m., WB).

Suburbanites of easy virtue on “Close to Home” (9 p.m., CBS).

Time is precious for a jeweler’s kidnapped kin on “Numb3rs” (10 p.m., CBS).

A restaurant critic’s last supper on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (10 p.m., NBC).

Scheduled on “20/20” (10 p.m., ABC): myths, lies and common assumptions.

George Clooney appears on “Movies 101” (10:30 p.m., AMC).

Cult choice

A pack of inseparable pals and lovers (Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and Mare Winningham) suffers a series of midlife crises within months of graduating from college in the 1985 “brat-pack” hoot “St. Elmo’s Fire” (8 p.m., WE).

Series notes

A soldier’s family needs help on “Supernanny” (8 p.m., ABC) … Wrestling on “WWE Friday Night SmackDown!” (8 p.m., UPN) … Peter and Stewie spend quality time on “Family Guy” (9 p.m., Fox) … A fate worse than death on “Hope & Faith” (9 p.m., ABC) … Dave has intimacy issues on “The War at Home” (9:30 p.m., Fox,) … Unforgettable acts of forgiveness on “Hot Properties” (9:30 p.m., ABC).