Hellzapoppin (1941)

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Hellzapoppin' is the film version of the "anything goes" Broadway hit starring Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. The original production was part musical comedy, part "blackout" revue, with wild sight gags, zany props, audience participation sequences, dirty jokes, and never-ending gunshots. There was no… More Hellzapoppin' is the film version of the "anything goes" Broadway hit starring Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. The original production was part musical comedy, part "blackout" revue, with wild sight gags, zany props, audience participation sequences, dirty jokes, and never-ending gunshots. There was no plot, and in fact no two performances were exactly alike. When Hellzapoppin' was optioned by Universal, the original intention was to film the play as it stood (minus the more ribald one-liners), but the studio got cold feet and grafted on a conventional plot and romantic interest. The film's story concerns a musical show being staged at a fancy estate, and the romantic triangle of the show's producer (Robert Paige), the wealthy girl who lives at the estate (Jane Frazee), and the girl's erstwhile fiance (Lewis Howard). The show's stars are Olsen, Johnson, and Martha Raye. Martha is mistaken for the wealthy girl by a penniless Russian aristocrat (Mischa Auer), and the entire proceedings are "investigated" by a goofy private detective (Hugh Herbert). Olsen and Johnson are thus reduced to supporting players in their own film, but when they do manage to command the screen, the results are hilarious. The best moments range from a throwaway gag about Citizen Kane (Johnson finds a sled marked "Rosebud" and mutters "I thought they burned that!") to the more elaborate special-effects routines involving the mixed-up projectionist (Shemp Howard) who's ostensibly running Hellzapoppin for the benefit of the film audience. While the movie version fails to completely capture the spirit of the original play (except in a bizarre opening sequence), and the finale is a major disappointment, Hellzapoppin remains one of the few sustained filmic examples of the "nut humor" exemplified by Olsen and Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: H.C. Potter
Written By: Nat Perrin
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1941 Wide
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Phil Hall, Film Threat
The most wonderfully surreal comedy from Hollywood's Golden Age.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ken S

Imagine Night at the Opera meets Airplane meets Day and Night. This movie is literally one gag after another, loosely strung together by a plot. And for no reason at all, Frankenstein turns up near the end.

Cast

            Ole Olsen as Ole Olsen

            Chic Johnson as Chic

            Martha Raye as Betty Johnson

            Hugh Herbert as Detective Quimby

            Mischa Auer as Pepi

            Jane Frazee as Kitty Rand

            Robert Paige as Jeff Hunter

            Shemp Howard as Louie

            Clarence Kolb as Mr. Rand

            Nella Walker as Mrs. Rand

            Lewis Howard as Woody Taylor

            Eddie Acuff as Drafted Devil

            Sig Arno as Cellist

            Don Brodie as Theater Manager

            George Chandler as Man

            Elisha Cook Jr. as Assistant Director

            Billy Curtis as Taxi Driver

            Frank Darien as Photographer

            Hal K. Dawson as Photographer

            Jo Gilbert as Blonde

            Harlem Congeroo Dancers as Specialty

            Olive Hatch as Specialty

            Gil Perkins as Butler in Pool

            Bert Roach as Man in Audience

            Gus Schilling as Conductor

            Slim and Slam as Specialty

            Andrew Tombes as Producer

            Dale Van Sickel as Man Who Falls into Pool

            Richard Lane as Director

            Harry Monty as Midget

            George Davis as Butler
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