Hellzapoppin' (film)


Hellzapoppin is a 1941 film adaptation of Hellzapoppin', the musical that ran on Broadway from 1938 to 1941. It was a production for Universal Pictures directed by H. C. Potter. The cast includes Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, both of whom produced and starred in the musical on Broadway, as well as Martha Raye, Mischa Auer, Shemp Howard, Slim and Slam, and Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. The film is fourth wall breaking and full of surreal humour.

Plot

begins the film as the projectionist of a cinema, displaying on its screen what appears to be the start of a song-and-dance number including classily dressed performers walking down a staircase. The staircase collapses as in a fun-house ride, sliding them all straight to hell, where they are tortured by demons. Ole and Chic arrive in the midst of the mayhem by taxi, and after a bit of funny business, step back to reveal that it's a movie sound stage. They work for Miracle Pictures, a company using the slogan "If it's a good picture, it's a Miracle!" A mousy screenwriter played by Elisha Cook, Jr. outlines his script for the screen adaptation of Hellzapoppin, and the rest of the movie depicts Cook's script.

Music

The 1942 Academy Awards nomination for Best Song of "Pig Foot Pete,", was attributed to Hellzapoppin',; however, the song never appeared in the film -- it was actually performed in the Abbott and Costello film Keep 'Em Flying, another Universal Pictures production from 1941.

Dance

The film has a 5-minute long jazz and lindy hop dance sequence at approximately the 48th minute of the film. The dance routines are very fast and athletic and include many aerials. They are performed by The Congaroo Dancers, played by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, including Frankie Manning and Norma Miller. Slim and Slam are also part of the act. Manning choreographed the routine.

Cast