Hellzapoppin (1941)

Based on the hit Broadway play, this wacky, sight-gag filled romp stars Olsen and Johnson as a pair of actors whose attempt to stage a musical at a swanky estate is hampered when the show's producer begins to woo one of the venue's upscale residents, the female lead is mistaken for a wealthy femme fatale, and the whole production arouses the suspicion of a bumbling private eye. With Martha Raye, Robert Paige, Elisha Cook, Jr., and Shemp Howard. 84 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Product Description

Wild film weird comedy and great dancing!

Helzapoppin is a wild mix of comedy music and dance in a "We'll put on a Show!" tradition. There is a segment where the "Help" at the home of very rich folks swing dance in the most energetic and enthusiastic way. If you a fan of "Jitter Bugging" this film is worth it for that part alone. Some of the personalities involve will be curiously familiar to old early Bugs Bunny cartoons where celebrities were worked into the plot. August 20, 2008

Anything can happen and it probably will!

Like most people, I guess, I saw this on TV years ago and then sporadically after that. Its appearance, at last, on DVD is marvelous because it must be in my top five favorite comedy movies. There is a storyline: the hero puts on a musical, hoping it will be a success so that he can marry his true love. But in Hellzapoppin any story would do because it is just there as a foil for Olsen and Johnson to move from one visual gag to another in double quick time and it is probably unique in cramming so much in.

There is something extra though. This is most likely the only comedy to extensively explore the potential of film itself. Tex Avery did it in his cartoons and Woody Allen used the idea for the 'Purple Rose of Cairo' but Hellzapoppin writers Perrin and Wilson really took advantage of the idea. So, a few of these include freeze frame, split frame: with O&J split in half and trying to push the top half of the frame up to correct the fault, a cinema projectionist talks to O&J, they annoy him so he puts on a western, part of which has an Indian shooting O&J, messages are flashed on screen (as in Saturday morning kids shows) telling Stinky Miller to go home, this happens in a romantic musical number with the two singers stopping and they tell Stinky to go home, a black silhouette appears and he leaves.

The use of the film aspect of Hellzapoppin was the cherry on the cupcake for me but even without it I think it would still be an incredibly funny movie. A period gem!

At the moment the DVD is not available from Amazon but I have a UK issued disc and it is readily available from UK Amazon and other internet sellers there but remember it will be in the PAL format and not NTSC.






July 7, 2008

Funny, but not as funny as I remember

I saw this movie on television when I was about eight or nine years old. I watched it with my brother on New Year's Eve. At that time, we thought the movie was hysterical. I always had a great memory of that New Year's Eve, and this movie was part of that memory. However, after purchasing the movie and reviewing it 50 years later, it lacks the same hysteria of my youth. Granted there are some cleverly funny scenes, and the lack of continuity 50 years ago added to the hilarity. However, today, I understand the reason for the lack of continuity, and I can see that there is a bit too much filler to make this any type of movie of lasting quality. I'm glad I purchased it to try to relive a memory, but I really can't recommend the movie for someone who does not already have a nostalgia twinge associated with the film or the play. The low rating is no fault of Amazon or the vendor. The quality of the product is good. It's just that the content is outdated. February 27, 2008

Bought it only for the Lindy dance segment

I love the Lindy and Frankie Manning's dancing. That's the only reason I bought it. It was good for a slapstick movie but the dancing was too short and not enough. August 1, 2007

One of the finest

I watch this film, and I can see where Ernie Kovacs came from. I also note that a lot of the gags and set up in the film spilled over into the Warner Brother's cartoons of the era, and much later, with references to the way the film is being used. Not the camera, the film itself (to be understood if you see the DVD).
This was based on a Broadway play, it was a shapeless play, was different every night and before it became a movie had the distinction of running longer than any other broadway play.
Describing it only tends to spoil the viewing you will have later. I knew about the movie as a rumor and as a "you have got to see this film!!" kind of introduction. Some of the best dancing you will ever see on film.
Many laughs, much fun. Martha Raye is pretty good, though the "weirdness" of being a man chaser seems a little dated, and I met a few like that and didn't react the way it's placed in the film...(oh, never mind). June 14, 2007

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