Hellzapoppin' (1941, H. C. Potter)
Posted: March 20th, 2009, 11:22 am
From my vantage point, 2009 so far appears to grow exponentially crappier with each passing week. And as this week has been no exception, I finally decided to dig into my movie collection for some (preferably screwball) comedies that I hadn't yet gotten around to viewing.
Whether or not you think of H. C. Potter's long-overdue-on-R1-DVD Hellzapoppin' as a comic gem, anyone who dares to view it would certainly have to agree it's one of the more outrageous comedy spectacles ever to be made in Hollywood. Just how zany is it? By comparison, Preston Sturges plays like Lubitsch.
From the outset, the viewer's warned that "Any resemblance between Hellzapoppin' and a motion picture is purely coincidental." From there it's a roller coaster ride through rapid fire, fourth-wall-shattering, censor-antagonizing musical numbers and comedy routines featuring the duo of Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, along with a generous helping of Hugh Herbert (more than enough, in my opinion), Martha Raye (at her most raucous), Mischa Auer, Elisha Cook Jr., and Shemp Howard (possibly my favorite performance in the film, as a movie projectionist trying to keep the whole film on track for us while fending off the advances of an ample usherette). The film has no discernible plot - in fact, the opening sequence features the stars arguing with a scriptwriter who insists there be a story for the movie - though a love triangle surfaces from time to time in a fruitless attempt to provide a little unity.
Just how much you enjoy all of it will depend upon how long you can tolerate the frenetic pace and the anything-for-laughs stunts and jokes that zip by in quick succession. As a fan of Looney Tunes, the Marx Bros., and virtually all things wild and crazy, I found myself laughing heartily at several sequences, especially the sabotaged musical finale. As far as musical numbers go, the "Lindy Hop" sequence must be seen to be believed. Several people had told me about this sequence in the film, but nothing compares to actually watching these dancers in action.
I'm not exactly sure why this comedy hasn't been made available on DVD or hasn't played on TCM, though it's certainly been requested often enough by fans (and TCM has scheduled other Olsen and Johnson films in the past). If you can find a copy and aren't afraid to venture into wild territory, I heartily recommend this one. Even if you're a stuffed shirt, you're bound to let fly with at least one belly laugh or two.
Whether or not you think of H. C. Potter's long-overdue-on-R1-DVD Hellzapoppin' as a comic gem, anyone who dares to view it would certainly have to agree it's one of the more outrageous comedy spectacles ever to be made in Hollywood. Just how zany is it? By comparison, Preston Sturges plays like Lubitsch.
From the outset, the viewer's warned that "Any resemblance between Hellzapoppin' and a motion picture is purely coincidental." From there it's a roller coaster ride through rapid fire, fourth-wall-shattering, censor-antagonizing musical numbers and comedy routines featuring the duo of Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, along with a generous helping of Hugh Herbert (more than enough, in my opinion), Martha Raye (at her most raucous), Mischa Auer, Elisha Cook Jr., and Shemp Howard (possibly my favorite performance in the film, as a movie projectionist trying to keep the whole film on track for us while fending off the advances of an ample usherette). The film has no discernible plot - in fact, the opening sequence features the stars arguing with a scriptwriter who insists there be a story for the movie - though a love triangle surfaces from time to time in a fruitless attempt to provide a little unity.
Just how much you enjoy all of it will depend upon how long you can tolerate the frenetic pace and the anything-for-laughs stunts and jokes that zip by in quick succession. As a fan of Looney Tunes, the Marx Bros., and virtually all things wild and crazy, I found myself laughing heartily at several sequences, especially the sabotaged musical finale. As far as musical numbers go, the "Lindy Hop" sequence must be seen to be believed. Several people had told me about this sequence in the film, but nothing compares to actually watching these dancers in action.
I'm not exactly sure why this comedy hasn't been made available on DVD or hasn't played on TCM, though it's certainly been requested often enough by fans (and TCM has scheduled other Olsen and Johnson films in the past). If you can find a copy and aren't afraid to venture into wild territory, I heartily recommend this one. Even if you're a stuffed shirt, you're bound to let fly with at least one belly laugh or two.