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Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson, Martha Raye, Hugh Herbert, Mischa Auer ... see more see more... , Jane Frazee , Robert Paige , Shemp Howard , Clarence Kolb , Nella Walker , Lewis Howard , Eddie Acuff , Sig Arno , Don Brodie , George Chandler , Elisha Cook Jr. , Billy Curtis , Frank Darien , Hal K. Dawson , Jo Gilbert , Harlem Congeroo Dancers , Olive Hatch , Gil Perkins , Bert Roach , Gus Schilling , Slim and Slam , Andrew Tombes , Dale Van Sickel , Richard Lane , Harry Monty , George Davis

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,... read more read more... 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

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83% liked it

836 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: H.C. Potter

Release Date: January 1, 1941

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Flixster Reviews (80)

  • kenstachnik
    January 25, 2012
    kenstachnik
    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.
  • madman37115
    March 2, 2008
    madman37115
    Strange, strange wacky movie ... which was O&J's style. It's been in public domain for so long that it's practically impossible to find a decent quality release. Someone needs to restore this one.
  • leo98
    July 31, 2007
    leo98
    I truly bizarre movie. The opening is one of the wildest you'll see anywhere. Also includes a great jitterbug swing dance scene.

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Critic Reviews

Phil Hall
August 6, 2008
Phil Hall, Film Threat

The most wonderfully surreal comedy from Hollywood's Golden Age. Full Review

February 23, 2012
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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