Hellzapoppin

1941 - Dir: H.C.Potter - 1 hours 24 minutes

Shown at The FeckenOdeon on 27th October, 2012

Made in the same year as "The Maltese Falcon" this was an even greater success at the box office. It’s based on a hit Broadway show that caught the mood of a public intent on having a laugh just in case the future proved to be nothing to laugh at at all. Its free-flow form, jumps in logic, machine gun one-liners and general madcappery set the pace for many comedies and TV shows in the USA and beyond. The original stage production was part musical comedy, part 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….an idea sent up in the opening sequence. The inclusion of A list stars like Martha Raye and Mischa Auer were obviously intended to add polish and gloss - and vaudeville old hands Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson take great glee in scuffing the gloss and roughing up the polish. It remains unique - a delightful outpouring of anarchy joyfully debunking the Hollywood myths of style, refinement and perfection. Go home Stinky!