Hollywood Party (1934)

Jimmy Durante is jungle star Schnarzan the Conqueror, but the public is tiring of his fake lions. So when Baron Munchausen comes to town with real man-eating lions, Durante throws a big ... See full summary »

Writers:

Howard Dietz (screenplay), Arthur Kober (screenplay),

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Jimmy Durante

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Jimmy Durante	...	Himself / Schnarzan
Jack Pearl	...	Baron Munchausen
Polly Moran	...	Henrietta Clemp
Charles Butterworth	...	Harvey Clemp
Eddie Quillan	...	Bob Benson
June Clyde	...	Linda Clemp
Lupe Velez	...	The Jaguar Woman / Jane in Schnarzan Sequence / Herself
George Givot	...	Liondora aka Grand Royal Duke
Richard Carle	...	Knapp

Storyline

Jimmy Durante is jungle star Schnarzan the Conqueror, but the public is tiring of his fake lions. So when Baron Munchausen comes to town with real man-eating lions, Durante throws a big party with so that he might use the lions in his next movie. His film rival sneaks into the party to buy the lions before Durante.

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Plot Keywords:

lion | party | scientist | radio broadcasting | egg | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hollywood Revue of 1933

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min 68 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (Animated sequence only) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Allan Dwan had just returned to Hollywood after three years living and working in England when he was invited to the MGM lot to watch the rough cut of "Hollywood Party." After watching what he later described as "thousands of feet of film, all disconnected stuff," Dwan was asked by E.J. Mannix, Louis B. Mayer's assistant, what he thought of it. Dwan said, "It's a nightmare" - and immediately Mayer seized on Dwan's comment and decided to make the main part of the film Jimmy Durante's dream. Dwan shot the beginning and ending framing sequences showing Durante falling asleep while waiting for his wife to get dressed for the party, and cast Durante's real-life wife as his wife in the film. Dwan worked "two or three days" on the project and got "a nice fat check." Though he wasn't credited, working on "Hollywood Party" helped him re-establish his reputation in Hollywood, where he'd been forgotten during the three years he'd spent in England.

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Connections

Featured in That's Entertainment! III (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Yankee Doodle"
(ca. 1755) (uncredited)
Traditional music of English origin
Played briefly in the "Reincarnation" number

User Reviews

Don't Miss It if You Can

What a hoot. Hilariously bad musical comedy that was butchered by MGM and dumped as a B film stars Jimmy Durante as a failing actor whose Schnarzan character needs a boost. So they decide to buy new lions (with teeth) to beef up his screen image. But his rival, Liondora, also wants the lions. So Durante throws a Hollywood party to lobby the lions' owner, Baron Munchausen, for a sale.

A great cast and some terrifically snappy production numbers and funny bits make this a total trip. Along with Durante we get Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy who got cheated out of the lions, Lupe Velez as Durante's spitfire Jane, Polly Moran and Charles Butterworth as Oklahoma oil millionaires, Arthur Treacher as a butler, Jack Pearl as the Baron, Ted Healy and the Three Stooges as autograph fiends, Eddie Quillan and June Clyde as the lovers, Frances Williams in the great "Hollywood Party" number, Shirley Ross, Harry Baris, and Robert Young as themselves, and a ton of small-part actors like Ferdinand Gottschalk, Nora Cecil, Clarence Wilson, Leonid Kinskey, Tom Kennedy, Gilbert Emery, Jed Prouty, Richard Carle, Edwin Maxwell, Ray Cooke, George Givot and Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse! "Hollywood Party" and "My One Big Moment" are great songs. Jimmy Durante is fun, Laurel and Hardy get a funny sketch with Lupe Velez and eggs, Polly Moran gets to sing, and then there's leggy and glittery Frances Williams and her great jazzy voice!