Whoopee!

19301930
PassedPassed
1h 33m

Western sheriff Bob Wells is preparing to marry Sally Morgan; she loves part-Indian Wanenis, whose race is an obstacle. Sally flees the wedding with hypochondriac Henry Williams, who thinks ... Read allWestern sheriff Bob Wells is preparing to marry Sally Morgan; she loves part-Indian Wanenis, whose race is an obstacle. Sally flees the wedding with hypochondriac Henry Williams, who thinks he's just giving her a ride; but she left a note saying they've eloped! Chasing them are j... Read allWestern sheriff Bob Wells is preparing to marry Sally Morgan; she loves part-Indian Wanenis, whose race is an obstacle. Sally flees the wedding with hypochondriac Henry Williams, who thinks he's just giving her a ride; but she left a note saying they've eloped! Chasing them are jilted Bob, Henry's nurse Mary (who's been trying to seduce him) and others.

6.4/10

Director
- Thornton Freeland
Writers
- William Anthony McGuire(story)
- Owen Davis(based upon the play "The Nervous Wreck" by)
- William M. Conselman(screen adaptation)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total

Eddie Cantor, Eleanor Hunt, and Ethel Shutta in Whoopee! (1930)

Paulette Goddard, Betty Grable, Mary Ashcraft, Virginia Bruce, Eddie Cantor, Dorothy Coonan Wellman, Claire Dodd, Doris Eaton, Ruth Eddings, Jean Fenwick, Muriel Finley, Jean Howard, Jane Keithley, Dorothy Knapp, Georgia Lerch, Christine Maple, Ethel Shutta, Ann Sothern, Betty Stockton, Barbara Weeks, Joyzelle Cartier, and Mildred Dixon in Whoopee! (1930)

Paulette Goddard, Betty Grable, Virginia Bruce, Dorothy Coonan Wellman, Claire Dodd, Doris Eaton, Ruth Eddings, Jean Fenwick, Muriel Finley, Jean Howard, Jane Keithley, Dorothy Knapp, Georgia Lerch, Christine Maple, Ann Sothern, Betty Stockton, Barbara Weeks, Joyzelle Cartier, and Mildred Dixon in Whoopee! (1930)

Eddie Cantor and Ethel Shutta in Whoopee! (1930)

Paulette Goddard, Betty Grable, Mary Ashcraft, Virginia Bruce, Chief Caupolican, Dorothy Coonan Wellman, Claire Dodd, Ruth Eddings, Jean Fenwick, Muriel Finley, Jean Howard, Jane Keithley, Dorothy Knapp, Georgia Lerch, Christine Maple, Ann Sothern, Betty Stockton, Barbara Weeks, Joyzelle Cartier, and Mildred Dixon in Whoopee! (1930)

Director
- Thornton Freeland
Writers
- William Anthony McGuire(story)
- Owen Davis(based upon the play "The Nervous Wreck" by)
- William M. Conselman(screen adaptation)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

Western sheriff Bob Wells is preparing to marry Sally Morgan; she loves part-Indian Wanenis, whose race is an obstacle. Sally flees the wedding with hypochondriac Henry Williams, who thinks he's just giving her a ride; but she left a note saying they've eloped! Chasing them are jilted Bob, Henry's nurse Mary (who's been trying to seduce him) and others. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

screwball comedy blockbuster song singer singing 21 more

Taglines
- He's Henry the hypochondriac-so healthy he's sick trying to think of what ails him. You'll roar, rock, rave over this rip-snorting comedy. (Print ad- Republican-Journal, (ogdensburg, N.Y.,) 18 November 1930)
Genres
Certificate
- Passed
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
Based on a Broadway show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.. "Whoopee" opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on Monday, December 4th, 1928 and ran for 407 performances. Unfortunately, Ziegfeld lost everything in the stock market crash of 1929. At the time, "Whoopee" was still playing to full houses on Broadway. To bail himself out, Ziegfeld closed the show on Saturday, November 23rd, 1929 and sold the movie rights to Samuel Goldwyn. It is believed that the Broadway show could have run for another year.

Quotes
Mary Custer: Oh, poor Henry. Let me hold your hand.
Henry Williams: It's not heavy. I can manage. Hold your own hand.

Connections
Featured in Precious Images (1986)

Soundtracks
Cowboys
(1930) (uncredited)
Music by Walter Donaldson
Lyrics Gus Kahn
Performed by Betty Grable and chorus

Top review

Eddie Cantor a Delight

Loved it! What a treat this was. Great color, costumes and sets and of course Eddie Cantor, who now ranks as one of my favorites.

Surreal plot if full of schtick and is VERY non-PC (another reason to love it) as Blacks, Indians, Jews, Gays, and Goys get lampooned by Cantor and company.

Several terrific songs by Cantor, "Making Whoopee" and "My Baby Just Cares for Me," and a couple of excellent production numbers by Busby Berkley. Ethel Shutta (pronounced shoo-tay) was smashing in her "Stetson" number. I wish it had been longer.

Among the show girls and dancers are Betty Grable, Ann Sothern, Virginia Bruce, Claire Dodd, and possibly Jane Wyman, and Dean Jagger (of all people) plays a deputy.

The typical 20s romantic subplot between white Eleanor Hunt and Indian Paul Gregory is a drag and is the same things we've seen in the early Marx Brothers and Wheeler and Woolsey comedies.

Spencer Charters plays Underwood, Marian Marsh is his daughter, Jack Rutherford is the sheriff, etc.

The colors are great, the costumes fun. Flo Ziegfeld was involved show there are plenty of show girls in outrageous costumes.

Shutta is a find, but it's Eddie Cantor's show all the way and he's very very funny.

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