Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Ole Olsen | ... | Ole Olsen | |
Chic Johnson | ... | Chic Johnson | |
Martha Raye | ... | Betty Johnson | |
Hugh Herbert | ... | Quimby | |
Jane Frazee | ... | Kitty Rand | |
Robert Paige | ... | Jeff Hunter | |
Mischa Auer | ... | Pepi | |
Richard Lane | ... | Director | |
Lewis Howard | ... | Woody Taylor | |
Clarence Kolb | ... | Andrew Rand | |
Nella Walker | ... | Mrs. Rand | |
Shemp Howard | ... | Louie | |
Elisha Cook Jr. | ... | Harry Selby | |
Frank Darien | ... | Man Calling for Mrs. Jones | |
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Catherine Johnson | ... | Lena - Lady Looking for Oscar |
Ole and Chick are making a movie, but the director is not satisfied. So he brings them to a young writer, who outlines them an absurd story. They have to support Jeff and Kitty in setting up a musical revue in their garden and want to bring it up on Broadway. If Jeff is successful he can marry Kitty. But there is his rich friend Woody, who also loves Kitty, Chick's sister Betty, who's in love with a false Russian count, and detective Quimby. They all make the thing very complicated for Ole and Chick. After some mistakes they think that Kitty isn't the right girl for Jeff and they start sabotaging the show, but the Broadway producer is impressed and signs the contract. That's the story the writer tells them. For this he's sued by the director. Written by Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>
Hellzapoppin' is brilliant - fast, funny, visual, one-liners, dance numbers, romance - just pure and simple escapist entertainment - It is a feast of corny, surprising, surreal, slapstick, pratfall humor that will work until the end of time.
Moreover it uses tricks and ideas, like talking to the audience, that were way ahead of its time.
The show about a show plot works wonderfully, but it is the little surprises, the oddities, and the fun that make this one of the best laugh-out comedies of all time and should be seen by every comedy writer and actor - pure joy from beginning to end - and above all pure entertainment.
Huge fun and very much recommended.