IMDb RATING
7.4/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
Olsen and Johnson, a pair of stage comedians, try to turn their play into a movie and bring together a young couple in love, while breaking the fourth wall every step of the way.Olsen and Johnson, a pair of stage comedians, try to turn their play into a movie and bring together a young couple in love, while breaking the fourth wall every step of the way.Olsen and Johnson, a pair of stage comedians, try to turn their play into a movie and bring together a young couple in love, while breaking the fourth wall every step of the way.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Slim Gaillard
- Specialty
- (as Slim and Slam)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe original Broadway production of "Hellzapoppin'" opened at the 46th Street Theater on September 22, 1938, and ran for 1404 performances--a considerable run for a Broadway show in the 1930s. The original theatrical run included moves to the Winter Garden Theater and the Majestic Theater. The comic team of Chic Johnson and Ole Olsen wrote and produced the review and served as emcees for the show. As with the movie, the Broadway show was a mix of absurdist comedy skits, comic musical numbers, walk-on comedians and audience participation. There were running gags, such as the woman who walked down the theater aisles shouting "Oscar!", and the man with the potted plant who shouted "Miss Jones!" (One gag from the Broadway show that did not make it into the movie was a woman in the audience who stood up several times and announced she was "just going to the bathroom"). The Harlem Congaroos--the Lindy Hop dance troupe that appears in the film--also appeared in the original Broadway show (although during the show's run, they were variously billed as Whitey's Steppers or Whitey's Lindy Hoppers).
- GoofsBetty picks up a rifle with a bayonet attached, but in the next shot it's a double-barreled shotgun.
- Crazy credits"......any similarity between HELLZAPOPPIN' and a motion picture is purely coincidental."
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA Srl (in double version 1.33:1 and 1.78:1), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsFeatured in This Joint Is Jumpin' (2000)
- SoundtracksHellzapoppin'
Lyrics by Don Raye
Music by Gene de Paul
Sung by The Six Hits (uncredited) during opening and closing credits
Featured review
You think the Marx Brothers were anarchic?
For those who feel the Marxes were the last word in over the top hollywood product, I heartily recommend this adaptation of the Broadway show that made Ole and Johnson such a huge sensation, albiet briefly. This one has non-stop gags (not all of which work), and is unlike anything I have ever seen the studio system produce. H.C. Potter is credited with the direction, but its hard to imagine him doing more than assembling the cast each morning and saying "Okay folks - go nuts!"
A habitue of the 60s might describe this as a Crosby and Hope road picture on acid, but that's missing the point. Audiences embraced this thing in part because it represented an exhausting escape from what was becoming a pretty stressful world.
See it whenever you can!
A habitue of the 60s might describe this as a Crosby and Hope road picture on acid, but that's missing the point. Audiences embraced this thing in part because it represented an exhausting escape from what was becoming a pretty stressful world.
See it whenever you can!
helpful•310
- Scott-52
- Sep 2, 1999
- How long is Hellzapoppin'?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Hellzapoppin - In der Hölle ist der Teufel los
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $4,982
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content