More than a dozen dancers in beautiful costumes walk down a show staircase singing. Suddenly it turns into a slide that leads straight to hell. There, crowds of half-naked devils poke the frightened ladies with pitchforks, hit flickflacks and fry young women like half chickens in a snack bar.
The devils squeeze a man dressed in tails into an oversized can of food before a taxi appears with a bang. It brings in the two main characters. They apologize to us and demand that the film be rewound. And now it’s even better than ever in home theater: On January 26, 2024, the completely crazy cult comedy “Hellzapoppin’ – Hell is going on in hell!“German Blu-ray premiere – in the limited media book with a teasingly devilish cover:
The alternative Lid B* puts the anarcho joke of this forefather of “Deadpool”, “Scream”, “The Naked Gun”, the Muppets and Co. on the front. In addition to the energetic chaos comedy, both editions include audio commentary and a 36-page booklet. And:
If you’re wondering how The Muppets, The Naked Gun, Deadpool and Scream compare to an obscure 1941 musical comedy, read on…
“Hellzapoppin’”: Plot, plot, who needs a plot?!
Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson are theater superstars taking over the cinema: as they reveal, everything described in the introduction to this article is the crazy goings-on on a movie set. Because the duo got the chance to capture their satirical, silly Broadway record show “Hellzapoppin” (without the apostrophe!) on screen.
It sucks that “Hellzapoppin” doesn’t have a plot, but people in Hollywood are obsessed with that kind of thing. For example, a director (Richard Lane) and a screenwriter (Elisha Cook Jr.) pitch the double a sentimental romance about the theater composer Jeff (Robert Paige), who dreams of great love and an enthusiastic audience. Jeff likes Ole and Chic, so they help him.
Now they are not part of “Hellzapoppin’” nor “Hellzapoppin’” (with an apostrophe!). They find themselves in the same reality as Jeff, the rich Kitty (Jane Frazee), the lovelorn Betty (Martha Raye) and the wizard/detective/magical detective Quimby (Hugh Herbert). Sometimes they admonish the cameraman, complain about the pointless, lame plot or (un)intentionally transfer their anarcho energy to this superficial love musical…
Confused? Good. That’s how it should be!
“Hellzapoppin’” is the great-granddaddy of the lavishly celebrated, self-deprecating meta-humor, but has a child’s energy doused in caffeine, adolescent smugness and brilliant elegance. “Hellzapoppin’” follows the ambiguous, meta approach of Wes Craven’s “Scream,” simultaneously deconstructing and captivatingly implementing its own genre.
Moreover, ‘Hellzapoppin” deals so mercilessly with itself, the audience and the ‘fourth wall’ that even Ryan Reynolds in ‘Deadpool’ would be overwhelmed by it. All this in a cheerful tone and with enormous speed, as cult comedies and parody films from the 1980s to the early 2000s were intended to emulate – including the unpredictable transition between childish, crude, unexpectedly smart and amusingly stupid.
And last but not least, the Muppets are basically made from the same felt as “Hellzapoppin’”: Despite all the fuss, they are warm, genuinely positive despite a few mean things, and among the countless vaudeville jokes there is also room for emotion without commentary. All this is performed with an unstoppable energy:
Scenes change, action levels become blurry. Cowardly men are overwhelmed by the brash Martha Raye and make fools of themselves. During a love song, people scribble around the photo. There are hundreds of bizarre asides, references to ‘Citizen Kane’, cat music, and does anyone even read Dashier?
With such a fast-paced comedy with a dizzyingly high hit rate and all kinds of stage and film tricks, you can lose track of things. The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has proven how much: She received an Oscar nomination for “Hellzapoppin’” – in the “Best Song” category, for the song “Pig Foot Pete”. A song that doesn’t even appear in “Hellzapoppin'”! Wow, just the way Ole and Chic like it…
With humor and dance it stands the test of time
In theaters, “Hellzapoppin’” failed to follow the overwhelming success of the Broadway show. The turbulent music film was therefore initially swallowed up by the maelstrom of oblivion beyond two specific target groups. One of these groups: comedy filmmakers!
Parody master Mel Brooks (“Spaceballs”) and the trio David Zucker, Jerry Zucker & Jim Abrahams (“The Incredible Journey in a Crazy Plane”) were intensely inspired by the smugness and breakneck pace of “Hellzapoppin’.” Joe Dante in fact, he considers it one of his absolute favorite films and has incorporated a number of jokes directly into his own work – most notably in the wonderfully insane meta-monster mayhem “Gremlins 2”.
Even a favorite animated series from the 1990s would be completely different without “Hellzapoppin’”: The “Animaniacs” team was shown the cult classic to give them an idea of the tone and pace they should aim for. And another audience splinter group kept “Hellzapoppin’” from being completely forgotten: the swing scene.
People! Not the – the -! A breathtaking musical performance features legendary dance troupe Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers demonstrating their dynamic skills. It’s an exciting sequence with acrobatic, amazing dance moves. An impressive set of risky maneuvers, athletic elegance, dynamic harmony and pure, unleashed joie de vivre – without the slightest hint of irony. Because as much as “Hellzapoppin’” prides itself on not taking itself seriously:
Lead director HC Potter and his team know when it’s time to stop blinking: In this meta-comedy there is room for honest, unadulterated feelings of excitement. This is perhaps an underrated but crucial reason why she has been working her way outside the comedy and swing circles for several years now through constant recommendations and finding a place in the hearts of more and more film fans.