Astounding in its accuracy and athleticism, it took the audience’s breath away every night.”Ī runaway success, Hellzapoppin' was the longest running show in Broadway history at that time, with 1,404 performances. “Lastly, and most famously, were Whitey’s Steppers, popularly known as “Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.” Almost all of the major songs in the original show were accompanied by dance routines, but the Lindy Hop routine (performed to the song “Jumping at the Woodside”) was by far the most famous. The Lindy Hop had been around for almost 10 years by then, but it was still the rage at dance contests, and seeing it performed by Norma Miller and Whitey's ensemble was a highlight for many patrons.” “Olsen and Johnson wisely showcased current entertainment styles, including a show-stopping turn by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. The stage production featured a very popular lindy hop number, as recounted by Norma Miller in her biography Swingin at the Savoy. A loose pastiche of comedy and musical bits, it featured a host of fourth-wall breaking inventions including a delivery man wandering around the audience trying to deliver a plant, a confederate in the aisles selling tickets to a competing Broadway musical, and even seats that delivered electrical shocks! The stage show Hellzapoppin', also created by Olsen and Johnson, opened on Septemin Boston. The Stage Show Also Featured Lindy HopĪs strange as the movie is, it was tame in comparison to the stage production it was loosely based on. The film did well enough that Olsen and Johnson were able to make four more films for Universal Studios, with similarly absurd subject matter. If none of that dissuaded you, here’s the entire film: It’s all so bizarre, even by 2018 standards. Musical numbers are interrupted by animals, scenes are run backwards and restarted, a conversation takes place with the scriptwriter of the movie we are watching. Actors routinely speak directly to the audience, at one point telling one of them to go call his mother. An early scene has the stars arguing with the projectionist in the booth, who is distracted by a theater employee he is wooing. The comedy made fun of the very idea of making a movie. 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. They all make the thing very complicated for Ole and Chick. 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. ![]() If Jeff is successful he can marry Kitty. They have to support Jeff and Kitty in setting up a musical revue in their garden and want to bring it up on Broadway. So he brings them to a young writer, who outlines them an absurd story. Ole and Chick are making a movie, but the director is not satisfied. Hellzapoppin' is an absurdist, fourth-wall breaking musical comedy from 1941 created by the comedy duo Olsen and Johnson (Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson.) It barely has a plot to hold together a series of comedic and musical bits. ![]() Ole Olsen: Look, here, my friend, we are making a motion picture here. The Movie Hellzapoppin' is Very, Very Weird Here’s how Frankie recalls the process:ģ. The song was composed specifically for the routine by musical director Charles Previn and recorded by a studio orchestra. ![]() The music that leads into the performance is performed by the wonderful band Slim and Slam, who were as famous for their on-stage antics as their musicianship. So the lesson for you all is don’t miss rehearsal. ![]() But after missing a rehearsal and not providing any excuse, Frankie had them cut and replaced with Willa Mae Ricker and Al Minns. Originally Wilda Crawford and Thomas "Tops" Lee were part of the routine. The incredible dancers are, in order of appearance:įrances “Mickey” Jones and William Downes Principal choreography was created by Frankie Manning, as he recounts in his autobiography Ambassador of Lindy Hop. The dancers are all part of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers dance troupe. But how much do you know about this scene? Here are seven remarkable things about Hellzapoppin' every die-hard lindy hopper should be aware of.Ī brief proviso: I am not a film historian, just a dancer who has done some digging and learned from other very smart people.
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