It's pretty wild to see a screwball comedy of this era. This is a movie with no regard for the fact it's a movie. As I understand it, Hellzapoppin' was based on the (at the time) longest running Broadway stage show of the same name. Descriptions liken it more to a circus, where two comedians did irreverent, rapid-fire comedy bits that frequently broke the fourth wall, demanded audience participation, and were just generally as outrageous (and as creative) as they could get away with.
The movie frames itself as a send-up of 1941 Hollywood, lampooning everything from the movie making process, common narrative tropes, to even the act of just showing the film itself in a theater. The two leads (Chic and Ole) frequently banter with the projectionist (played here by Shemp Howard) and talk directly to the audience. This is where I would say "it feels like the movie only has a plot because the studio mandated it" but they literally have a scene during the opening where the director pretty much says this out loud while the guys protest.
And it's surprisingly ahead of its time, too. There are digs at specific censorship laws, call outs for Westerns with their "fake Indians", and more. Plus some fun use of special effects for some really good sight gags.
Fun sums things up, really. The whole movie is just playful and chaotic, with these two goofballs running roughshod over what's trying to be a (intentionally boilerplate) love story.
Was it laugh-out-loud hilarious? Well, not really, I guess. But it was still unquestionably funny and very entertaining. It's about as close to a live-action cartoon as you could probably get in 1941. The gags come fast and frenetic and the movie doesn't slow down for much of anything. If you can vibe with vintage film and you haven't seen Hellzapoppin', you should consider rectifying that.
The movie frames itself as a send-up of 1941 Hollywood, lampooning everything from the movie making process, common narrative tropes, to even the act of just showing the film itself in a theater. The two leads (Chic and Ole) frequently banter with the projectionist (played here by Shemp Howard) and talk directly to the audience. This is where I would say "it feels like the movie only has a plot because the studio mandated it" but they literally have a scene during the opening where the director pretty much says this out loud while the guys protest.
And it's surprisingly ahead of its time, too. There are digs at specific censorship laws, call outs for Westerns with their "fake Indians", and more. Plus some fun use of special effects for some really good sight gags.
Fun sums things up, really. The whole movie is just playful and chaotic, with these two goofballs running roughshod over what's trying to be a (intentionally boilerplate) love story.
Was it laugh-out-loud hilarious? Well, not really, I guess. But it was still unquestionably funny and very entertaining. It's about as close to a live-action cartoon as you could probably get in 1941. The gags come fast and frenetic and the movie doesn't slow down for much of anything. If you can vibe with vintage film and you haven't seen Hellzapoppin', you should consider rectifying that.