Hellzapoppin'
Encyclopedia
Hellzapoppin is a musical revue
written by the comedy team of Olsen and Johnson
, consisting of John "Ole" Olsen
and Harold "Chic" Johnson
, with music and lyrics by Sammy Fain
and Charles Tobias
. The revue was a hit, running for over 3 years, and was at the time the longest-running Broadway musical, with 1,404 performances, making it one of only three plays to run more than 500 performances in the 1930s.
at the original 46th Street Theatre on September 22, 1938, transferred to the Winter Garden Theatre
on November 26, 1938, and finally moved to the Majestic Theatre on November 25, 1941, closing on December 17, 1941, after a total of 1,404 performances.
Olsen and Johnson led a large cast of entertainers: the comedy team Barto and Mann
(Dewey Barto and George Mann); Charles Whithers; celebrity impersonators, The Radio Rogues; Hal Sherman; Walter Nilsson; singing group The Charioteers
; identical-twin dancers Bettymae and Beverly Crane; stage magician Theo Hardeen
(better known as Houdini's younger brother); the Hawaiian music of Ray Kinney
and the Aloha Maids; Bergh and Moore; J. C. Olsen; Reed, Dean and Reed (Bonnie Reed, Syd Dean, and Mel Reed); Roberta and Ray; The Starlings
; Dorothy Thomas; Shirley Wayne; Cyrel Roodney and June Winters; Billy Adams; and Whitey's Steppers (also known as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
).
and Eddie Garr toured the country. The cast included Grace & Nokko, The Oxford Boys, Sterner Sisters, Ben Dova, Paul Gordon, Billy Potter and Bobby Jarvis. Following the close of Hellzapoppin at the Majestic Theatre on December 12, 1941, many in the Broadway cast went on the road during 1942 with Jay C. Flippen
and Happy Felton succeeding Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. This road edition of Hellzapoppin included Barto and Mann, Charles Withers, The Radio Rogues, Harry Reso, Walter Nilsson, The Charioteers, Lyda Sue, Theo Hardeen, June Winters, Bonnie Reed, Shirley Wayne, Ruth Faber, Stephanie Olsen, Bergh and Moore, Dippy Diers, Bobby Barry, Billy Adams, and Sid Dean. The road shows continued in the same style of sight gags, risqué humor, and audience involvement.
based on the stage musical was made by Universal Pictures
and released in 1941. Except for Olsen and Johnson, no one from any of the stage productions appeared in the movie.
and Lynn Redgrave
, but it closed on the road before reaching Broadway
.
The television show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973) was an attempt to replicate the fast-paced, anything-can-happen atmosphere for a new generation.
As an actress walked the aisles yelling, "Oscar!", another loudly said that was just going to use the bathroom. When this started to overwhelm, an actor started loudly selling tickets to another Broadway show, "I Married An Angel."
and Charles Tobias
(unless otherwise noted).
Act 1
Act 2
Songs featured during the run also include work by Don George, Teddy Hall
, Annette Mills
, Gonzalo Curiel, and Oscar Hammerstein II
.
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
written by the comedy team of Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
, consisting of John "Ole" Olsen
Ole Olsen (comedian)
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen was an American vaudevillian and comedian.Born in Peru, Indiana, he graduated from Northwestern University in 1912 with a degree in music and hit the Vaudeville circuit...
and Harold "Chic" Johnson
Chic Johnson
Chic Johnson was the barrel-chested half of the Swedish-American comedy team of Olsen and Johnson, known for his strangely infectious, high-pitched laugh.-Background:...
, with music and lyrics by Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
and Charles Tobias
Charles Tobias
-Biography:Born in New York City, Tobias grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with brothers Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias, also songwriters.He started his musical career in vaudeville. In 1923, he founded his own music publishing firm and worked on Tin Pan Alley...
. The revue was a hit, running for over 3 years, and was at the time the longest-running Broadway musical, with 1,404 performances, making it one of only three plays to run more than 500 performances in the 1930s.
Production
After opening at the Schubert Theatre in Boston on September 10, 1938, Hellzapoppin opened on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the original 46th Street Theatre on September 22, 1938, transferred to the Winter Garden Theatre
Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....
on November 26, 1938, and finally moved to the Majestic Theatre on November 25, 1941, closing on December 17, 1941, after a total of 1,404 performances.
Olsen and Johnson led a large cast of entertainers: the comedy team Barto and Mann
Barto and Mann
Barto and Mann: Dewey Barto and George Mann , known as the "laugh kings" of vaudeville, were a comedic dance act from the late 1920s to the early 1940s...
(Dewey Barto and George Mann); Charles Whithers; celebrity impersonators, The Radio Rogues; Hal Sherman; Walter Nilsson; singing group The Charioteers
The Charioteers
The Charioteers was an American gospel and pop vocal group from 1930 to 1957.-History:The Charioteers were put together in 1930 by Professor Howard Daniel, and their school was Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio. They originally called themselves the Harmony Four...
; identical-twin dancers Bettymae and Beverly Crane; stage magician Theo Hardeen
Theodore Hardeen
Theodore Hardeen , known simply as Hardeen, was a Hungarian magician and escape artist, best known as Harry Houdini's brother...
(better known as Houdini's younger brother); the Hawaiian music of Ray Kinney
Ray Kinney
Ray Kinney was a singer, musician, composer, orchestra leader and performer on radio, stage and screen.-Biography:...
and the Aloha Maids; Bergh and Moore; J. C. Olsen; Reed, Dean and Reed (Bonnie Reed, Syd Dean, and Mel Reed); Roberta and Ray; The Starlings
The Starlings
Starlings were an alternative rock band from London, England, formed in 1989, acting as a vehicle for New Zealand-born singer/guitarist Chris Sheehan . The group released two albums before splitting up in 1994...
; Dorothy Thomas; Shirley Wayne; Cyrel Roodney and June Winters; Billy Adams; and Whitey's Steppers (also known as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of Savoy Ballroom swing dancers, started in 1935 by Herbert "Whitey" White. The group took on many different forms, with up to 12 different groups performing under this name or one of a number of different names used for the group over the...
).
On the Road
In late 1940 and during 1941, while Hellzapoppin was still playing at the Winter Garden Theatre and later the Majestic Theatre, a second edition of Hellzapoppin with Billy HouseBilly House
Billy House was an US vaudevillian, Broadway performer and feature film actor. After devoting most of his career to live performance, he moved to Hollywood where he became a supporting actor during the 1940s and 1950s...
and Eddie Garr toured the country. The cast included Grace & Nokko, The Oxford Boys, Sterner Sisters, Ben Dova, Paul Gordon, Billy Potter and Bobby Jarvis. Following the close of Hellzapoppin at the Majestic Theatre on December 12, 1941, many in the Broadway cast went on the road during 1942 with Jay C. Flippen
Jay C. Flippen
Jay C. Flippen is an American character actor who often played police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s/'50s....
and Happy Felton succeeding Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. This road edition of Hellzapoppin included Barto and Mann, Charles Withers, The Radio Rogues, Harry Reso, Walter Nilsson, The Charioteers, Lyda Sue, Theo Hardeen, June Winters, Bonnie Reed, Shirley Wayne, Ruth Faber, Stephanie Olsen, Bergh and Moore, Dippy Diers, Bobby Barry, Billy Adams, and Sid Dean. The road shows continued in the same style of sight gags, risqué humor, and audience involvement.
The Movie
A filmHellzapoppin' (film)
Hellzapoppin' is a 1941 Universal Pictures adaptation of the musical of the same name directed by H.C. Potter. The cast includes Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson , Martha Raye, Mischa Auer, Shemp Howard, and The Six Hits.The credits for the movie assert that "any resemblance between Hellzapoppin and a...
based on the stage musical was made by Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and released in 1941. Except for Olsen and Johnson, no one from any of the stage productions appeared in the movie.
Broadway revival
In 1976, there was an attempt to revive the show with a cast that included Jerry LewisJerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
and Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
, but it closed on the road before reaching Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
The television show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973) was an attempt to replicate the fast-paced, anything-can-happen atmosphere for a new generation.
Sketches
A comedy hodgepodge full of sight gags and slapstick, the show was continually rewritten throughout its run to remain topical; its opening scene was Hitler speaking in a Yiddish accent. A circus atmosphere prevailed, with dwarfs, clowns, trained pigeons and audience participation adding to the merriment. The sketches were a "smorgasbord of explode-the-fourth-wall nuttiness:...comedy songs; skits abandoned partway through; cameos by audience stooges; an absurdist raffle; and in a trademark stunt, a man who wandered through the theater hawking an ever-larger potted tree."As an actress walked the aisles yelling, "Oscar!", another loudly said that was just going to use the bathroom. When this started to overwhelm, an actor started loudly selling tickets to another Broadway show, "I Married An Angel."
Songs
The songs were decidedly less important to the show's success than was its comedy. Lyrics and music by Sammy FainSammy Fain
Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
and Charles Tobias
Charles Tobias
-Biography:Born in New York City, Tobias grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with brothers Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias, also songwriters.He started his musical career in vaudeville. In 1923, he founded his own music publishing firm and worked on Tin Pan Alley...
(unless otherwise noted).
Act 1
- "Blow a Balloon Up to the Moon"
- "Fuddle-Dee-Duddle"
- "A Bedtime Story"
- "Strolling Thru the Park"
- "Abe Lincoln" (Music and Lyrics By Earl Robinson and Alfred Hayes)
- "Shaganola"
- "It's Time To Say Aloha"
Act 2
- "Harem on the Loose"
- "Ol' Man Mose'" (Music and Lyrics By Louis ArmstrongLouis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Zilner T. Randolph) - "When You Look in Your Looking Glass" (Lyrics By Sam M. Lewis, Music By Paul Mann and Stephen Weiss)
- "When McGregor Sings Off Key"
- "Boomps-a-Daisy (I Like a Bustle that Bends)"
- "We Won't Let It Happen Here"
Songs featured during the run also include work by Don George, Teddy Hall
Teddy Hall
Teddy Hall may refer to:* The nickname of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford* Edward Thomas Hall, also known as Professor Teddy Hall, who exposed the Piltdown Man fraud...
, Annette Mills
Annette Mills
Annette Mills was an English actress, dancer and broadcaster.She was born Edith Mabel Mills in Wandsworth, London. She had originally intended to become a concert pianist and organist, before becoming a dancer, subsequently finding fame as an international exhibition dancer...
, Gonzalo Curiel, and Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
.
External links
- Hellzapoppin' Illustrated article on the Collecting Books and Magazines website
- Sonny Watson Dance History Pages -- HELLZAPOPPIN, The Play
- Hellzapoppin study guide, synopsis, background, americancentury.org, 2007