Hellzapoppin' was a musical revue which was a Broadway hit, running from 22 September 1938 to 17 December 1941, and was at the time the longest-running Broadway musical with 1,404 performances—one of only three plays to run more than 500 performances in the 1930s. Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ...

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 book was by Olsen & Johnson, a comedy team consisting of John "Ole" Olsen and Harold "Chic" Johnson, the music and lyrics were by Sammy Fain and Charles Tobias. It featured such performers as Chic Johnson, Ole Olsen, Billy Adams, Ray Kinney and the Aloha Maids, the comedy team Barto & Mann (Dewey Barto and George Mann), Bergh and Moore, The Charioteers, Bettymae and Beverly Crane, Ray Kinney, Walter Nilsson, J. C. Olsen, The Radio Rogues, Reed, Dean and Reed (Bonnie Reed, Syd Dean, and Mel Reed), Roberta and Ray, Hal Sherman, The Starlings, Dorothy Thomas, Shirley Wayne, June Winters, and Whitey's Steppers (also known as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers). Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Yiddish (ייִדיש, Jiddisch) is a Germanic language spoken by about four million Jews throughout the world. ... John Siguard Ole Olsen (November 6, 1892–January 26, 1963) was a Vaudeville comedian. ... Chic Johnson was the barrel-chested half of the hugely successful Swedish-American comedy team of Olsen & Johnson, known for his somewhat manic, yet strangely infectious, high-pitched laugh. ... Sammy Fain (Samuel Feinberg, June 17, 1902 - December 6, 1989) was an Jewish-American composer of popular music. ... Charles Tobias was born on August 15, 1898 in New York City. ... Whiteys Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of Savoy Ballroom swing dancers, started in 1935 by Herbert Whitey White. ...

The songs (decidedly less a factor for the show's success than its comedy), included:

• "Blow a Balloon Up to the Moon"
• "Fuddle-Dee-Duddle"
• "It's Time To Say Aloha"
• "When McGregor Sings Off Key"
• "Boomps-a-Daisy"
• "We Won't Let It Happen Here"
• "When You Look in Your Looking Glass"

Songs and lyrics featured during the run include work by Don George, Teddy Hall, Annette Mills, Gonzalo Curiel, and Oscar Hammerstein II. For work done with Richard Rodgers, see Rodgers and Hammerstein Oscar Hammerstein II (July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was a New-York born writer, producer, and (usually uncredited) director of musicals for almost forty years. ...

The show opened at the original 46th Street Theatre, and moved later in its run to the Winter Garden Theatre and the Majestic Theatre, and spawned several successful sequels. The television show Laugh-In (1968-1973) was an attempt to replicate the atmosphere for a new generation. The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre. ... The Majestic Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 245 West 44th Street in Manhattan, New York City. ... Rowan & Martins Laugh-In was a United States comedy television show broadcast from January 22, 1968 through 1973 over the NBC Network. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

A movie version was made in 1941, directed by H.C. Potter and depicting Ole and Chic making a movie for the fictitious studio Miracle Pictures (their slogan "If it's a good picture, it's a Miracle!"), and featuring arguably the most famous example of the Lindy Hop on film - a frenetic routine performed by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. There is also a less-famous dance scene with Dean Collins. The cast of the movie included Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson (playing themselves), Martha Raye, Shemp Howard (before his stint in the Three Stooges), and The Six Hits. The credits for the movie assert that "any resemblance between Hellzapoppin' and a motion picture are coincidental"—a truth that is perhaps responsible for it being much less successful than the stage show which engendered it. In spite of this, the dance scenes from the movie are some of the most well-known Lindy Hop scenes from the Swing Era and they have made the film popular among modern lindy hoppers. At the present, the film (like almost all Olsen and Johnson films) is hard to find on home video. It was released briefly on PAL VHS format, but as of late 2006 there has been no legitimate DVD edition. For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Henry Codman Potter (November 13, 1904 - August 31, 1977) was an American theatrical producer/director and a motion picture director. ... Dancing the Lindy hop at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Sacramento, California, USA (2006) Lindy hop is an African American vernacular dance that evolved in New York City in the late 1920s and early 1930s. ... Whiteys Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of Savoy Ballroom swing dancers, started in 1935 by Herbert Whitey White. ... Dean Collins, born Saul Cohen on May 29, 1917, in Columbus, Ohio, was an American dancer, instructor, choreographer, and innovator of swingdance. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Samuel Shemp Howard / (Horwitz) (March 17, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was part of the Three Stooges comedy team. ... Moe Howard, Curly Howard and Larry Fine The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act in the first half of the 20th century. ... The Swing Era was the period of time (1935-1946) when big band swing music was the most popular music in America. ...

"Pig Foot Pete", an Academy Award nominee for Best Song in 1942 (it lost to "White Christmas"), was attributed in its nomination to Hellzapoppin', but it never appeared in that film. It actually appeared in the Bud Abbott and Lou Costello movie, Keep 'Em Flying. Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... White Christmas is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. ...

External links

• http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/d5hlzply.htm
• http://www.musicals101.com/1930bway3.htm