Hellzapoppin’ (1941)

Directed by: H.C. Potter

This review contains a slight Kitty Carnage Warning!

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: One of the zaniest movies ever made, comedians Ole Oleson and Chic Johnson are aspiring filmmakers in this spoof of stage shows, romantic musicals and everything under the sun.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): In one scene, the pair are taking inventory in the props department. “One canary,” says Oleson. Johnson picks up a bird cage with a white cat with markings inside.

Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson with Chic Johnson holding cat in bird cage

“Hey, where’s the canary?” Oleson asks. “In the cat!” Johnson answers.

Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson with Chic Johnson holding cat in bird cage
Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson with Chic Johnson holding cat in bird cage
Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson with Chic Johnson holding cat in bird cage animated gif

Cat Cattle Call (with Slight Kitty Carnage Warning): Late in the film the pair are doing everything they can to sabotage a stage show. When some girls take the stage with dogs, Oleson and Johnson carry a crate full of cats to one wing.

Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson and Chic Johnson carrying crate of cats

They release the cats and the dogs take chase, creating mayhem. The way the cats are dumped out of a crate at the end is a little rough, hence the slight Kitty Carnage Warning.

Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson and Chic Johnson releasing cats from crate
Hellzapoppin' - cats tumbling out of  crate
Hellzapoppin' - cats tumbling out of  crate
Hellzapoppin' - cats tumbling out of  crate
Hellzapoppin' - cats tumbling out of  crate
Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson and Chic Johnson dumping cats from crate
Hellzapoppin' - Ole Oleson and Chic Johnson dumping cats from crate animated gif

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): A tuxedo cat runs up a ladder. In actuality, the cat was filmed jumping down off the ladder and the footage was reversed to make it seem the cat is climbing the ladder.

Hellzapoppin' - tuxedo cat on ladder
Hellzapoppin' - tuxedo cat climbing backwards up ladder then reversed animated gif

A dog stops at the foot of the ladder and the cat hisses at it.

Hellzapoppin' - tuxedo cat hissing on top of ladder
Hellzapoppin' - tuxedo cat backing up ladder and hissig at dog animated gif

Eventually the cat jumps down off the ladder and into a drum. The cat was obviously thrown, or “catapulted” into the drum. A dog then jumps in the drum but the cat was likely already removed. The drum then rolls off with both the dog and cat supposedly inside.

Hellzapoppin' - tuxedo cat about to jump off on ladder
Hellzapoppin' - tuxedo cat jumping off ladder into drum with dog following animated gif

Finally a man carries two cats down the aisle of the theater and hands them off to Jeff Hunter (Robert Paige). Jeff then takes the cats away.

Hellzapoppin' - man carrying two cats down theatre aisle

Final Mewsings: Cats don’t like to be used to cause chaos.

Many thanks to Ted Davis and Nick Wale for reminding us of the cats in this film.

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