Whoopee! (film)

Whoopee
Directed by	Thornton Freeland
Produced by	Samuel Goldwyn Florenz Ziegfeld
Written by	William M. Conselman E.J. Rath (story) Robert Hobart Davis (story) Owen Davis (play) William Anthony McGuire (musical)
Starring	Eddie Cantor Ethel Shutta Paul Gregory Eleanor Hunt
Music by	Nacio Herb Brown Walter Donaldson Edward Eliscu
Cinematography	Lee Garmes Ray Rennahan Gregg Toland (Technicolor)
Edited by	Stuart Heisler
Production company	Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	September 30, 1930
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.3 million[1]
Box office	$2,655,000[2]

Whoopee! is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical comedy film photographed in two-color Technicolor. The plot of the film closely followed the 1928 stage show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld.

Production

The film was produced by Florenz Ziegfeld and Samuel Goldwyn, and directed by Thornton Freeland. Whoopee made a movie star of Eddie Cantor, already one of the leading stars of Broadway revues and musical comedies, as well as being a popular recording artist in the United States. George Olsen and his Music, already well-known Victor recording artists, repeated their work from the stage version. Other stars in the film were Eleanor Hunt, Ethel Shutta (George Olsen's wife), and Paul Gregory. Future stars Betty Grable, Paulette Goddard, Ann Sothern, Virginia Bruce, and Claire Dodd appeared uncredited as "Goldwyn Girls".

The film also launched the Hollywood career of Busby Berkeley. It was Alfred Newman's first composing job in Hollywood. Richard Day did the set designs and behind the camera was Gregg Toland, who later found fame with Orson Welles.

Cast

Scene from the film

• Eddie Cantor as Henry Williams
• Ethel Shutta as Mary Custer
• Paul Gregory as Wanenis
• Eleanor Hunt as Sally Morgan
• Jack Rutherford as Sheriff Bob Wells
• Walter Law as Jud Morgan
• Spencer Charters as Jerome Underwood
• Albert Hackett as Chester Underwood

Awards

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction by Richard Day.^[3]

See also

• List of early color feature films

References

1. Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-23004-3. p. 106
2. "WHICH CINEMA FILMS HAVE EARNED THE MOST MONEY SINCE 1914?". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.: 1848–1956). Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. March 4, 1944. p. 3 Supplement: The Argus Weekend magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
3. "NY Times: Whoopee!". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-06.

External links

• Whoopee! at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Whoopee! at the Internet Movie Database
• Whoopee! at AllMovie
• Whoopee! at the TCM Movie Database
• Film still at walterfilm.com