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
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates
September 30, 1930 (1930-09-30)
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

Awards

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

See also

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.
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