Whoopee! (film)
Whoopee! is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy musical Western film photographed in two-color Technicolor. It was directed by Thornton Freeland and stars Eddie Cantor, Ethel Shutta and Eleanor Hunt. The film's plot closely follows that of the 1928 stage show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld.
Whoopee | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Thornton Freeland |
Written by | William M. Conselman E.J. Rath (story) Robert Hobart Davis (story) Owen Davis (play) William Anthony McGuire (musical) |
Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn Florenz Ziegfeld |
Starring | Eddie Cantor Ethel Shutta Eleanor Hunt |
Cinematography | Lee Garmes Ray Rennahan Gregg Toland |
Edited by | Stuart Heisler |
Music by | Nacio Herb Brown Walter Donaldson Edward Eliscu |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.3 million[1] |
Box office | $2,655,000[2] |
Plot
Sally Morgan loves an Indian named Wanenis, but her father forbids her to marry Wanenis, instead favoring sheriff Bob Wells. Just before marrying Wells, Sally decides that she loves Wanenis too much and tricks farmhand Henry Williams into helping her flee to the ranch of Jerome Underwood. Wells searches for Sally, causing trouble for the oblivious Henry.
Cast

- 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
- Marian Marsh as Harriett Underwood
Production
Whoopee! made a film star of Eddie Cantor, already known for his work on the Broadway stage and as a singer. The song "My Baby Just Cares for Me" was written especially for Cantor to sing in the film and became his signature song. Bandleader George Olsen, already a well-known Victor recording artist, repeated his work from the stage version.
The film launched the Hollywood career of Busby Berkeley and was Alfred Newman's first composing job in Hollywood. Richard Day designed the sets and the cinematographer was Gregg Toland, who later found fame through his work in the films of Orson Welles. H. Bruce "Lucky" Humberstone served in an uncredited role as assistant director.[3]
Future stars Betty Grable, Paulette Goddard, Ann Sothern, Virginia Bruce and Claire Dodd appear uncredited as "Goldwyn Girls".
Awards
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction by Richard Day.[4][5]
See also
References
- Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-23004-3. p. 106
- "WHICH CINEMA FILMS HAVE EARNED THE MOST MONEY SINCE 1914?". The Argus. Melbourne. March 4, 1944. p. 3 Supplement: The Argus Weekend magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- Whoopee! (1930) - IMDb, retrieved August 29, 2021
- "NY Times: Whoopee!". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2009. Archived from the original on December 21, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- "The 4th Academy Awards (1931) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
External links

- Whoopee! at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Whoopee! at IMDb
- Whoopee! at AllMovie
- Whoopee! at the TCM Movie Database
- Film still of Goldwyn Girl at WalterFilm.com
- Film clip with parade of "Indian maidens" on YouTube