Cinematography:
James Wong HoweComposer:
William AxtCast:
Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Jimmy Durante, Polly Moran, Charles Butterworth, Eddie Quillan, June Clyde, Lupe Velez, George Givot, Richard Carle, Larry Fine (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
HOLLYWOOD PARTY was planned as a lavish, star-studded MGM musical titled Hollywood Revue of 1933. Under the less-than-sterling guidance of "kicked upstairs" MGM producer Harry Rapf, production dragged on interminably, using up the talents of five directors (none of whom were credited) and seven writers. The "all star" cast lineup slowly dwindled down to comparatively inexpensive contract players Jimmy Durante and Jack Pearl (radio's Baron Munchhausen) and a passel of non-MGM personalities. The final product wove a goofy story about The Great Schnarzan (Durante), a jungle-movie star whose films are suffering at the box office because his lions are anemic. Schnarzan schemes to purchase several healthy lions from Baron Munchhausen; to get the baron into a bargaining mood, Schnarzan throws a huge Hollywood party in Munchhausen's honor. Liondora (George Givot), Schnarzan's "hated rival", hopes to purchase the Baron's lions for himself, and crashes the party disguised as a Greek Baron. Also figuring into the plot are the members of the Klemp family (Charles Butterworth, Polly Moran and June Clyde), who are filthy rich and thus quite attractive to both Schnarzan and Liondora; poor-but-honest Eddie Quillan, who romances the Klemp's daughter; and Schnarzan's ex-girlfriend Lupe Velez, who shows up at the party in an astonishingly revealing gown for the express purpose of making trouble. In an amusing animated sequence courtesy of Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse introduces the Technicolor musical exploits of "The Hot Chocolate Soldiers." Shortly before the end, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy make a welcome appearance as a pair of lion-farm owners who wish to collect a debt from Baron Munchhausen. This segues into the classic egg-breaking sequence involving Stan, Ollie, and Lupe Velez. Now we've reached the 65 minute mark, with no logical ending in sight. Director Allan Dwan, brought into the project at the last minute, took a look at the existing footage and declared "It's a nightmare!" Inspired, Dwan directed a closing sequence which suggested that the whole plot had been dreamed by Jimmy Durante; Durante is wakened from his slumbers by his wife--played by Mrs. Jimmy Durante. HOLLYWOOD PARTY makes no sense at all, but it's a must for comedy lovers and 1930s film buffs. Don't miss that opening number, written by Rodgers and Hart and performed by Frances Williams and a chorus of barely dressed telephone operators; and keep an eye peeled for a lengthy uncredited appearance by the Three Stooges. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
![Edwin Maxwell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/995/160995623_fe923a.jpg)
Edwin Maxwell
Ireland
Best movies:
Fury (1936)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
![Julia Griffith](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/161/040/161040386_4ed83b.jpg)
Julia Griffith
USA
Best movies:
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Hellzapoppin' (1941)
American Madness (1932)
![Clarence Wilson](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/518/160518463_23aa16.jpg)
Clarence Wilson
USA
Best movies:
Sunrise (1927)
20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
The Front Page (1931)
![Arthur Treacher](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/806/160806015_22e77d.jpg)
Arthur Treacher
UK
Best movies:
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
National Velvet (1944)
Mary Poppins (1964)
![George Beranger](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/161/234/161234281_9358e4.jpg)
George Beranger
Australia
Best movies:
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages (1916)
The Big Parade (1925)
The Half-Breed (1916)
Tom Herbert
USA
Best movies:
The Merry Widow (1934)
Conquest (1937)
Hollywood Party (1934)
Ernie Alexander
USA
Best movies:
Edison, the Man (1940)
Fury (1936)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Baldwin Cooke
USA
Best movies:
Of Mice and Men (1939)
After the Thin Man (1936)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)
Frances Williams
USA
Best movies:
Hollywood Party (1934)
Frank Austin
USA
Best movies:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
The Monster (1925)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Iris Lancaster
USA
Best movies:
Hollywood Party (1934)
Flying Down to Rio (1933)