Ivan Brunetti presents: Hellzapoppin'
Tuesday, February 16 – 9:35 p.m.
H.C. Potter, 1941, 84 min
Archival 35mm print from the Library of Congress
On February 16, Doc invites comic artist Ivan Brunetti to curate and introduce an evening of anarchy, featuring a screening of the zany 1941 classic Hellzapoppin'.
Originally produced by vaudeville duo Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson as a long-running Broadway revue, Hellzapoppin' is unlike any other film from the period, featuring an indescribably absurd barrage of gags, musical numbers, and special effects – which even includes a descent into Hell. Ostensibly about an aspiring scriptwriter played by a pre-Stooges Shemp Howard, the film largely eschews narrative in favor of an endless stream of self-reflexivity, continuously shattering the fourth wall.
Ivan Brunetti, a graduate of the University of Chicago, is an acclaimed comic artist best known for his series Schizo and Ho!: The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti. He has also written an instruction manual, Cartoon: Philosophy and Practice, and edited two volumes of An Anthology of Graphics Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories (Yale University Press). His drawings occasionally appear in The New Yorker, as well as a host of other publications.
Tickets cost $5, and go on sale half an hour before the screening. Doc Films is located in the Max Palevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall at The University of Chicago (1212 East 59th St., Chicago, IL 60637). Persons with a disability who may need assistance can contact us by phone or email.
Doc Films Hotline: 773-702-8575
Doc Films Office: 773-702-8574
[UPDATE: Links added! -ed.]