"Whoopee!" was the first film that Busby Berkeley did the choreography for; he would later surpass his work here, but his innovative, synchronized numbers are an indication of things to come. It was also the feature-length talkie screen debut for Eddie Cantor; one way to advertise him would be "all 4 Marx Brothers rolled into 1"! He has energy to spare. Of course his jokes often miss - but what comedian can claim a 100%, or anything close to it, success rate? His "recital" of "Making Whoopee" and "A Girlfriend of a Boyfriend of Mine" is inimitable. The film is loaded with sexual innuendo (some of it blatantly homoerotic) and hip (then) pop references (from Al Jolson to Ronald Colman); it's overlong, set-bound and dated in some aspects, but there is a lot to enjoy here. *** out of 4.

Despite my fondness for the pre-Hayes Code era of film (when American moviemakers were truly free), I find that this one went too far in its racial slurs. Would I have been offended if I was alive then and watching the film at a theater? Perhaps. If I had the same attitudes I have now, I would have been offended. In this one, Eddie Cantor, a Jewish entertainer, makes horrible, derogatory statements about Jews, Indians and blacks. The rest of the cast follows suit. It may have been more the scriptwriters' fault than Cantor's, but, let's face it, he did not have to agree to be in this weak musical. I saw the movie on TV 10 years ago and never want to see it again. The racism still resonates in my mind. Even Busby Berkeley's choreography can't save it. If you must see it, see it to be reminded of how America used to be and could be again if we allow it.

Eddie Cantor's a legend name of showbiz, but he's been lost to time, unlike, say, Laurel and Hardy or Jack Benny. Mainly, we've just heard his name. Whoopee! is a chance to finally see his act and--well, uh--he was quite energetic. The film's really just an excuse for Cantor to strut his stuff, so your loving of the film will depend mostly of your love of Eddie.However, there are several things for a film buff to enjoy. The early two-strip Technicolor is quite nice and the print I've seen on TV is really quite gorgeous. (It seems strange that this, of all early talkies, would have been so well preserved.) Outside of Cantor's vaudeville style, Whoopee! feel nearly it's age. The camerawork can be quite clunky at times, like the jiggly attempt at an overhead shot during a dance number, but generally its acceptable for a simple musical. Additionally, the dances were the work of a young Busbey Berkley and you can tell it's his handiwork. Oddly, the dancers seem to have a problem dancing in-sync with one another, which seems to be a hallmark of every early musical I've ever seen.

"Whooppee!" was made at a perfect time, 1930. It has experimentation with the new two-strip Technicolor process (which gives an unreal, pleasing pastel quality). The Hays Office (the censorship arm of movies from 1934 to 1956) hadn't come in, allowing for some funny off-color jokes, and some wild costuming of shapely dancing girls. The star, Eddie Cantor was in his prime. Eddie plays a hypochondriac on a cross country auto trip. He winds up at an Indian reservation, wrongfully hunted by the Sheriff. The film moves from being a comic gift from long ago, to a scary reminder of poor race relations only 70 years ago. Eddie hides in coal stove that explodes, and he emerges in black face, allowing him to walk past his pursuers in disquise. He approaches the leading lady of the film. She sees him and yells "How dare YOU speak to ME?!" Looking past the social-incorrectness of the film, the dance numbers have some amazing choreography by Busby Berkeley, who was just beginning to discover new and exciting ways to film dancers.