Hips, Hips, Hooray! is a 1934 American Pre-Code slapstick comedy starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Ruth Etting, Thelma Todd, and Dorothy Lee. During its initial theatrical run, it was preceded by the two-color Technicolor short Not Tonight, Josephine, directed by Edward F. Cline. Plot Todd stars as Amelia Frisby, the owner of a beauty supply business. Andy Williams (Wheeler) and Dr. Bob Dudley (Woolsey) convince her to hire them as salesman to promote her new flavored lipstick. The film features Etting singing "Keep Romance Alive" and Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee singing "Keep on Doin' What You're Doin'" by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. Cast Bert Wheeler as Andy Williams Robert Woolsey as Dr. Bob Dudley Dorothy Lee as Daisy Maxwell Thelma Todd as Amelia Frisby Ruth Etting as Herself Phyllis Barry as Madame Irene Matt Briggs as Det. Epstein James P. Burtis as Detective Sweeney Spencer Charters as Clark George Meeker as Armand Beauchamp Doris McMahon as maid Thelma White as Blonde (uncredited) Pre-Code era scenes Hips, Hips, Hooray! showed scantily clad burlesque-style showgirls and female extras as typical of the Hollywood musicals in the Pre-Code era. Doris McMahon portrayed a nearly nude maid who wore only an apron. Production The song "Keep on Doin' What You're Doin'" was intended for the Marx Brothers' 1933 film Duck Soup (Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx and Zeppo Marx in his final starring role). A romantic subplot involving Ruth Etting was planned, but removed from the film. Despite being third-billed, Etting only has one scene. Reception The film made a profit of $8,000. The New York Times gave Hips, Hips, Hooray! an unenthusiastic review, stating that it featured "three reasonably hilarious gags and perhaps fifty more that depend on whether you are for or against the ex-vaudeville clowns to begin with." Alternately, the Prescott Evening Courier described it as "smartly and enthusiastically insane...surpassing all [Wheeler and Woolsey's] previous efforts." An Australian reviewer for The Age, felt that it "proved a fairly generously-endowed medley of eccentric dancing, buffoonery and burlesque" and that it provoked "much merriment" from its audience. References External links 1934 films 1934 musical comedy films 1934 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Mark Sandrich RKO Pictures films 1930s American films