# Hollywood Steps Out

Hollywood Steps Out is a 1941 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Tex Avery and produced by Leon Schlesinger. The short was released on May 24, 1941.
The cartoon features caricatures of over forty contemporary Hollywood celebrities.

## Plot

A group of Hollywood stars is having an expensive dinner at Ciro's nightclub in West Hollywood. The first stars seen are Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, Adolphe Menjou and Norma Shearer, followed by Cary Grant, seated alone. Greta Garbo serves him as a cigarette girl, lighting a match on her foot.
Edward G. Robinson asks Ann Sheridan "How's the Oomph girl tonight?" Sheridan responds by uttering the word "oomph" several times.
Warner Bros. staffers Henry Binder and Leon Schlesinger are shown. A seat is reserved for Bette Davis, as is a large sofa for Kate Smith. More seats are reserved for the characters of the Blondie films, including a fire hydrant for Daisy the dog.
In the cloakroom, Johnny Weissmuller checks a coat with Paulette Goddard that reveals his Tarzan outfit. Sally Rand leaves her trademark feather fans behind and is presumably naked.
James Cagney prepares Humphrey Bogart and George Raft for a risky task: pitching pennies.
Harpo Marx gives Garbo a hot foot. Clark Gable turns his head around 180 degrees to observe a blonde girl, whom he follows offscreen.
Bing Crosby introduces the evening's entertainment, interrupted frequently by a racehorse with an apparently unconscious jockey. Crosby presents conductor Leopold Stokowski, who wears a snood before performing "Ahí, viene la conga".
The conga inspires Dorothy Lamour to invite James Stewart to dance with her, who stutters, stammers, and runs away scared. Gable dances by, following the girl he saw earlier. Tyrone Power dances with Sonja Henie. Frankenstein's monster dances stiffly and woodenly. The Three Stooges abuse each other in rhythm to the beat. Oliver Hardy's dance partner is revealed to be twin blonde women initially hidden by his obese frame. Cesar Romero dances clumsily with Rita Hayworth. Mickey Rooney, sitting with Judy Garland, is presented with an expensive bill, who turns to ask his on-screen father (Lewis Stone) for a heart-to-heart talk. In the next scene, they are seen washing dishes. Gable still pursues the girl.
Crosby then introduces Sally Rand (identified as "Sally Strand"), performing a bubble dance to "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", as the camera cuts between the men's reactions and her dancing. Spectators at various tables include:
* Kay Kyser, William Powell, Spencer Tracy, Ronald Colman, Errol Flynn, Wallace Beery, and C. Aubrey Smith, who wolf-whistle in unison.
* Peter Lorre
* Henry Fonda, whose "mother" pulls him away by his ear.
* J. Edgar Hoover
* Boris Karloff, Arthur Treacher, Buster Keaton, and Mischa Auer, asked by Ned Sparks if they are having a good time.
* Jerry Colonna, who reveals an invisible character next to him called "Yehudi".
Now that Strand is standing still on the stage, this allows Harpo Marx an opportunity to shoot her bubble with a slingshot. The bubble explodes on impact, and she reacts with shock, as it reveals she is wearing a barrel.
Meanwhile, Gable has finally caught up to the girl he was chasing and insists she kiss him. The girl turns out to be Groucho Marx in drag.

## Cast

* Kent Rogers as James Cagney, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Clark Gable, Ned Sparks, Peter Lorre, Groucho Marx, Mickey Rooney, James Stewart, J. Edgar Hoover, Henry Fonda, Bing Crosby, Kay Kyser, and Lewis Stone
* Mel Blanc as Jerry Colonna
* Sara Berner as Greta Garbo, Ann Sheridan, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour, and Henry Fonda's mother

## Reception

The Film Daily called the short a "caricature novelty", saying: "Latest Leon Schlesinger foray into the realm of caricature will interest and amuse."
Cartoon voice actor Keith Scott wrote: "There have been many twenty-first-century comments about how much this cartoon's cultural references (like conga music) and its raft of celebrities are impenetrable to a contemporary audience. However, on its initial release, Hollywood Steps Out was hyped as a special event and given a publicity buildup in The Los Angeles Times. Audiences in 1941 would have greeted every caricature with instant recognition and hearty laughter."

## Home media

Hollywood Steps Out is available on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2. It is also available on Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2 Disc 2. Both feature the Blue Ribbon reissue title card.