In the end the anarchic supremacy of the number one movie relegated Animal Crackers to this tight second place position.Īs always with me wordplay, wordplay and more wordplay is what matters in a Marx Brothers movie and this baby delivers. (?)Ĭomment: This film adaptation of the 1928 Marx Brothers’ Broadway hit of the same title just barely lost out for the top spot on my list. Chico and Harpo portray musicians Emmanuel Ravelli and the Professor, respectively, while the character of Spaulding’s secretary Horatio Jamison is brought to life as only Zeppo could do. The theft of a priceless painting unleashes chaos. ANIMAL CRACKERS (1930) – The Plot (As if it mattered) – Famous explorer Captain Geoffrey T Spaulding (Groucho) is a guest at the home of the wealthy Mrs Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont). I’ve practically seen people shed blood in arguments over this distinction.Ģ. His real voice is heard singing with his brothers in the barrels at the very beginning of the film. Alas, poor Zeppo.Ĭontentious Trivia Note: This is the only Marx Brothers movie in which Harpo’s voice is heard but that’s NOT a mistaken reference to the Maurice Chevalier record that Harpo lip-synchs to at one point. I genuinely think using him in this same capacity would have made ALL the movies with the four bros tighter and better paced considering what stiffs played the lothario in their other films. People often mistakenly attribute those bits to other Marx Brothers flicks.įor once Zeppo got to be the smooth, two-fisted romantic lead as well as laying out a few wry lines of his own. Even other fans of the brothers are often surprised when I remind them how many classic comedy bits are included in this film. They unleash havoc during the crossing and also at a gangster’s party after docking in the U.S.Ĭomment: Almost non-stop madness from start to finish in what – to me – is the most underrated Marx Brothers movie of them all. MONKEY BUSINESS (1931) – The Plot (As if it mattered) – The Four Marx Brothers play stowaways on a transatlantic voyage. In fact I’m such a Marx Brothers fan boy that I even get a kick out of the recurring gag with the block of ice.ģ. But I still think it’s pretty funny, so don’t get mad at me. I may be in the minority but I find the frenetic football game at the end of the movie to be my least favorite comedy bit in the flick. Chico and Harpo played Baravelli and Pinky, two grifters mistaken for gridiron ringers by Groucho.Ĭomment: Even a 4th Place Marx Brothers movie like this contains more laughs than most of the output from Hope & Crosby, Abbot & Costello or Martin & Lewis. Zeppo, though only 11 years younger than Groucho, played his character’s son Frank Wagstaff. HORSE FEATHERS (1932) – The Plot (As if it mattered) – Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho) is made president of Huxley College and proceeds to run it into the ground while concentrating on the football team’s success. “Did anyone ever tell you you look like the Prince of Wales?”Ĥ. We need a Fan Edit of this flick including ONLY the comedy routines, which I agree are all classics. I find myself fast-forwarding through this flick more than any other Marx Brothers movie. The hopelessly dull romantic couple slow things down, too.
#MARX BROTHERS MOVIES YOUTUBE PLUS#
The tinny sound, plus the way the maps, telegrams and newspapers handled by the characters are obviously water-logged to keep the crackling from being picked up on the late 1920s sound equipment.Īnd most importantly the inclusion of pointless music and dance numbers in the “hey, we have sound now, so let’s REALLY show it off” spirit of early talkies.
No matter how good the play was The Cocoanuts movie suffers from too many of the typical weaknesses of early talkies.
How DARE I relegate to FIFTH place a movie based on the brothers’ Broadway hit written by THE George S Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind!Įasy. Chico and Harpo sow all manner of confusion while Margaret Dumont and Zeppo are on hand in their familiar and comfortable straight roles.Ĭomment: Already I can hear the screams from Marx Brothers fans. THE COCOANUTS (1929) – The Plot (As if it mattered) – A hotel manager (Groucho) plots a real estate swindle during the Florida land boom while a jewel theft on the premises attracts unwanted attention from the law. Let’s go for a vintage feel this time with a look at my Top Five Marx Brothers Movies.ĥ. Balladeer’s Blog’s usual “waiting for results to something” mode is to watch a comedy marathon.
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