Love Happy (1949)

A theater troupe struggles to finance their show (named Love Happy), jewel thieves are trying to locate a million dollar necklace they stole, and the brothers clown around. There is a lot going on, little of which is of much consequence.

This last Marx Brothers film came together somewhat accidentally. Harpo planned it as a solo project, but couldn’t secure financing unless Chico and Groucho came along. Harpo playing the Harpo character and doing all of the Harpo bits without his brothers doesn’t really make sense anyhow. Many of Groucho’s scenes appear to be filmed at a different time, improvised and poorly shot. He serves as the story’s narrator but interacts somewhat during the third act.

Vera-Ellen is charming as the plucky and lovelorn dancer. Baroness Frankenstein herself Ilona Massey is the exotic and enigmatic leader of the thieves. Her performance is peculiar but I blame the source material. Raymond Burr is one of her thugs. Marilyn Monroe had a very short and entirely gratuitous scene. That, and conspicuous product placements, may have been part of the financing agreement.

Like the worst of the Brother’s films, it transitions from a mostly uninteresting story line, to unfunny comic bits, to tedious song and dance numbers, then back again. To be fair there were a couple amusing bits, one in particular involves a handheld mirror. Unfortunately Harpo chooses to repeat it, just in case the audience was napping.

The Marx Brothers were a moment in time. Their downtrodden but irreverently upbeat act played well during the Depression, but became increasingly anachronistic as we inched towards the affluent and optimistic 50’s. Besides, only baby Groucho was under sixty at this point. It was a good time to move on.

So, this is it. The last of the Marx Brothers films. Famously Groucho omitted in his autobiography, naming A Night in Casablanca as their last. But the Brothers did appear, separately, in one more film, but I think I’m done here.

The boys did thirteen films together, but I can only recommend their second through seventh. Love Happy might be the worst of the lot, Groucho apparently thought so, and unless you feel compelled to complete arbitrary lists, it is completely skipable. AMRU 2.

The Big Store (1941)

Tommy Rogers (Tony Martin), an aspiring singer who owns shares in a department store, wants to sell so he can fund a music conservancy in the neighborhood where he got his start. But the bad guy doesn’t want him to sell for some reason and hatches a plan to kill him for some reason, but the Margaret Dumont character (Margaret Dumont) hires a detective (Groucho) for some reason.

Is Tommy a big star or trying to get his start? Are his shares valuable or almost worthless? Doesn’t matter because we get the deal. The Brothers clown around ostensibly trying to protect the cartoon good guy from the cartoon bad guys, roll credits. The plot isn’t secondary, it’s irrelevant. Truth be told the bits aren’t that bad, but the trouble begins with the inclusion of pointless musical numbers.

Chico does the same piano number as always and Harpo his harp number as always, just in case we haven’t seen it a dozen times already. To make matters worse, the story (such as it is) halts in the second act for a ridiculous swing number that went on forever. But it gets worse. There is a big finale that Groucho called “The most godawful thing I’d ever heard”. I tend to agree.

There is a big chase scene near the end that is a bit unusual for a Marx Brother's film. It was silly without being particularly funny, and I found it odd to see the boys, now in their 50s, behaving like 20-somethings.

Here is the eleventh of the twelve Marx Brother films, and it only took me a little over ten years to see them. The final is the somewhat hard to find Love Happy (1949) which was disowned by Groucho. So, yay. It has the lowest IMDb score of the lot and hopefully I can finish off the set this year.

I began the night with the intent of watching a Buster Keaton talkie but quickly aborted that plan. As disappointing as The Big Store was, there are worse films. To see Keaton, who should have been at the top of his game, in such a terrible production was heartbreaking. I saw maybe fifteen minutes before declaring it unwatchable trash. The Big Store, as uninspired as it was, was still watchable. Well, most of it was. AMRU 2.5.

Go West (1940)

It’s the old west and singing cowboy Terry wants to marry pretty Eve, but grampy forbids it. Terry’s pappy sold gramps Dead Man’s Gulch, and wouldn’t you know, there ain’t a lick of gold on it, the swindler! Terry tries to set things straight by convincing the railroad to route their line through there making it valuable. Unfortunately, there are bad guys who want to swindle him, but the boys are there to help. Kinda.

Pretty standard fare at this point in their career. Some witty lines but not quite as clever as the early years. Tedious musical numbers nobody asked for, Chico gets his piano solo and Harpo his harp. Do they even do different songs from movie to movie? I can't even tell. No Margaret Dumont, but don’t worry. She comes back for one more. Only novelty here is seeing the boys in a western. Is it a western? I suppose so.

Like most of their films, the plot is little more than a premise around which the boys frame their bits. Only now the bits are sparse and uninspired. Perhaps the songs returned to pad the runtime. What we end up with is a watchable, vaguely amusing hour twenty. Groucho gets in a few good cuts, but not like in the earlier days. AMRU 3.

At The Circus (1939)

Zeppo-analog disinherits himself so he can run a circus with his horse singing love. He is robbed of the ten grand he needs to buy it outright and Antonio (Chico) enlists the help of a lawyer (Groucho) to save the day.

I am growing tired of bits where Chico and Harpo just clown around with no real comedic inventiveness. Here, the boys search for the money in the strong man’s quarters while he sleeps. Nothing particularly funny happens and it doesn’t advance the story. Along with the reintroduction of musical numbers, At the Circus tends to be a little tedious.

That said, it does bring back a little of what Room Service lost. Margaret Dumont for one, if in a lesser capacity (and past the 50 minute mark), and Groucho is his wisecracking self, at least to a degree. Room Service was a non-Marx Brothers film starring the Marx Brothers, and it was clear how well that worked. Circus felt like it was their film, though you can sense that their heart really wasn’t into it anymore.

A young Eve Arden has a sizable role. Older audiences will remember her as Miss Brooks, but she will always be Principle McGee to me. Famous gorilla performer Charles Gemora played a gorilla. He had a thirty year career mostly playing apes or ape-like monsters, including The War of the Worlds and Island of Lost Souls.

While At The Circus does not stand with the best of the Marx Brothers films, it’s not among the skippables either. It contains no fondly remembered comedic bits, but it’s funny enough and very watchable. Cut a couple of the songs and it would be more so. AMRU 3.

Room Service (1938)

Stage producer Gordon Miller (Groucho Marx) is scamming the hotel where his acting troupe is staying, while trying to find a financial backer right up to opening night. The writer shows up to play the Zeppo character.

This is the first Marx Brothers film not specifically written for them, and it shows. Apart from a couple thrown in bits, there is very little of the Marx Brother style. No Margaret Dumont, and little verbal wordplay or insult comedy. They didn’t even give Groucho a funny name. But when compared to earlier films, it does have a more conventional story line. For a screwball comedy, that is.

The premise is that the play has no financier, the writer arrives looking for his payout, they’ve racked up huge bills, and the hotel is being audited. In other words, zany antics ensue. Lucille Ball has a sizable role, even if they give her little funny to say. Ann Miller appears for no other reason than to give the playwright a love interest. She was fifteen at the time. Why does this keep happening?

Room Service is a lesser Marx Brothers film, and the only one they did for RKO. I can’t say I laughed audibly at any time, but it is by no means unwatchable. Thank god they didn’t include a boring harp solo. AMRU 3.

A Day at the Races (1937)

Pretty Judy (Maureen O’Sullivan) runs a Sanitarium that is short on cash. The bad guys are trying to buy her out so they can open a casino to go with the horse track next door. Her singer boyfriend blew all his cash on a racehorse, so he’s no help. Tony (Chico) tries to convince rich inmate (Margaret Dumont) to invest but she is obsessed with a doctor Hackenbush (Groucho) she saw in Florida. So Tony (Chico) sends a telegram inviting Hackenbush (Groucho) to visit. He does but unbeknownst to everyone, he’s a horse doctor. Harpo (Stuffy) is also there but he doesn’t have much to say.

Much of the manic tone and unconventional style of their earlier work is toned down for A Day at the Races. Groucho behaved less like a psychotic disconnected with what’s going on around him and more like a real person. He knows he’s a fraud and cares what happens to Judy. The end result is more importance felt for the situation Judy finds herself in and the comedic bits feel that much funnier. I can’t be sure if this tonal shift is due to Hollywood slowly reining the brothers in or if maturity was creeping in. Either way, it is a welcome change.

The most manic scene is where Hackenbush (Groucho) is forced to examine Mrs. Upjohn (Dumont) by an actual physician and he stalls with the help of Tony (Chico) and Stuffy (Harpo). It’s absolute insanity and it wouldn’t have had the same impact had the stakes not been high.

For me, this is the best Marx Brothers film so far. Producer Irving Thalberg died tragically at age 37 before filming wrapped and Groucho stated that he lost interest in making movies. I hope this doesn't bode ominously for the remaining films, but I already know a couple are stinkers. AMRU 4.

"If you're looking for my fingerprints, you're a little early!"

A Night at the Opera (1935)

The setting: a transatlantic voyage, then a New York opera house. The circumstance: Dumont character hires Groucho character to get her into High Society, and he has her donate to the opera. The complicating factor: Arrogant opera star has the hots for leading lady, but she loves unimportant background singer (who's really great if only someone would just give him a chance!). The result: unspectacular.

There is as much point summarizing a Marx Brothers film as there would a stooge short. The story just an excuse for the comedy bits. The ones that stand out are a cop searching through Groucho’s apartment looking for Chico, Harpo, and the background singer (they were stowaways) but they move to the other room in the nick of time. Meh. Another is where Groucho’s tiny state room is crowded by said stowaways, engineers, kitchen people, and a parade of insundry people.

Pretty opera star Rosa was played by a young Kitty Carlisle. From time well spent watching game shows in the 1970’s and 80’s, I was quite familiar with the old Kitty Carlisle. I never knew why she was famous, but she appeared to be popular, if boring. Apparently she did a lot of theater before and after her short, unremarkable Hollywood career. She went on to do a ton of variety TV before making To Tell the Truth a semi-permanent home. I had difficulty seeing the 25 year old Kitty and not seeing the geriatric Kitty I knew so well.

The first Zeppo-free Marx Brothers film and first with MGM, Groucho said it was one of his favorites. For me no gag stands out as particularly amusing. Nothing really wrong here, it's just predictable and seldom amusing. I’ve only six more Marx Brothers films to go and I am wondering if I’ll find any of them particularly interesting. I hope so. AMRU 3.

“I saw Mrs. Claypool first. Of course, her mother really saw her first but there's no point in bringing the Civil War into this.”

Monkey Business (1931)

The FOUR Marx Brothers (yea, we're still dealing with Zeppo at this time) are stowaways on an ocean liner. They spend their time running away from the crew and become caught up in a conflict between a small time hood and a retired mob boss. Standard Marx Brothers bits apply.

This may be the least interesting Marx Brothers film, short of A Night in Casablanca. Nothing particularly compelling or interesting here. This was the first Marx Brothers film made specifically for the screen, and the first produced in Hollywood. Their films do seem to get better after this one, so maybe they needed to find their voice again.

Thelma Todd took what may have been the Margaret Dumont part because she was younger and prettier. Todd would return in Horse Feathers, and Dumont would pick up again in Duck Soup. Then Todd was murdered.

So, what's the deal with Zeppo anyhow? The big three all had their distinct look and mannerisms. But Zeppo was, well, a poor man's romantic lead. He took over for Gummo as the straight man the act simply didn't need. In their vaudeville days (and apparently in their film career to a small extent) he would substitute for one of his brothers from time to time. Zeppo was present for the first five films before joining Gummo as a talent agent.

No real highs here, but no real lows either. Just consistently meh. It falls in the "kinda short and not painful to watch" category I seem to find, but no real reason to go out of your way to see it. AMRU 2.5.

"Oh, I know it's a penny here and a penny there, but look at me. I worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty."

Animal Crackers (1930)

A rich socialite (Margaret Dumont) hosts a party for a famous explorer (Graucho). Marx Brothers antics ensue.

This is my fifth Marx Brothers film and they are little more than variations on the same theme. So, I was surprised somewhat that I could be somewhat surprised by this one. Every now and again would be a scene that was more than a bit strange. In one where Graucho is trying to convince Dumont and another woman to both marry him, he stops, says "Pardon me while I have a strange interlude", then steps forward into an intense and dryly comedic monologue while the women appear not to notice. Quite strange.

In another scene between Graucho's Captain Spaulding and Roscoe Chandler, an art expert, Chandler's Louis Sorin flubs his line. Graucho runs with it creating an almost uncomfortable but amazing moment. All done in long takes.

The Brother's second film is very uneven. Some gags were hilarious while some were tedious. Some songs were tolerable, while others weren't. Cut most of the insipid songs, a couple of the bits, and you'll have a first rate two-reeler. As is, simply on the power of a couple great bits, AMRU 3.5.

"I'm sick of these conventional marriages. One woman and one man was good enough for your grandmother, but who wants to marry your grandmother? Nobody, not even your grandfather."

Horse Feathers (1932)

New college president Wagstaff (Groucho) is convinced by his undergrad son Frank (dull brother Zeppo) that what the school needs is a winning football team, and he sends him to a local speakeasy where a few top players hang out. Instead of recruiting ringers, he signs up the speakeasy thug and the dog catcher (Chico and Harpo). Marx style antics ensue.

Story really doesn't matter in a Marx Brothers movie. It's just a framework for them to perform their vaudeville. If you take anything here seriously, then you are missing the point.

Comedy footnote Thelma Todd plays the sizable role. Her career was cut shot because someone murdered her. Interesting to note that TCM presenter Ben Mankiewicz mentioned that his grandfather said he'd rather have their teeth drilled out before working with the brothers again. The Buster Keaton documentary I mentioned before had unkind words about their professionalism as well.

All Marx Brother films are alike, as far as I can tell. They don't fail to entertain, however. Would be nice if the musical numbers were shorter. AMRU 3.5.

"Are you suggesting that I, the president of Huxley College, go into a speakeasy without even giving me the address?"

Duck Soup (1933)

The bankrupt nation of Freedonia wants to borrow more money from the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), but she will only agree if they make the dashing Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) President. When the nation of Sylvania takes steps to invade, hilarity ensues.

The fifth of the eight Marx Brothers movies, this is possibly their best. As always, it's little more than an excuse for the boys to clown around. Here you will find the famous mirror scene, where Chico (or was it Harpo?) disguised as Groucho mirrored his movements pretending to be his image. Real vaudeville stuff.

This is also the last appearance of Zeppo who played, ummm ... Bob. He went on to be an agent and to make pulse rate monitors. Seems his roles weren't terribly memorable. Can't argue that.

So, why 'Duck Soup'? Groucho had a funny line about that, but apparently the studio was simply working the animal theme the previous movies had. No ducks were harmed in the making of this film. Hey, and Charles Middleton, Ming the Mercifullnessless himself, has a small role. Not in makeup, thankfully.

Not much more to say. Just four jews trying to get a laugh. There was the energy and charisma that was lacking in A Night in Casablanca. Made my boys laugh, occasionally. I wanted to see them in sequence, but they aren't readily available, so I'll take them as they come. Not like there is any continuity. AMRU 3.5.

"Rufus T. Firefly: Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot. I implore you, send him back to his father and brothers, who are waiting for him with open arms in the penitentiary. I suggest that we give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Twelveworth.
Chicolini: I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll take five and ten in Woolworth."

The Cocoanuts (1929)

Hammer (Groucho Marx) is the owner of a failing Florida hotel. There's a bit of a love story, some songs, a jewel thief, but mostly it's a throw-away story designed around the Marx Brothers comedy. Chico and Harpo pretend to be interested in buying the hotel but in actuality just want to lift items from the guests, of which there are very few. Margaret Dumont is one.

All in all (dare I be sacrilegious) it's a very skipable movie. As the earliest true talkie I've seen, the sound quality was rather poor. They filmmakers had to soak the paper used in various scenes to keep the crinkling sound from overloading the recording equipment. It looked like cloth.

There were some funny scenes but not one of their best works. I saw their last and now their first. I'm sure the ones in the middle are much better. AMRU 2.5.

Hammer: Now here is a little peninsula and here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland.

Chico: Why a duck?

A Night in Casablanca (1946)

This was an experiment. Would the humor of the Marx Brothers translate for a 14 year old boy? Would the Brothers be as funny as I remember? 

A young soldier is convinced Nazi treasure (the best kind) is hidden someplace in a Casablanca hotel, and he is determined to find it. Unfortunately, so are some former Nazis. The hotel manager is murdered by the Nazi in an attempt to take over the hotel, and gaining full access to search. Unfortunately for him, a Mister Ronald Kornblow (Groucho Marx) is brought in. His brothers (the funny ones, anyhow) tag along. 

Antics ensue. Kornblow tries to woo hot Nazi chick (the best kind), soldier is arrested as a suspected Nazi, Nazi tries to knock off Kornblow, and a fun time is had by all. 

Like with Mae West, it's hard to appreciate the originality of humor after it's been duplicated a million times over. Even with that perspective, I couldn't find many of the sight gags funny. What chance did my son? But slowly, over time, he started to appreciate what Groucho was doing. The biting remarks, and comedic put downs:

"Sir, this lady is my wife. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"If this lady is your wife, you should be ashamed of yourself."

His amusing flirtations:

"My name's Beatrice Rheiner. I stop at the hotel."
"My name's Ronald Kornblow. I stop at nothing."

"You know, I think you are the most beautiful woman in the whole world."
"Do you really?"
"No, but I don't mind lying if it'll get me somewhere."

"After all, I'm a man and you're a woman ... and I can't think of a better arrangement."

"Oh, come on now. You wouldn't say no to a lady."
"I don't know, why not? They always say no to me."

In the end, my son was won over. I'm sure it's not the best Marx Brothers film, but it was fun. Groucho referred to it as the last Marx Bros film, but it wasn't. Love Happy (1949) with Marilyn Monroe was, but he hated that movie. AMRU 3.5. I'm putting The Cocoanuts onto my Netflix queue.