I went through a massive Marx Bros phase, when I was 17. I just loved the idea of always having a witty answer for any situation. I think the fact that I used to argue with my Dad a lot, around that time, had a lot to do with it.
A Night at the Opera, a Day at the Races and Monkey Business are the 3 best films, for me. The last couple of films they made were indeed poor, but legend has it Groucho and Harpo only agreed to make them, as a way of helping chico pay off his gambling debts.
I think Duck Soup is the best by far. My next 5:
Monkey Business
A Night at the Opera
Animal Crackers
A Night in Casablanca
Horse Feathers
I agree with the general rule that the later films aren't worth getting excited about - and The Big Store is truly awful - but A Night in Casablanca is surprisingly good. I'm not a big fan of A Day at the Races, despite some good scenes.
I prefer the earlier stuff pre-MGM overall. Although the MGM films are better made that's probably only because they knew how to make talkies by then. You have to cope with the static camera on the early stuff, but you have to cope with the crap musical interludes on most of them.
YES! The musical interludes are annoying save Harpo's musical numbers like 'Night at the Opera' when on the Boat Harpo entertains children between the piano and harp. That was great stuff that I'm sure Victor Borge was first inspired by.
Quote: Badge @ April 5 2009, 11:24 PM BSTThe Big Store is truly awful
Balderdash. It's excellent, although not in the class of Duck Soup. Groucho's insults to Margaret Dumont while wooing her for her wealth may not be as caustic as in previous films, but there are still plenty of great gags: Harpo cutting the back off the bitchy woman's dress, Groucho casually plucking the fur off the horrible old coat that he wears, the whole bit in Groucho's office, and Groucho with a prototype Vyvyan (of The Young Ones) hairstyle.
One of the highlights is the chase sequence near the end: some great stunts and special effects for that era. Up there with Go West. Also, there are only a couple of dull songs by the supporting/straight man. A low point is the very final gag, but so what, many of the other films also finished with a whimper, as if in deference to the studios wanting a polite comedy ending.
There are some great lines in The Big Store:
Chico: Let there be wine.
Groucho: And women.
Chico: And song.
Groucho: And women.
Chico: And caviar.
Groucho: And women.
Mr Grover: It's bargain day, the store is crowded, a woman faints. What do you do?
Groucho [lecherously]: How old is she?
Groucho [hosting a fashion show]: This a bright red dress, but Technicolour is so expensive.
Quote: Badge @ April 5 2009, 11:24 PM BST... but you have to cope with the crap musical interludes on most of them.
Agreed, they tend to be crap if it's just Zeppo or a straight man co-star doing the singing, but all songs by Groucho are fun, Chico's piano playing is glorious and Harpo's harping is never unpleasant. [Aside: Of all the books written by and about the Marx brothers, the very best is Harpo's Harpo Speaks]. Gospel tunes in A Day at the Races are also good. There should be more singing and music in comedy films.
Quote: catskillz @ April 5 2009, 10:57 PM BSTlegend has it Groucho and Harpo only agreed to make them, as a way of helping chico pay off his gambling debts.
That's right - in the case of A Night in Casablanca. EDIT: And partly true in the case of Love Happy - as it was Harpo's film, Groucho just joined to help them get financing, Chico to pay his debts.
Quote: Ben @ April 5 2009, 6:23 PM BSTI'd always read that Groucho was a massive influence on Woody Allen, but I didn't realise how much until I saw Duck Soup! The delivery and one liners are almost identical.
Spike Milligan said his biggest influence was the Marx Brothers. And everyone knows the Goon Show went on to become a huge influence on Peter Cook and the Pythons.
Quote: sardines @ April 5 2009, 10:15 PM BSTAre their films not out of copyright yet?
I bought all but one of the Marx Brothers movies (each on single DVDs) for the equivalent of 10 quid last year from a woman with a stall (selling Chinese-made copies of old, apparently copyright-expired, movies) in a shopping mall. The one movie she didn't have was A Night in Casablanca. It's now on sale at a local DVD retailer as part of 3-pack (costing 10 quid) along with Get Smart Again and Bedazzled (the original with Cook and Moore).
Groucho & Chico are comedy geniuses. In terms of stetch shows only Python beats it in my opinion and that's very, very close. The best moment are when it's those two, just like talot of the best moments in Seinfeld are often the George/Jerry verbal sparring conversations. Groucho definitely the best. I'd say my favourite shorts are Duck Soup and Monkey Business.
My favourite Marx moment is from Monkey Business, when the Brothers each have a go at getting off the ship, posing as famous French crooner, Maurice Chavallier, with the mute Harpo resorting to strapping a gramophone to his back!
By the way, the biggest Marx rip-off I've ever heard, was I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, the old radio sketch show that John Cleese did, with Bill Oddie.
Quote: Badge @ April 5 2009, 4:24 PM BSTYou obviously haven't seen The Big Store then.
I have seen The Big Store. It's not as good as their other movies, but it's still great. Duck Soup's got to be my favourite though.
Well, you can all like The Big Store if you like. But Ben - DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! If you watch The Big Store next you will never watch another Marx Brothers film. I am having a nighmarish flashback involving the Tenement Symphony song.
Yea Badge is right, only watch Big Store and their later movies if you have already watched their better stuff. You may appreciate it and you may not, but like anything start with the best and work your way down.
The sudden death of the guy who Produced A Night at the Opera, and A Day at the Races, was a massive blow to the Brothers. It was the Comedy equivalent of The Beatles losing Brian Epstein.
I decided to buy this:
http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/702338/Marx-Brothers-Collection-Box-Set/Product.html?add=702338
Has plenty of the films recommended by you guys. Has a couple of the later ones too which are supposed to be bad, but you can't argue at the price.
Quote: Ben @ April 6 2009, 11:54 PM BSTHas a couple of the later ones too which are supposed to be bad
It's all a matter of opinion. In my opinion they're not at all bad. They're great fun.
There's a great Groucho anecdote in a biography of Louis B. Mayer (MGM studio boss) from the time the Marx Brothers were making A Day at the Races (before producer Irving Thalberg died). Louis B. Mayer was upset that the filming was behind schedule and over-budget. He passed Groucho in a corridor one day and asked him: "How's the picture going?". Groucho curtly replied: "What business is that of yours?" and kept walking.
Quote: Ben @ April 6 2009, 11:54 PM BSTI decided to buy this: http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/702338/Marx-Brothers-Collection-Box-Set/Product.html?add=702338
Awesome collection. And it's got Love Happy, their last film together. It was also one of Marilyn Monroe's earliest films. Here's what Groucho said about it:
I was only in Love Happy for about 10 days [of filming]. Harpo had an idea that he was Charlie Chaplin and wanted to do a film by himself. But Chico needed money as usual so he got into it... Before you know they discovered they couldn't finance the film unless all the Marx Bros. were in it. The banks wouldn't put up the money and that's how I ended up in the film. That's when I met Marilyn Monroe. Boy, did I want to f**k her. She wore this dress with bare tits... I may have tried to lay her once but I didn't get anywhere with her. I don't think any of the boys did. Chico may have tried. She was the most beautiful girl I ever saw in my life.
Extract from The Marx Bros. Scrapbook (1973) - the second best book on the Marx Brothers.
Here's another snippet, Groucho on Harpo's harp playing: He was interested in playing the f**king harp, which I hated... When we did pictures later and I'd have to watch them, I'd leave the theater until the harp bit was over.
Harpo did once actually appear in a silent movie, in the early '30s. It as just a short cameo appearance, in a film that I don't think was even a comedy.
