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blip in blip's element


RunItsBlip

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OMG!

FINALLY

image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d waiting for ages and ages

but TCM finally answers image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d's prayers

 

an entire night of MARX BROTHERS!!!!!!

at this very moment image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879dwatching Animal Crackers

to be followed by Duck Soup

 

 

Humans often ask image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d "image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d- what be image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d's favorite Marx Brothers film?"

(actually that question is lower on the list. the top question image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d is asked is "HOW THE HELL DID image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879dGET IN HERE!?")

 

lets review the films:

1 - The Coaconuts - image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d often dismisses this film - then image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d watches and the script shines due to George Kaufman's brilliant script. "Whose On First" really is a VERY poor man's version of WHY A DUCK? There is an interesting historic element to the film. the first film to have sound in it was just 3 years prior - The Jazz Singer. sound was still in it's zygote stage 3 years later. to bring the Marx Brothers to film was not a gamble as they had own vaudeville for nearly 7 years then owned Broadway for another 7. they were mega stars at this point and today we loose perspective on how utterly revolutionary they were. that The Marx Brothers arrived just in time for sound might display other wordly elements deciding that the time had arrived. if you want to know what they looked like live on Broadway - watch this film. it is the only film where Harpo is wearing the appropriate wig. Harpo's wig is supposed to be a RED fright wig. the red wig looked too brunette in black and white so it was switched to a strawberry blond wig because that looked more blond

2 - Animal Crackers - if you want to know what the "characters" were - this is the film. much of what is hidden here is private joke stuff placed in via George Kaufman. chico's gambling and mathmatical skills are punch lines. (the bridge playing scene is interesting due to the fact that chico was one of the leading bridge players in america). groucho is in his full element as Captain Spaulding - the role he would forever be directly connected to. Hello I Must Be Going - Gilbert & Sullivan-esque is due to groucho's worship of them. the original stage version gave zeppo much more to do - but pay close attention to his delivery. zeppo was one of the extremely few who could make groucho laugh out loud. the scene between margaret dumont and grouch in the dark is NOT groucho. it is zeppo doing groucho. study the head shape. and then harpo. that Kaufman would call harpo The Professor? hrpo dropped out of school in the 2nd grade. (he got tired of being tossed out the window every time the teacher left the room and getting in trouble.) harpo was the darling of the intellectual set.

3 - Monkey Business - the first movie that was not based on a stage show. both previous films had record breaking box office. for the first time audiences came back repeatedly to see the movie. (a key reason was to catch the dialogue. there were inital complaints that the dialogue went by so fast that they could not hear. ) lines went around the block. in some towns the film ran for 26 weeks. movie houses kept bringing the films back. monkey business was also boffo box office - even tho it essentially has no plot. it is funny none-the-less....but do not look for any actual plot)

4-  Horse Feathers - due to the marx brothers officially becoming film royalty they appeared on the cover of Time - in part as a promotion to horse feathers. unlike monkey business, there really is a plt. no romance as in the previous films. (zeppo was the male ingenue in monkey business - finally giving zeppo something to do) groucho felt that box office slipped here because they had become predictably predictable. horse feathers has image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d's favorite groucho song "I'm Against It"

5 - Duck Soup. The Marx Brothers were STARS of the first order - even tho horse feathers did not fair quite as well as the previous three. Paramount decided they were worth a FULL production and put  serious coin into Duck Soup. Leo McCarey was the only top-notch director they ever had and he seriously did not want to work with them. production issues with the marx's were already legend. (groucho was walking hell for writers. zeppo was fed up with cruel reviews - having no real reason to be there - and had a VERY short fuse. those who knew the brothers off-stage considered zeppo the funniest of the brothers in real life. chico would be off gambling at some card game or off to mexico to the horse track. when he did show up, chico loved a good practical joke. harpo? nobody had complaints - but they worked together in full unity. McCarey thought he managed to get away from working with them - but the script finally was finished and McCarey had signed a contract thinking that the timing would mean that some other schmo would have to direct the brothers. his nightmare happened instead. McCarey is why the mirror scene was made....in virtually 1 take. groucho said "if the film is political - take that up with McCarey. we just wanted to make a funny movie." Result: both a critical and financial disaster.

6 - Night At The Opera: Enter Thalberg. chico saw the writing on the wall at Paramount. the relationship had been souring there for quite some time. the marx brothers were considering going into business with sam goldwyn (the G in MGM) - but when chico said he was talking with thalberg, goldwyn said "SIGN WITH THALBERG!" Irving Thalberg was called "the boy genius" EVERYBODY wanted to work with him. he really was THAT good. he loved movies. he understood them. he appreciated the audience - the actors - and the entire process. Thalberg ran his own studio within MGM. if you were under contract with Thalberg you might work at MGM - but you worked FOR Thalberg. it was an open secret that Thalberg was going to start his own studio. he had no comics in his stable. the marx brothers became available. again - timing. when thalberg talked about how the marx brothers films were failing they were dumbstruck. "they are plenty funny!" was the retort. thalberg agreed - but said they were not making money. (he meant horse feathers and duck soup) "I can make your film half as funny but they will make money." this did appeal to the marx brothers. (Chico always needed money. groucho always counted every penny.  harpo was not in need of the money but had to agree that the financial point was valid. zeppo had now left and was now a theatrical agent) major money enticed Kaufman to write the script. thalberg's idea to send the marx brothers out on tour to work out key scene was inspiring. this film is probably the only genuinely perfect comedy - technically speaking. the laughs were timed. everything was a known before the filming began. the marx brothers were back!

7 - A Day At The Races is no Night At The Opera. why? no kaufman. you can not expect to hit the ball out of the park every time. MOST IMPORTANT POINT: irving Thalberg died - at the age of 37 - the 3rd week into filming. Mayer was renown for having no sense of humor. add to this that he hated the marx brothers. (groucho was no help here. once their paths crossed on the back lot. mayer asked groucho, "How is filming going?" (referring to A Night At The Opera") groucho answers "What's it to you? we work for Thalberg." (this is an example of how Groucho got his name) There are shots that Thalberg never would have allowed. The final chase scene is a key example. Groucho's favorite song "I'm dr. hackenbush" - another gilbert & sullivan type  of tune was cut from the film

8 - Room Service. the brothers knew nobody at mgm had their best interest in mind. they humored going back to broadway and doing a musical version of Kaufman's Of Thee I Sing. they had the notion of doing a Broadway show then putting it to film. that never happened. they felt maybe becoming their own production company was the ticket. they purchased the rights to a broadway hit - Room Service. the show was not designed as a marx brothers vehicle. you could fold groucho into it and even chico. but there was no justification for harpo in the story. (he is the saving grace of the entire thing) this is a very claustrophobic film. the entire play takes place in a single hotel room. so does 95% of the film. it was shot at RKO - which meant that Lucille Ball - then the queen of RKO was in the film. oddly, she had no memory of making the movie.

9 - Go West: this script languished for years. someone felt, "hey - the boys never made a western. lets put them in one!" Money is money and so MGM and the Marx Brothers signed a 3 film contract. groucho's attitude was to take the money and run. this shows the attitude. critics say that the last 15 minutes virually makes up for the previous hour. perhaps. this might be their most listless film.

10 - At The Circus. Grouch HATED this film. probably because the production was so loaded with just about any production problem it could have. (the issue with the gorilla suit and it's owner and all that was key. it would make anybody fed up) this is the film that groucho referred to when he said, "we were hanging upside down by our knees and i turned to harpo and asked, 'had enough?' and harpo agreed" the brothers - even chico were financially secure. making a marx brothers movie was HARD work - not just the production but the pre-production. this is the film that introduces groucho's other key known song Lydia The Tattooed Lady. if for no other reason it is worth it. despite groucho's attitude, this really is a good film. better than Go West by far

11 - The Big Store - the marx brothers' official swan song. as a performing group they were officially calling it quits. they were in their 50s. they literally had been at this since they were kids. they earned the retirement. groucho would go out as a solo (what he really wanted for quite a long time really) chico would front for a big band. harpo would appear on radio (harpo on radio? yup) and did lots of charity work. this film shows mgm's contempt towards comedy. mayer considerd comedies just not worth the while and the marx brothers - in particular - he did not find amusing in any fashion. he "liked" harpo as a person - but just did not think harpo amusing. being tickled by a feather would not amuse mayer. critics said of the film, "As a final course, it is a bargain." An amusing film but it pales for what they could have done. take the money and run. get the contract over with.

12 - A Night in Casablanca. chico needed the money. it really is the only reason the brothers made the movie. MUCH better than go west or the big store. not as manic as at the circus - but this is a film that if mgm hadd not had contempt for comedy they might have been able to pull off. give this film a chance. it works. image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d only complaint is that harpo did not want to wear the wig. under the lights it made his head sweat and itch. that is his actual hair - all puffed out. who really makes the film shine? thank you buster keaton! mgm had DESTROYED keaton's life and career. harpo hired keaton to develop gags for the film. a huge laugh starts the film. a police officer sees harpo standing by a building. "Hey! you holding up the building or something?" he questions harpo in contempt. harpo nods that he is. the police officer tells harpo to move along and pushe harpo to be on his way. the building collapses. thank you buster keaton.

13 - Love Happy. what a nightmare! everyone involved in this film referred to it as "Love What??" harpo had developed what would have been a lovely little chaplin-esque story. it was to be a harpo movie. NOT a marx brothers film. chico needed money. harpo agreed to include chico - as a cameo. the producers lied and lied to harpo. they could not fund the film unless groucho was in it. groucho was starting You Bet Your Life and a new family. he agreed only to help chico. the notion was that groucho would be in the introduction of the film and the end. the final result had grouch edited in throughout the film. groucho and harpo never had a cross word but the production was so horrendous that groucho had not been paid. to raise needed funds - the final scene on the rooftop with all the overtly product placement ads was created. it is a fun scene - but deserved the panning it got by both movie goers and critics. this film is why harpo swore never to do a film ever again. the film was relaesed as "the movie that discovered marilyn monroe!" she had appeared in a couple of previos films. the movie is so disappointing that it was played as the second film to a double feature - following abbott & Costello's Africa Screams.

One person once said that the marx brothers - at their worse - are better than almost anybody at their best. that is definitely true - even Love Happy

so....after ALL this...what is image.png.1dea0fb377a132fc8bb8342768879d's fave?

if Duck Soup had a harpo solo and a piano solo it would be considered by all the best film the marx brothers did. the lines go by so fast that you have to listen - and watch - multiple times to catch them.

 

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