Post by angilasman on Nov 18, 2010 22:31:43 GMT -5
I love the Marx Brothers.
I really do.
I really, really, really love the Marx Brothers.
I see TCM is having a Marx marathon on New Years and I want to catch Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup - so I decided to try to watch all their films made after that (as well as The Cocoanuts, which TCM isn't showing) in reverse order in preperation.
I had already seen A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races and their first five films from Paramount on television, but the six after that were all new to me when I got my DVDs early last year and I only watched 'em once. Now I want to see if my initial impression of what fans call the "later films" held true. I started with...
Love Happy
This is the last Marx Brothers film, released in 1950, and it wasn't supposed to be that at all. Initially a solo vehicle for Harpo, once Chico had a supporting role the studio insisted on all three brothers so Groucho was roped in for what amounts to an extended cameo. No one was happy with the end result: Groucho ignores it in his autobiography and it was especially painful for Harpo who had been working on a solo film for himself for some time.
...and it's a rather bad movie, but it wasn't as painful as it was the first time. There are still some funny moments from all three brothers, especially for the prominant Harpo who remains spry despite being in his 60s (the clown makeup can't hide that!).
A Night in Casablanca
"If a customer askes you for a three-minute egg, give it to him in two minutes. If he askes you for a two-minute egg, give it to him in one minute. If he askes you for a one-minute egg, give him the chicken and let him work it out for himself!"
This was their second "last film." After retiring the act a few years earlier they came back reportedly to make some money for Chico, who was a serious gambling addict and in debt. But the brothers don't just go through the motions, it's actually a bit of a return to form. Without MGM bossing them around and making them conform the brothers made a movie that they were comfortable with, and although it's not as brilliant as their earlier work it's still a pretty great movie.
But one thing bothered me: Harpo's hair is off in this movie. IMDB says this is because he dyed and curled his real hair rather than wearing a wig. That sounds almost weird enough to be true, and it explains the receding hair line.
I really do.
I really, really, really love the Marx Brothers.
I see TCM is having a Marx marathon on New Years and I want to catch Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup - so I decided to try to watch all their films made after that (as well as The Cocoanuts, which TCM isn't showing) in reverse order in preperation.
I had already seen A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races and their first five films from Paramount on television, but the six after that were all new to me when I got my DVDs early last year and I only watched 'em once. Now I want to see if my initial impression of what fans call the "later films" held true. I started with...
Love Happy
This is the last Marx Brothers film, released in 1950, and it wasn't supposed to be that at all. Initially a solo vehicle for Harpo, once Chico had a supporting role the studio insisted on all three brothers so Groucho was roped in for what amounts to an extended cameo. No one was happy with the end result: Groucho ignores it in his autobiography and it was especially painful for Harpo who had been working on a solo film for himself for some time.
...and it's a rather bad movie, but it wasn't as painful as it was the first time. There are still some funny moments from all three brothers, especially for the prominant Harpo who remains spry despite being in his 60s (the clown makeup can't hide that!).
A Night in Casablanca
"If a customer askes you for a three-minute egg, give it to him in two minutes. If he askes you for a two-minute egg, give it to him in one minute. If he askes you for a one-minute egg, give him the chicken and let him work it out for himself!"
This was their second "last film." After retiring the act a few years earlier they came back reportedly to make some money for Chico, who was a serious gambling addict and in debt. But the brothers don't just go through the motions, it's actually a bit of a return to form. Without MGM bossing them around and making them conform the brothers made a movie that they were comfortable with, and although it's not as brilliant as their earlier work it's still a pretty great movie.
But one thing bothered me: Harpo's hair is off in this movie. IMDB says this is because he dyed and curled his real hair rather than wearing a wig. That sounds almost weird enough to be true, and it explains the receding hair line.