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Post by mrcleveland on Dec 29, 2010 19:15:39 GMT -5
Now that I think about it, I think the "black sheep" movie Love Happy was the one that was basically just to pay off Chico's gambling debts. I dunno for sure, I've heard that rumor plastered on both of those movies. In a way...I think it was a British Film because it had a British Rating in the beginning. And it also had the primere of a new star Marylin Monroe...and the only film to have Groucho Marx with a REAL mustache!
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Post by GProopdog on Dec 29, 2010 19:49:39 GMT -5
I believe this story is in the trivia section for LH, but apparently, Groucho had three women who were trying out for the main female role walk by him in as seductive a way as possible. When Marilyn walked by him, he pretty much said "How could you *not* pick her?"
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Post by angilasman on Dec 30, 2010 11:09:09 GMT -5
^Groucho told that story on the Today Show interview included as a bonus feature on Universal's Marx Brothers boxed set, anyhow....
The Cocoanuts
The first Marx feature film is very rough. Sound was a new technology and when watching you can almost feel the crew struggling to figure out how it works. The trite romantic plot (rather suggestive of the ones featured in later films), the random musical numbers, and the long stretches of Marx Brothers comedic scenes that make you forget all about those first two things make it feel like some kind of variety show - not a cohesive whole.
Luckily, some of those aforementioned comedic scenes are very good - classic, in fact - and that's enough for me. The "Why a Duck" scene, the auction, the running in and out of the bedroom scene (which they would do varaiations of in a few films), Harpo and Chico first entering the hotel - what more can you ask for?
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Post by angilasman on Dec 30, 2010 20:07:16 GMT -5
Wow! TCM will show The Story of Mankind in March, which as many of you probably know has seperate, short scenes with Groucho, Harpo and Chico.
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Post by Chuck on Dec 30, 2010 20:27:06 GMT -5
^Groucho told that story on the Today Show interview included as a bonus feature on Universal's Marx Brothers boxed set, anyhow.... The CocoanutsThe first Marx feature film is very rough. Sound was a new technology and when watching you can almost feel the crew struggling to figure out how it works. The trite romantic plot (rather suggestive of the ones featured in later films), the random musical numbers, and the long stretches of Marx Brothers comedic scenes that make you forget all about those first two things make it feel like some kind of variety show - not a cohesive whole. Luckily, some of those aforementioned comedic scenes are very good - classic, in fact - and that's enough for me. The "Why a Duck" scene, the auction, the running in and out of the bedroom scene (which they would do varaiations of in a few films), Harpo and Chico first entering the hotel - what more can you ask for? Actually, what you are seeing is the filmed stage show of the same name. Ditto for Animal Crackers. And if you look in the "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" scene, George S. Kaufman is, I believe, one of the party-goers.
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Post by angilasman on Dec 30, 2010 21:58:54 GMT -5
^I know, but Animal Crackers is a much more successful transition to film.
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Post by angilasman on Dec 31, 2010 14:16:13 GMT -5
I'm getting amped for the Marathon tonight. I've been buzzing through Joe Adamson's 1970s book Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Sometimes Zeppo since yesterday afternoon.
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Post by angilasman on Jan 1, 2011 12:18:36 GMT -5
Here we go!
Animal Crackers
Their second movie, which was their last Broadway show. Both the show and the movie are an improvement from what I see. It's still a bit stagy, but we get a great character for Groucho to play in Captain Spaulding (hooray for) and Harpo turns in a great performance as a force of nature that does whatever it pleases.
Monkey Business
No staginess here. The Marxes are now able to explore the world around them and it's quite an occasion.
I really, really love this movie. It basically amounts to a movie-length chase sequence with different parties being chased or doing the chasing, but everything that the brothers do makes that simple plot sublime.
One thing that makes this one unique is that in this film all the Marx Brothers know each other and are a team from the beginning. They start out in a group and split up and reassemble at various points. This is very different from the usual formula.
Horse Feathers
About the same quality as the film before it, which is to say it's brilliant. I don't know what more to say, other than the first scene is brilliant and so are most of the scenes that come after it.
Maybe I'll mention how great Groucho's song, "I'm Against It" is. Or I might mention how delighted I am by Harpo's dogcatcher routine or when all three brothers descend upon a biology class and destroy it - but I've almost run out of things to say and there is still one movie left.
Duck Soup
What is their to say about this movie that Benito Mussolini hasn't?
It's like everything funny in this world condensed into movie form. It has the best of everything: slapstick, puns, sarcasm, bizarre sight gags, and absurdism of the highest order. Really, if by chance you haven't seen this movie you must go out and see it right now. You owe it to yourself.
A Night at the Opera
Oh yeah, and I ended up watching this again. Thank you TCM!
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Post by Justin T on Jan 1, 2011 23:09:04 GMT -5
Glad you enjoyed the marathon.
I still have to watch Monkey Buisness and Horse Feathers, but the rest I have watched and I love em. Animal Crackers is alot of fun (I love Groucho as Capt. Spaulding) and Duck Soup and Night at the Opera are masterpieces of comedy.
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Post by mrmeadows on Jan 2, 2011 4:42:58 GMT -5
I DVR'd "Day at the Races" (only saw it once and was underwhelmed. . .I plan to give it another shot), "Go West" (haven't seen it since I was a kid), and "Night of the Opera" (seen it a bunch of times, but it's a favorite). I have the "Cocoanuts" through "Duck Soup" flicks on DVD, so I'm covered there.
Decided to start with "Go West" this morning. Not bad, actually. The opening scene at the train station is as good as any other opening scene from one of their stronger movies. After that, it's strictly hit-and-miss territory, but with a good number of laugh-out-loud hits (most courtesy of Groucho). The final "runaway train" sequence is as zany and well-done as any other climax in a Marx Bros. film, and features a great visual punchline. The musical numbers are pretty stiff, except for the obligatory Chico/Harpo bits (particularly Chico's piano sequence, which is actually one of his best.)
Anyway, based on the schedule on TCM's websote I thought they were going to have "At the Circus" on as well (haven't seen that one at all), but I didn't see it pop up on the menu. I'll probably watch "Races" tomorrow.
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Post by mrcleveland on Jan 2, 2011 21:47:27 GMT -5
The line "Of Course You Realize this Means WAR" was used in "Duck Soup" by Groucho Marx before this guy....
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Post by GProopdog on Jan 3, 2011 16:31:43 GMT -5
Venturing into radio for a moment, have any of you guys ever heard the show "Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel"? Both the original version and the 90's BBC version?
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Post by mrmeadows on Jan 3, 2011 18:10:28 GMT -5
Watched "Day at the Races" yesterday. I still have a hard time getting into this one. While boasting some of the better production values of all their films, I just don't think the comedy is as strong as in some of their prior work. Most of the laughs come courtesy of Groucho (of course), and I was laughing at the line "Hey, don't drink that poison! That's 4 dollars an ounce!" long after the movie was over. But ultimately, the film is heavy on plot and light on laughs, compared to the Paramount movies and the MGM predecessor Night at the Opera.
The musical numbers are mostly forgettable, with the exception of the lively, spirited (and totally un-PC) "jitterbug" production number. If you can get past the black stereotyping in this sequence--not terribly unusual for a movie from the 30's--it's actually quite well-done, but nevertheless it's ruined at the end by the unfortunate use of blackface by the Bros.
Today, I'm watching Night at the Opera. Figured I'd go out on a high note. Love that movie!
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Post by angilasman on Jan 3, 2011 18:57:33 GMT -5
^The blackface bit makes me wince... but I have to say that once yoy see that Harpo only painted one half of his face I start laughing again.
And I'll say again: Opera is a better movie, but Races makes me laugh more.
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Post by mrcleveland on Jan 3, 2011 19:52:37 GMT -5
Watched "Day at the Races" yesterday. I still have a hard time getting into this one. While boasting some of the better production values of all their films, I just don't think the comedy is as strong as in some of their prior work. Most of the laughs come courtesy of Groucho (of course), and I was laughing at the line "Hey, don't drink that poison! That's 4 dollars an ounce!" long after the movie was over. But ultimately, the film is heavy on plot and light on laughs, compared to the Paramount movies and the MGM predecessor Night at the Opera. The musical numbers are mostly forgettable, with the exception of the lively, spirited (and totally un-PC) "jitterbug" production number. If you can get past the black stereotyping in this sequence--not terribly unusual for a movie from the 30's--it's actually quite well-done, but nevertheless it's ruined at the end by the unfortunate use of blackface by the Bros. Today, I'm watching Night at the Opera. Figured I'd go out on a high note. Love that movie! Yeah, the Blackface scene was to dodge the bad guys, like in "Holiday Inn" where Bing Crosby's character and his girl don blackface so that Fred Astaire's character wouldn't recognize her.
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