A Night at the Opera (1935) * FIRST TIME WATCHING * reaction & commentary

[@gr3ndl3r]

One of my favorite quotes comes from Groucho Marx. "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

[@hbron112]

I'm so happy you liked this. The Marx Bros were pretty fun in real life too. Here's a random Marx Bros story. On the coast of California, up in the mountains, a very rich guy, William Randolph Hearst, built a huge mansion for his art collection, and for his mistress. They invited "Hollywood People" up for parties. When the Marx Bros were there, they decorated all the statues on the property with makeup, dresses, and underwear they stole from the women's rooms. Then gave a tour when everyone came down for breakfast with jokes and stories about the statues. Hearst was not that amused and never invited them back.

[@christopherwall2121]

Hearst was basically the kind of guy the Marx Bros. made fun of in all their movies, but for real. One of the most powerful men in America, a ruthless newspaper magnate, who may have engineered the Spanish-American War to drum up sales.

[@MsAppassionata]

@@christopherwall2121 He also, allegedly, got away with murder, according to the book “Hollywood Babylon”. Supposedly, Charlie Chaplin was onboard Hearst’s yacht and started flirting with Hearst’s mistress. Hearst pulled out a gun and shot at him. He missed and hit another actor instead. The story was covered up, even though there were many witnesses, including women who were notorious for writing scandal columns in the newspapers. None of them, however, chose to go against Hearst who was the most powerful newspaper publisher at the time. I heard that Orson Welles based his film “Citizen Kane” on Hearst, who was not pleased and did his utmost to ruin Welles’ career. Sounds like he was a pretty nasty individual.

[@ultrademigod]

@@MsAppassionata I'm guessing you know the story behind the famous "rosebud" name then.

[@MsAppassionata]

@@ultrademigod Hmm… You mean it referring to a certain part of the mistress’s anatomy? Lol. Yes.

[@nellgwenn]

@@MsAppassionata Actually Chaplin was having an on again off again affair with Marion Davies. There was a yacht party. It was a birthday party for Hearst's friend Thomas Ince who was a movie producer. Hearst was a terribly jealous guy. Hearst saw Ince with Marion. Thinking she was canoodling with Chaplin Hearst fired a shot. It killed Ince. Then starts the cover up. A woman by the name of Louella Parsons was witness to the goings on. Hearst bought her silence by giving her a lifetime contract. She became Hearst's eyes, and ears into Hollywood. She and Hearst gathered all kinds of photographs of celebrities doing all kinds of real life canoodling. They kept it on file to be used as blackmail if ever the need should occur. The need did occur when Hearst found out that Orson Welles's movie Citizen Kane was about him. Louella talking to the head of RKO brought those photographs and threatened to use them if he didn't destroy the movie. Hearst also threatened the other heads of film studios to in effect buy Citizen Kane then destroy it. Or face the consequences of all those photographs. Then a miracle happened, Hearst went bankrupt. The movie wasn't destroyed. The photographs weren't used, and the show went on. However, all Hearst publications did boycott the movie. Which, in my opinion was stupid. The film was released on May 1, 1941. It received critical acclaim but lackluster box office, due to Hearst's doings. It was nominated for several Academy awards, but only received one for best screenplay. There are two good movies that touch on the Thomas Ince shooting, as well as the making of Citizen Kane. The first one is RKO 281. The other is The Cat's Meow.

[@SilverShade1008]

Love that you’re finally doing a Marx Bros movie. Duck Soup is another absolute classic. As silly as their antics are, the scene that always sticks with me from Night at the Opera is when Harpo and Chico play their instruments. Just pure talent.

[@darkchia00]

Duck Soup is my favorite Marx Bros movie. Absolutely fantastic!

[@rabbitandcrow]

Duck Soup is their masterpiece, but A Night At The Opera is a great one to start with.

[@kevinramsey417]

Harpo was the most talented Marx Bro and he didn't say a thing.

[@tomstanziola1982]

Personally, I always love to see Harpo play. Mostly because when you look at his face while he plays, you can see that he's completely serious about what he's doing, and that gives a glimpse of the man behind the character.

[@jculver1674]

Duck Soup is so funny, it's probably their best movie and I hope she reacts to it one of these days.

[@rachelmaley2218]

The "five kids in Canada" bit was regarding the Dionne quintuplets, born prematurely in Canada in 1934. They were natural quintuplets, as fertility treatments weren't available at that time. Natural quintuplets are, as you can imagine, pretty darn rare. So they were a big deal in 1934, especially since they all survived to adulthood.

[@tomhaskett5161]

The Candian triplets were mentioned in a joke in the Will Hay film 'Oh Mr Porter'

[@MsAppassionata]

Thanks. I wasn’t aware of what that joke meant either.

[@haileyshannon7548]

@@tomhaskett5161 they were quintuplets, not triplets. There were Five of ‘em

[@haileyshannon7548]

They were the first to survive after being born. One of them, Emile died from epilepsy when she was 19.

[@tomhaskett5161]

@@haileyshannon7548 my mistake!

[@davidwalter2002]

Harpo was not mute in real life. When they started in vaudeville, their uncle, Al Shean (of Gallagher and Shean) wrote their act. Since Groucho was the best talker, he got most of the lines, and Harpo wound up with only one line. He protested, saying he wasn't going to just say one line, so Uncle Al said, "Okay, we'll make you a dummy." And he never spoke onstage or in films or television his entire career. Much of their vaudeville schtick was included in their movies, such as a two-scene between Groucho and Chico, as in the contract scene here. Chico would mangle the language and frustrate Groucho, giving Groucho a chance to make wry observations. Most movies, Chico would play the piano, demonstrating his "shooting the keys" technique, which he developed while playing piano at Coney Island. Harpo (who never got beyond the second grade) found an old harp in the attic and taught himself to play it. He didn't know how to tune it properly, so he just started with one note and went from there. His whole career, he was playing a harp that was not tuned the way it's supposed to be. He tried taking lessons to learn to play properly, but all his instructors just watched him, fascinated that he could make music from an improperly tuned harp. Their names and birth order: Chico - Leonard Harpo - Adolph, later changed to Arthur Groucho - Julius Gummo (who was with the act in vaudeville, but never made it to the movies) - Milton Zeppo (who replaced Gummo when Gummo enlisted in the Army) - Herbert A Broadway show, Minnie's Boys, was fairly successful. Their mother Minnie (Al Shean's sister) was their manager when they were touring in vaudeville as a comedy quartet. That's why the young lady in the stateroom scene asks if her Aunt Minnie is in there. Each of the brothers also named every daughter they had with a name beginning with "M", to honor her. You might want to watch Duck Soup.

[@lynnbowers4722]

That was very informative. Thanks.

[@bluegreenglue6565]

"Harpo Speaks" is one of the best autobiographies I've ever read.

[@toysvilltvstudios2.072]

Nice history lesson.^^

[@andrewfleming611]

I was thinking that Duck Soup, or Animal Crackers, would have been a better introduction to The Marx Brothers. There was more of a vaudeville feeling, to me, in their movies with Zeppo.

[@BachelorDinosaur]

Whenever one of the other brothers couldn’t do a show, Zeppo would cover for them because he could do all their schtick, but he never really got the chance to develop his own comic persona that translated from movie to movie. Being the only one that could play a leading man, he ended up in that role during their Paramount films and was looked at as extraneous, yet in their movies after he left, they still had to fill that part, so it turned into a rotating gig for actors who aren’t as well remembered.

[@tommcewan7936]

18:56 "Let the intrusive thoughts win!" Pretty much a perfect description of Harpo; his character is basically just one giant walking intrusive thought. Apparently he was a truly wonderful human being in real life, too - the only time Groucho ever cried was at Harpo's funeral.

[@ElaMongrella]

Harpo was a treasure. He once said that he adopted so many kids, because he wanted to see a happy face in every window of his house, whenever he came home.

[@corawheeler9355]

@@ElaMongrella I read that Groucho did not have a happy home and his own kids got their happy childhood memories at their Uncle Harpo's house.

[@Crazyivan777]

Harpo's 'look' and you saying "Let the intrusive thoughts win!" just absolutely killed me!

[@claudiadarling9441]

Harpo is intrusive thoughts come to life.

[@KevynJacobs]

Ashleigh gets Harpo!!!!

[@mgordon1100]

@@KevynJacobs Yes! I opened this thread just to say how much Ashleigh gets Harpo. I've never seen her connect so well with anybody else in all her movies. I hope she gets to meet her soul mate in the afterlife.

[@michaelfisher1395]

He was called Harpo because he played the harp.

[@ronbo11]

@@michaelfisher1395 Right. And Chico got his name because he got the girls (chicks).

[@MarcoDallaStella]

Thinking that this movie is 90 years old and still rocks, it's unbelievable

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Fun fact: Groucho's iconic look was based on a Vaudeville stock character known as the "Dutch Salesman," but when the costume department ran out of fake moustaches, Groucho decided to just paint his face to look like he had a big moustache and thick eyebrows. Later, when he went to television, he grew a moustache for real (albeit a smaller one), because he didn't think people would recognize him without some kind of moustache.

[@fsodn]

People *didn't* recognise him. There was some big Marx Brothers festival thing, and Groucho (without painted mustache) was out on stage first, waved at the audience, got no reaction. So he walked back off the stage, went back to the dressing room, painted on a mustache, came back out to huge applause as soon as he hit the stage. When he played Vaudville-type stuff on stage with the greasepaint mustache, the audience were too far away to tell. Most cinema and TV wasn't good enough resolution to be able to tell even in close-ups. With modern-day transfers, you can tel. I'm really impressed that Ashley figured it out just a few minutes in. Nicely done!

[@alfredristan3445]

If you are a fan of MASH the tv show. Hawkeye is always impersonating Groucho in coustume or one liner quick wit replies .

[@chrisedwards7095]

Mel Brooks said that this is one of his favorite films. Groucho wrote several books, and Harpo wrote "Harpo Speaks".

[@ElectraAlan]

I'm currently reading "Speaking of Harpo" which was written by his wife.

[@brianmaysguitar2]

Fun fact: the band Queen actually named one of their albums after this film. They were struggling to come up with the name for the album, so while they were watching this movie they just decided “hey, let’s just call it A Night At The Opera.” And thus, the album that features Bohemian Rhapsody was born.

[@spicy321]

They named 2 albums after Marx Brothers movies. Their next album was A Day At The Races.

[@brianmaysguitar2]

@@spicy321 That’s right!!! Knew they named one other album after the Marx brother movies, but wasn’t sure if it was “a day at the races” or another album.

[@paulb1988]

Queen also got Groucho's blessing on both the album titles.

[@mercurieretrograde]

You beat me to it.

[@EdSigma]

Groucho himself said he was fine was it, and he would return the favour by calling his next film Queen's Greatest Hits.

[@phousefilms]

"If I invite a woman to dinner, I expect her to look at my face. That's the price she has to pay!" Totally me. The producer for the film was regularly late to meetings with the Marx Brothers. Once, they moved all his furniture against the door so he couldn't come in. The next time he was late, he came in on the Brothers roasting potatoes around his decorative fireplace totally naked. He sat down, took a potato and never was late for a meeting again. The bed switching rooms scene is one of my favourite moments. Just the exasperation of the cop as things get more and more changed. XD "Duck Soup"is my absolute favourite of the Marx Brothers, but this comes in close second!

[@YouLousyKids]

Groucho's early mustache was painted on because they worked on the stage and that mustache could be seen from the cheap seats. On film (in this hi-def era) it looks sillier. In later years, and when Groucho was a TV host, he just went with either a big bushier prop mustache or his real mustache. And since this is your first time seeing him: Groucho is the basis for those goofy glasses people wear with the huge eyebrows, schnozz and mustache attached.

[@Lukecash2]

According to Groucho himself, he hated putting a fake mustache and then removing every night for theater. He also had an issue with showing up last minute. So grease paint was the quickest way to deal with it.

[@canaisyoung3601]

Like the one Humpty Hump from Digital Underground had, only his had the white nose painted brown to match his skin color and the glasses were sunglasses.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

One night Groucho was late for a stage performance and, rather than take the time to apply his fake moustache, simply smeared on some greasepaint. Nobody seemed to care, so he never bothered with the fake one again. On a side note, all of their earlier Paramount films (which I consider their best) also starred their brother Zeppo who was mainly a straight man. (After Zeppo left the team, each of their films still pretty much had a Zeppo equivalent.) Zeppo was good enough at imitating his brothers that he would often fill in for them on stage. He even did a scene with Margaret Dumont in their second Paramount film "Animal Crackers" in full Groucho makeup and attire on a day when Groucho couldn't come to the studio. It's the scene where the lights are out in the house due to a storm, and Zeppo pulls off the Groucho imitation perfectly.

[@traceystovall356]

I love the Movie, "Animals Crackers"!

[@Pandora415]

"You can't fool me. There ain't no sanity clause!" Also, the band Queen used this movie title for one of their albums. Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the tracks from it.

[@ink-cow]

The life cycle of stuff like this seems to go this way: one generation loves it, the next generation thinks it's old hat, the generation after that forgets about it altogether, and finally a generation digs it up like buried treasure.

[@jamesmoyner7499]

This is one of the Marx Brothers best films and one of the best comedies ever made. Also yes they were brothers in real life, but their birth names were different from what they would become known as. Groucho is the one with the painted on moustache, Harpo doesn't speak, but most likely not mute in real life as far as I know. You would probably know him best from the I Love Lucy episode where she dressed up like him, Chico is the one with the mock Italian accent, They had a brother who was the straight man to their hyjinks named Zeppo, but he left the films in the last one before this to do accounting, Another brother named Gummo didn't join them in films after being in Vaudeville (theater work) with them, This was the first of their films when they were really playing the hero type of roles and unfortunately would be the only good film they made with MGM as previously they worked with Paramount and the person who helped them Jean Hirsholt would die soon after their next film At the Circus, Some of their other films worth watching include: Horse Feathers, A Day at the Races, And Duck Soup,

[@baskervillebee6097]

I like The Big Store with the roller skates! Of course, Hurray For Captain Spaulding is the best song of all the movies.

[@maximillianosaben]

I live about 12 blocks from where they grew up in New York City. There are a bunch of books written about them, but Harpo's short autobiography is a really enjoyable read.

[@jamesmoyner7499]

@@maximillianosaben Aw. That's awesome.

[@darkchia00]

If I recall correctly, Harpo took on his No Talking schtick because he was bad at remembering his lines, so they worked it into the persona.

[@Staceysprobablycrying]

1000% my fren!

[@pdvidela]

Groucho is so fast that you always miss some joke, you need to rewind and play it again to appreciate all the jokes.

[@shainewhite2781]

LOVE THE MARX BROTHERS! These guys are the ultimate comedy trio that don't get enough love or attention.

[@Vohaul86]

Indiana Jones' dad really should have mailed the Grail diary to them.

[@Jpew2007]

I wish I had Groucho’s sense of humor when it comes to wordplay, one liners and comebacks.

[@ThatShyGuyMatt]

She now is a woman of fine movie culture!

[@Xagzan]

It's good to keep old comedy alive. If Aristophanes can be remembered 2000 years later, I don't see why we can't still promote the Marx Bros.

[@Caseytify]

Actually five to start with. Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, and Gummo. They were huge vaudville stars before they went into movies. Gummo never appeared in any movies, and Zeppo played the straight man for the first few. And, no, Harpo never speaks on film. The Marx Brothers are regarded as among the greatest comics of the 20th century. Picture a team including Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Bill Barr. ... Back when I was in high school (in the stone ages) the school would play Marx Brothers movies for free on the weekends sometimes.

[@qatar824]

Happy to see someone in the reaction community giving these guys a look. This and "Duck Soup" were the two movies that made the AFI Top 100 list, so obviously, you'll want to check that one out. My personal favorite is "Animal Crackers", but it's hard to go wrong with the Marx Brothers in general. Your comment about "whatever your type of humor, you'll find it" is spot on. Groucho was the insult comic, Harpo brought the slapstick/sight gags, Chico teamed with Harpo to be the "trouble twins", and Chico and Groucho together had a sort of "Abbott and Costello" vibe (albeit with different personalities), with tons of puns and wordplay. Random Groucho story: a man once recognized Groucho at a restaurant, and asked Groucho if he could insult his wife. Groucho looked at the man's wife and said, "If my wife looked like that, I wouldn't need help thinking of an insult."

[@sandalwhich]

Animal Crackers is my favorite, too.

[@bettrhalf8006]

Groucho had some excellent lines when he hosted You Bet Your Life as well. Worth looking up episodes of that to watch him interacting with the GP.

[@jamesmoyner7499]

The Stateroom gag of everyone being in there I first saw in Suite Life of Zack and Cody. So when I saw this film years later and understood what the show had been referencing and made me laugh even harder.

[@GergC0521]

The Marx Brothers movies are screen gems! All of them combine rapid fire jokes, slapstick comedy and wonderful (and sometimes hammy) performances by the whole cast. Night at the Opera and The Marx Brothers movie Day at the Races became the name for two albums by Queen.

[@YouLousyKids]

This is my second favorite Marx Brothers movie, after "Duck Soup." The Marx Brothers' early movies were based directly on stage plays that they had done, so that they would travel the country revising and improving the material until it was ready to become a movie. To give you an idea of how this works, the classic "State Room Scene" with everyone packing into the small room was written in the script as "some funny stuff happens in the state room." They kept running through it adding lines and improvisation until they were ready to shoot.

[@misternobody3481]

According to Harpo's autobiography, nobody was laughing at the stateroom scene until he honked his horn and Groucho improvised, "Make that 3 hard boiled eggs."

[@Serai3]

The one line that actors love to see in a script is, "_________ reacts." That's when they get to shine.

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

"Harpo and Chico enter the room. Harpo does something funny"

[@mattdandersn]

Duck Soup is hilarious.

[@martinjohnston1907]

"She is so dressed up in every scene." My grandfather was a mechanic in the 1930's and wore a shirt and tie under his coveralls. People used to be more formal.

[@greypossum1]

I vividly remember watching this with my parents and grandparents multiple times laughing at jokes we missed the last time we watched it. Harpo and Chico played the piano and harp in just about every movie. I knew people who would watch these movies just for these musical bits. This is easily one of the funniest films I have seen. Thanks for doing this one.

[@jackflash8218]

Yes. For two guys that seemed like they went all in on comedy, Harpo & Chico were very talented musicians as well.

[@williamward446]

The director, Sam Wood, hated Groucho... At one point, he said, rather loudly, that "You can't make an actor out of clay" to which Groucho replied, "Nor a director out of Wood!"

[@stephenbrown2223]

Something to keep in mind, is that prior to the 1960s the term "making love" referred to such things as kissing and hugging, not what we would think today.

[@ElaMongrella]

Or just flirting/sweet talking in general, which was what Groucho was doing.

[@canaisyoung3601]

Were it not for the fact that I watched the Pepe Le Pew shorts on a somewhat frequent basis, I'd totally believe you. Since that's not the case, I believe it could go either way.

[@michaelm6948]

Pure talent here! The boys came out of vaudeville , the main entertainment form before films and TV. The country was covered with vaudeville theaters, many converted to movie houses when movies came in. There were several vaudeville circuits running from low end to higher end. The performers had to work these circuits all year long. They might do three or four sets a day. The Marxes started out doing a musical and singing act. They worked in jokes and then full comedy routines. They got on Broadway in the late 20s and into films. The rest is history. Most of whatever comedy you are fond of today had its start with acts like the Marx brothers in vaudeville. There is nothing new under the sun!

[@hilarywilliams1909]

Another movie from the 30's that I think you would like is The Thin Man (1934). It is one of the best comedy/mysteries.

[@Darm0k]

Love the thin man movies. William Powell and Myrna Loy are amazing.

[@moeball740]

I second that or third that or whatever. Motion carries! Thin Man movies are awesome!

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

The first Thin Man film was pre code. It's not dirty but it's very risqué with lots of drinking. All the sequels are much more family friendly.

[@toodlescae]

I love all of the Thin Man movies. I suggest them to every reactor I can. So far only Mia has watched any and she only watched the first one.

[@Darm0k]

@@toodlescae That's cool, I didn't know any youtuber had ever reacted to any of them.

[@fredfredburger5150]

"Let the intrusive thoughts win" is Harpo's whole personality.

[@DBillings68]

Watching the cinephile in you grow and develope has been delightful

[@glennwisniewski9536]

Ashleigh, you cut out the best line in the film: Groucho: "That's what they call a sanity clause." Chico: "You can't fool me, there ain't no Sanity Claus."

[@ElaMongrella]

Patrons get to see the full reaction, so it's in there for them.

[@glennwisniewski9536]

@@ElaMongrella No doubt.

[@ElaMongrella]

@@glennwisniewski9536 Nothing wrong with that. There's gotta be some incentive. If she showed all the good bits, and only left out parts where she just sat and watched, there would be no incentive to want to watch the full length reaction really.

[@glennwisniewski9536]

@@ElaMongrella No doubt.

[@raymeedc]

A couple of winning B&W suggestions, Ashleigh, “The Apartment”, 1960 Oscar winner for Best Picture, Writing, Direction, Acting, one of the biggest/best winners, “Born Yesterday” with the inimitable Judy Holliday, & “The Philadelphia Story” with James Stewart, Cary Grant & Katherine Hepburn.

[@pkunberger9287]

The Apartment is a great movie. No idea why it hasn’t been more widely covered.

[@TheCilou6]

The apartment yes great great movie SHirley McLane at her finest

[@raymeedc]

Same reasons so many great old flicks are missed, aversion to B&W, looking at vintage as being inferior without taking an actual look, vintage to most reviewing films on line are talking about the 80s & 90s when looking for vintage. Those who do venture back that far, tho, are almost invariably pleasantly surprised to discover a wonderful world they never knew existed..... for the rest, EyE wish them the best😊

[@gobabygirlzen]

Born Yesterday is one of my all time favorites.

[@pkunberger9287]

@@raymeedc Back in the 80s we had TCM and video tapes to expose and explain classic BW movies - a function the millennials like Ashley are performing now. What’s shocking to me is how many have film studies degrees yet no knowledge of acknowledged foundational films like Metropolis or the works of Capra and others much less more “modern” classics like The Apartment. Heck even 70s-80s movies like Network, The Verdict, The Deer Hunter or Body Heat to name a few.

[@thundernels]

So glad you did Marx Bros! Horse Feathers and Duck Soup are a must! The earlier movies are only about an hour and are full of Anarchy. Night of the Opera is the first for another studio and they tried to apply more plot. Still a stone cold classic. The Marx Bros. play variations of their personas in each movie.

[@Staceysprobablycrying]

⭐️✨THE MARX BROTHERS ⭐️✨I’ve been in love with Groucho for years lol. Their movies get better and better with each watch. It’s amazing to think about the history of their act and how it pretty seamlessly transitioned into the film medium. Not to mention they were pioneering so many movie gags and jokes that are still staples to this day. I love them 💖 I’m so happy you’re getting to see them!!! 💕💖

[@EditDeath]

Just to confirm for Ashleigh, yes, Harpo's schtick was that he didn't speak during performances. He was so well known for it that his eventual autobiography was titled "Harpo Speaks!" Exclamation mark included in the title. He even once asked his wife to hire a mime to give his eulogy. This was at Chico's funeral, where the guy they hired to talk about him got absolutely everything wrong, so not a bad alternative. Side note, before Harpo and his wife got married, there were three proposals between them. Eventually he accepted. To conclude these factual statements, I just want to share my favorite Groucho quote, 'cause who better to get the last word in? "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read."

[@RMBittner]

Thrilled that you watched this and even happier that you enjoyed it! And, yes, Harpo really played the harp.

[@MsAppassionata]

He also wrote music. I love listening to “Guardian Angels”, as sung by Mario Lanza, around the Christmas holidays. It’s such a beautiful tune. You can hear that here on KZbin.

[@tjfrizzi5965]

That's what they call a sanity clause... "Hahaha You can't fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause!" 🎅🤭😂 One of the best lines!

[@bermuda1243]

Please consider doing more of their movies, they are awesome, and i just love your reaction to these classics that i was brought up on ❤

[@LordGrokken]

The Marx Brothers were the true masters of adlibs and improv, they started out in Vaudeville with their brother Zeppo who played the straight man to everyone and set them up perfectly. They had years to perfect their timing and play off each other. Groucho is never without a retort, and Harpo mastered a number of skills including the harp (hence Harpo) Chico just had that amazing patter and was also incredible with a piano. Check out Harpo and Lucille Ball doing a mirror mime routine.

[@matthewodle]

I think you'd enjoy "The Court Jester" with Danny Kaye (1955). Great reaction, and have a wonderful Friday!

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Yes, Ashleigh would love that!

[@ekidd79]

I love that you're watching some of these older classics. I found a whole channel dedicated to classics (Talking Pictures, UK) from the 1930's-1960's during lockdown and have discovered so many movies I would have never normally watched. The fast delivery and witty dialogue from these early films really holds up.

[@Rmlohner]

Harpo and Chico looked so similar out of their costumes that sometimes they'd switch roles in the brothers' stage performances, with no one ever noticing.

[@Deathbird_Mitch]

They could, and did, all play each other. Sometimes if one was sick or injured, Sometimes just for fun.

[@DonnaLang42rockglobally]

​@@Deathbird_Mitch Exactly - For instance while Zeppo was still a part of the act, he was Groucho's understudy for the stage version of "Animal Crackers" (1930). So Groucho took ill and Zeppo stepped up... and Groucho ended up taking an extra week off because his brother was doing such a great job. Zeppo's last film with his brothers was "Duck Soup", which was the one just before "A Night At The Opera"; he was usually the designated romantic lead. (Ashleigh, if you think Allan Jones was good looking, you need to see Zeppo.)

[@TTM9691]

I love that one day after posting this Marx Brothers film from the 1930s, it has 16k views already. The scene with Chico playing piano for the kids, and then Harpo playing...... one of the most life-affirming things I've ever seen put in front of a camera.

[@Octoberville]

Way back in the early 80s, my parental units bought a satellite. My mom loved watching these oldies on AMC. I used to watch all of these with her growing up. I miss those days but I cherish these films.

[@todddepue681]

I grew up in rural Iowa during the 80s. Those enormous satellite dishes were like the farmer status symbol lol. I was just happy to finally get MTV like all of my town friends who had cable!

[@Octoberville]

@@todddepue681 Yup! We had the descrambler with the codes so we had all those extra channels, the east and west wild feeds, watching shows before your friends lol

[@johannesnoneoftheabove9957]

Your Parental units bought a satellite??? Lucky you. Is it still up there? 🤔🤔

[@ronsavage6491]

"Oh, you can't-a fool me; there ain't-a no Sanity Clause" is, imho, Chico's best line of his movie career. Of course, my younger co-workers have no idea what I'm talking about when I use that line every December. And Chico's piano playing? OMG I love him more than Victor Borge.

[@kyrastube]

Happy you liked it. I had a kitty named Groucho (because he had a funny walk and talked all day every day) so that'll tell you what I think about them. They also made a movie with Casablanca in the title. Warner Bros were upset about it. Groucho's response were that no one was gonna mistake Harpo for Ingrid Bergman, and besides, the Marx brothers were brothers before WB. (Because yes, they really were real life blood related brothers) And cool fact: when he was an old man, Groucho became friends with Alice Cooper. When other people his age and even younger than him too were clutching their pearls about Alice Cooper, Groucho took one look at the stage act and saw it for what it was: vaudeville. If that's not a cool old dude, I don't know who is.

[@mercurieretrograde]

I bet you a dollar Ashleigh says “who is Alice Cooper” when she reads that comment.

[@kyrastube]

Haha! Yes, there is a possibility. But she seems to know more music than movies. But then again, she has mentioned a very religious upbringing, so there might be other reasons why she wouldn't know Alice Cooper.

[@simonbeaird7436]

Oh wow! Groucho, Chico and(especially) Harpo! And don't forget Margaret Dumont (Mrs Claypool), who manages to get through every scene with Groucho without cracking up.

[@ElliotNesterman]

I hope Chris will schedule in _His Girl Friday._ It is arguably the pinnacle of screwball comedy, and has some of the wittiest dialogue of any film of that genre. Also, it stars Cary Grant, who not only could get it but would certainly be one of your future ex-husbands, were he still alive.

[@taun856]

An absolute gem of a movie. I love the fast paced dialog.

[@brotherhiram5682]

The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy is a great movie too.

[@flinx1241]

Agree so hard! An alltime classic!

[@ElliotNesterman]

@@brotherhiram5682 Ashleigh has the whole six film Thin Man series. I sent it to her a year or two ago.

[@PJ818]

His Girl Friday, Arsenic and Old Lace, My Man Godfrey, The Thin Man, Duck Soup, and It Happened One Night are all among my top movies.

[@wendywoodruff2871]

❤️ So glad you loved it! I love them for so many reasons but the music has always been a stand out for me. Groucho singing Lydia The Tattooed Lady. Harpo going from a wild man to a gentle harp virtuoso. Chico (pronounced Chicko because he did so well with the ladies) shooting out those piano keys. There's a song they sing in Go West while crossing the prairie that is so beautiful to me. Riding the Range.

[@JoePlett]

Glad that you liked it. The Marx Brothers (like the 3 Stooges) are kind of love or hate ....very little in between. Keep in mind when watching Marx Bros movies that most of them were originally stage plays - which may help explain some of the pacing (where there would be extra beats to allow for audience laughter) as well as all the musical numbers. If you liked one, you'll probably like the others, because they had a pretty consistent formula.

[@macmcleod1188]

I think the Marx brothers are more 75love/25hate than the 3 Stooges. You have to love slapstick to enjoy the three Stooges. The stooges are more like 33love/66hate.

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

All this music is now public domain. I hope she gets this message.

[@stephensmith3111]

I'm a Boomer [Okay?]. This film [Remember when movies were actually recorded on photographic film? ] was from The Greatest Generation. And it's still insanely funny. That's what is called timeless. Peace, love, and cocoanuts. -- ✌😄

[@Rickhorse1]

I'm 70 & the strange thing is (mostly) I don't get reminded of how damn old I am too often (other than the mirror). But I must admit...for some reason, the fact that Ash had no idea of who the Marx Brothers were made me feel absolutely ancient. (Btw, Ash...yes, Monty Python & many others were inspired by Groucho, etc...they were literally the beginning of "wacky film comedy".)

[@Rickhorse1]

@o.b.7217 I hear you. I too loved Laurel & Hardy & yes they were before the Marx Brothers. But L & H made their fame mostly from "shorts" not full length films, unlike the Marx Bros. (Although really, the Marx Brothers were huge for years on Broadway before ever going to Hollywood.)

[@jeffreycody5217]

Same boat

[@glennwisniewski9536]

Kitty Carlisle (Rose) would much later become a household name as a regular panelist on the popular game show To Tell the Truth from 1956 to 1978. Allan Jones (Riccardo) is the father of pop singer Jack Jones who famously sang TV's Love Boat theme song.

[@Lightmane]

Now you have to see the rest of their movies. Day at the Races, Go West, A Night in Casablanca, and Duck Soup are the 4 that I recommend the most. Have fun Ashleigh. Oh, and you look great without any makeup.

[@braintree2]

The gag about duplicates being "five kids up in Canada" was a topical reference to the Dione quintuplets who attained instant worldwide celebrity just by being born. There wasn't a lot in the way of fertility drugs in those days. It's actually kind of a sad story as their parents exploited them for money but, in 1935, that was a boffo joke. Next, check out either "Duck Soup" (1933), Horsefeathers (1932) or Monkey Business (1931). "Duck Soup" is regarded by many as their ultimate masterpiece.

[@bobmathis-friedman6742]

My personal all-time favorite Old School film is the Court Jester, starring Danny Kaye, with Basil Rathbone and a young Angela Lansbury.

[@rolynblakout]

Yes! A hilarious movie (Chalice from the Palace)! The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Wonder Man were also favorites that should be checked out.

[@gregoryladue2926]

Absolute classic. Love the marching scene.

[@sharonallen2020]

Thank you for watching black and white films! I grew up watching those because they are what my parents grew up with. My uncle used to practice playing the piano the way that Chico played, with the finger pointing. It is so fun to watch. Harpo always played the harp beautifully and, and was so fun as a clown or mime type of character in these films. Groucho with his painted-on mustache, his cigar, and everyone with their quick wit, puns, galore, and physical comedy, always keep me laughing. They're all great comedians and musicians. One film of theirs that I just can't get enough of is "Horse Feathers". That one has another Marx brother: Zeppo. Also, Groucho sings and plays a guitar, and Harpo with this harp, and Chico with his piano. Fun comedy and music every time. In those early days of film acting, the actors had been on stage, often traveling and trying out their humor on different crowds to really find their rhythm--that's what makes this early comedy so good, and it really influenced many comedians after them. I'm enjoying your reviews! Looking forward to watching more!

[@racsorhodes2822]

If no one else mentioned it already, the 1992 film "Brain Donors" is a modern remake of this movie. Lot of great lines in that version.

[@erinesque1889]

I actually saw that first and then watched Animaniacs and then got curious and fell down the Marx Brothers and Charlie Chaplin rabbit hole, and off to an Eddie Cantor side rabbit hole. 😊

[@v.downes9608]

City Lights with Charlie Chaplin is a must, so very funny and heartwarming.

[@anath7589]

The Marx Brothers did about a dozen movies together…Groucho even had a very successful tv show in the 50s called “You Bet Your Life.” He was known for his one-liners like “I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.” Now someone mentioned Jean Hersholt, but he wasn’t in this movie…I checked & he didn’t do a movie with them. You might know the name because at the Oscars, they present the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, named for him because of all his work as head of the Motion Pictures Relief Fund. It was responsible for supporting down on their luck actors with medical care & created the Motion Picture Home & Hospital. He was also the uncle of Leslie Nielsen…yeah, from the Naked Gun movies. The 3 movies I remember him from are Shirley Temple’s Heidi where he played Grandfather & 2 pre-code movies, Grand Hotel (hotel porter) & Dinner at Eight (theater producer), both with all-star casts, including the Barrymore brothers…John (Drew’s grandfather) & Lionel who you might remember as Mr. Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The Barrymores (with sister Ethel) are considered to be 3 of the finest actors…John’s career faded because he had an elbow-bending problem, so his role in “Dinner at Eight” mirrored his life. Both those movies had Wallace Beery in them, but nobody like him…Jackie Cooper, who played his son in “The Champ,” said Beery treated him like a dog once filming ended. Cooper played newspaper editor Perry White in “Superman” with Christopher Reeve. Oh, & if you liked the Marx Brothers, then you should check out Abbott & Costello. Their movie, “The Naughty Nineties” has the infamous “Who’s On First” routine which a video of it is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. They did a series of comedies where they met famous horror creatures like Dracula & the Mummy, the best being “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.” I’ve seen others react to that routine along with “The Dentist” & “The Elephant Story” from the Carol Burnett Show. True story: Harvey Korman peed his pants while filming the dentist sketch because he was laughing so hard.

[@thomasmacdiarmid8251]

"...because he had an elbow-bending problem" - I wonder how many people, especially the youngsters, will understand what that means.

[@isaackellogg3493]

@@thomasmacdiarmid8251now I get it. I thought it meant the other thing.

[@WifeWantsAWizard]

I can answer some of those questions: (2:34) No, Sam Wood and Ed Wood are not directly related. Ed Wood grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York and Sam Wood, who was 41 when Ed was born, is a Philly guy. (3:25) He said "milk-fed chicken". Powdered milk is mixed in with their feed. Because it's mostly glucose, it makes the chickens have more fat (a.k.a. more tasty). (4:08) $200,000 in 1935 would be $4,406,364 today (2023). (5:45) That is Harpo Marx. He plays a mute in every Marx Brother performance. The actor could speak in real life. (6:30) Yes, Groucho's moustache was painted on. He used shoe polish. (7:52) $3 in 1935 would be $66.10 today (2023). (10:55) That's either a weasel or a marten. (14:21) Bouillon are cubes of dehydrated food. It's used most often in soup. (23:32) "Hudel" is a short version of "hudelum", which is the Bavarian word that gave us "hoodlum". It's the equivalent to being a cad. (29:07) I highly recommend "The Big Sleep" with Humphry Bogart and Lauren Bacall. A film noir classic.

[@DarraghC]

"there aint no Sanity Clause" still my favourite line in any movie ever.(skipped lol)

[@skepticalllama2484]

First time I saw this I was a teenager and I was in tears laughing at that scene in the rooms with them moving the stuff around ending with them looking like an old lady in a rocking chair, so good.

[@laurafreeman8360]

I'm probably too late for my comment to really be seen by anyone, but Ashley's mention of the opening credits reminded me of The Court Jester, which has to have one of the most entertaining opening sequences ever. If she loved the quick wit of this film, then I can only imagine the amount of laughter for The Court Jester. I'm younger than Ashley, but I absolutely love older films, especially from Hollywood's golden age. I even received a DVD copy of A Night at the Opera for Christmas. Watching it helped entertain my brothers when they came down with the flu the week after. Like they say, laughter is good medicine.

[@melissahughes4205]

She liked Danny Kaye in White Christmas, he really shines in The Court Jester. That and The Inspector General are excellent.

[@Denkar11]

One of the funniest things to me, is that Margaret Dumont (Mrs. Claypool) appeared in most of the Marx Brothers films and had no idea wtf was going on or what was funny about what they were saying/doing. She was a perfect 'straight man' for Groucho. And Zeppo played the piano and Harpo the harp in nearly all of their movies.

[@SonicLamb]

You would love City Lights starring Charlie Chaplin. It's a great film!!

[@KnightsaysNi]

"I see the table is set for four." "That's nothing, my alarm clock is set for eight!" Dunno why, but this bit had me cackling like a loon. It's been YEARS since I've watched any of the Marx Brothers films, may have to revisit if I can find them.

[@zappafan012]

The creators of the classic Airplane once summed up comedy in three M's: The Marx Bros., Mel Brooks and Mad Magazine. All of the wacky screwball comedies in the history of film started right here with The Marx Bros. Classic, classic stuff!

[@RmarkGillmer]

Thank you again for another lovely reaction. It's hard for us to imagine, but when these films were made, there was no internet not even television, and The Marx Brothers packed in as much entertainment as possible. Beautiful dance numbers, singing, visual effects, and if you saw this at the time it was made, you would have never felt that something was drawn out too long, you wouldn't have wanted it to end.

[@grahamers]

Groucho Marx, the guy with the moustache, was the leader and the most famous. He was hilarious. One of his funniest quote is "I never want to belong to a club that would have me as a member." Words we call all relate to! Watch all of their stuff! SOOOO GOOD!

[@grahamers]

Another great joke of his is "Last night I shot an elephant in my pajamas...................How an elephant got into my pajamas, I'll never know!"

[@michaelearl6765]

Story goes he was a guest at an exclusive Beverly Hills country club... Staff mentions to him "I'm sorry Mr. Marx, but you can't swim; we don't allow Jews in the pool." (! Yup it was that time.) Groucho says, "My son's only half-jewish, I guess he can go in up to his waist?"

[@Hellbane224]

"I'd like to dance with you until the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows until you come home."

[@silverlobo2135]

Happy Friday Ashleigh As a Gen-Xer, I got introduced to the Marx Brothers with the movie "Duck Soup". I was about 12 and found them hilarious. To help you identify if you already haven't, Groucho was the one with painted mustache; Chico was the one with the Italian accent and straw hat: Harpo is the one with the blond Afro and was mute and plays the Harp-o. Yes, not talking was part of his "Schtick". He would 'talk' using an old-tyme taxi-cab air horn. There were actually 2 more brothers, "Gummo" and "Zeppo" Marx. Zeppo was the youngest and was in 5 of the brothers 13 films. It was Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo in that order from oldest to youngest. Maybe you can rewatch the film with Blake or some of the other films on your own time for fun and a 'good laugh'. Have a Great weekend! With much respect to "Hubben", you look very pretty and adorable without makeup and 'fancy' hairdo.)) You are still awesome anyway you are!! )

[@TheMightyZack]

Hoping someone requests Soapdish with Sally Field and Robert Downey Jr. Ashleigh will absolutely love it!

[@todddepue681]

Kitty Carlisle was always glamorous. Arguably one the most fabulous women ever on a game show panel when she appeared on To Tell The Truth for many years in amazing jewels and one sequin/chiffon/feathered gown after another. Also, movies from the 1930s were definitely multi-faceted entertainment. It was the Depression and movies were the great escape. People expected a full night of singing, dancing, comedy and romance for the nickel they'd spent on their ticket.

[@BolofromAvlis]

There's a reason why the Marx Bros were such a classic group. The whimsy, the quick wit and fast patter, timing and dialogue still holds up today.

[@arthurcamargo8416]

I was pleasantly surprised as well! A few notes... Groucho had greasepaint mustache. It's a carry over from his Vaudeville days. Harpo actually used to sing with his brothers before going to movies. He was famous for not speaking (even though he could; contrary to popular belief that he was either deaf, or a mute or both!). Also, the beard split in two was a very common Russian Orthodox... the church tradition was to not shave and it later became the Russian way of wearing a beard, as was having a long beard like the three pilots who kept "running out of gas"! Only a "nemchin" didn't have facial hair as a male in Russia... There is a lot of history there, and even a special coin and tax for beards! Ricardo and Rosa were a good match for their singing as well as their charisma! Thanks for this!

[@maximillianosaben]

One of my favorite films. Can't watch it without laughing.

[@ElaMongrella]

9:39 - This bit with her saying "are you sure you have everything?" and him replying "I've never had any complaints yet" was initially cut out from the movie by the censors, for being too naughty, and only re-added later.

[@Robmcil]

The Marx Brothers are one of the classic comedy teams of all time. Some other movies of theirs you may want to watch. Horse Feathers, A Day at the Races, Duck Soup, a Night in Casablanca all classics

[@ElaMongrella]

Margaret Dumont, the lady that had Otis paged at the beginning, often played Groucho's "love interest" (in quotes because it was usually just about her money for his characters). She was also pretty clueless to his jokes and only understood half of them, which added to her charm for Groucho. He said that she would often come to him after a scene and ask him what his jokes meant 😆🥰

[@tomstanziola1982]

I really loved seeing you enjoy this classic comedy, Ashleigh. I hope you get to see more of the Marx Brothers.

[@Geth-Who]

Also, if anyone wants to look it up (and I do recommend, it's gorgeous) the climactic singing and the encore from the end of the opera is called 'Quel Son, Quelle Preci'. Absolute masterpiece.

[@jaydoubleyew]

Someday, I'd like Ashleigh to watch The Thin Man, the original one. Someday maybe I can be a top-tier patron and request it! (Or Chris can, that's cool too.)

[@sunsungoaway]

Margaret Dumont "Mrs Claypool" was in 7 films with the Marx Brothers. It was always said that she never got any of the jokes and mayhem going on all around her, but many have said it was just her, playing the so-called straight man. And Alan Jones, who played Ricardo, is the father of Jack Jones, who sang the theme to "The Love Boat".

[@greygorthegoateedgeek5350]

C'mon This is the normal Sanity Clause You no foola me, there's no such thing as Santa Claus

[@frednich9603]

I was waiting for her reaction to that line.

[@wkanost]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s watching the Marx Brothers on the late night movie shows. We had movies til dawn on the local channels which was a real event because in those days, TV stations signed off at night. Most of them around midnight or 1am. So you can image what it meant to me on a summer night to stay up as late as I could watching the Marx Brothers zany adventures! They helped mold my sense of humor and I still quote them on things I heard them say 50+ years ago.

[@RebelLeigh]

If you want an old movie that you will love , watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. The dance sequence are wonderful.

[@hobbes305]

Ashleigh: "I have never seen a real harpist" Let's remedy that right now! Amy Turk playing "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by J.S. Bach on the Harp Spectacular!

[@d.k.prince5694]

If you want to see "Classic Movies", I suggest "Gaslight" (1944) w/ Ingrid Bergman. It's a drama so accurate that the Psychology community named a pattern of strategic abuse after the film!

[@moeball740]

Also includes a very young Angela Lansbury!

[@d.k.prince5694]

@@Brad-xc7ju I don't know. Many ppl find the flick cathartic.

[@moeball740]

@Brad1980 I don't think so. Our Ashleigh has come a long way since those early days of dismissing things she didn't understand. I think if she gave the film a chance she would appreciate how the suspense builds throughout.

[@richeymeister]

Indeed. I just rewatched The Court Jester and I had forgotten Angela Landsbury's role. I love Gaslight and she is so good in that movie. Today's audiences think of her only as Mrs. Potts and singing Beauty and the beast. Maybe Jessica Fletcher. So great!

[@jporrasedit]

When I was a kid my country only had two TV channels and most weekends after lunch they would play films by the Marx brothers, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Lawrence&Hardy, Chaplin... I think they had a package deal so they ran every years for a lot of years. Watched them all, loved them all. One absolutely wonderful firm you could see from this era is To be or not to Be, the Lubisch version (Mel Brooks filmed a remake thats good too but the Lubisch version was *chef kiss*)

[@reservoirdude92]

Do The Palm Beach Story! One of the most undervalued (and consistently hilarious) comedies of all time 🎉

[@Divamarja_CA]

Preston Sturges movies are always worth a watch!

[@reservoirdude92]

@@Divamarja_CA @Marja Moyer anything he does with Joel McCrea is absolutely gold. Sullivan's Travels is worth 5 great films.

[@Divamarja_CA]

@@reservoirdude92 Coincidentally, a local movie theatre will be screening The Palm Beach Story next week! Double featuring with Some Like it Hot. Ohhh yeaaahhhhh!!!

[@jeffreycody5217]

Start with The Great McGinty (Preston Sturges's first film as a director). Great movie. Also worth seeing some of the movies he wrote screenplays for.

[@Divamarja_CA]

@@jeffreycody5217 I would be so bold as to suggest anyone watch anything he’s associated with! There might be a clunker or two in there, but all worth watching, in my estimation.

[@ukebec1178]

YES!!! I'm so happy that you really enjoyed this movie! 1000th Ghost:. Thank you so much for getting Ashleigh to watch this one and please keep putting these old classics up for her. ❤

[@davidkinsey8657]

I would love to see Ashley react to Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton in a silent comedy.

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Yeah, is it in 'Modern Times' where Charlie does cocaine? That scene was hilarious 87 years ago and it'll be funny 87 years from now. I feel like Ashleigh could really enjoy the hell out of that movie. And of course the best "starter" movie for Buster Keaton is 'The Cameraman'. Everyone should see that.

[@dadoctah]

Or start with a short film for each of them first, since she doesn't always react well to long pictures. For Chaplin, the one you want is "One A.M." (there's nobody else in the picture; Charlie spends a good part of the run time having a fight with a Murphy bed), and for Keaton, "One Week" with a gag practically at the end that is probably the funniest thing ever done in a silent film (I shall say no more lest spoilers).

[@evonnemccausland3531]

Kitty Carlisle who played the young girl with the pretty dresses became a socialite later in life and appeared as a celebrity on tv game shows. She was always dressed in fabulous gowns on these shows. Funny story...She was on the game show "To Tell the Truth" which had 3 contestants. One told the truth and the other 2 would be trying to fool the celebrities. Anyway, one particular episode had a famous chef who made the celebrities meals. While the celebrities were taste testing the meals, the chef confessed that the meals had dog food in them. Kitty Carlisle in her elegant gown, spit out the food on live tv. I laughed so hard, I almost peed myself. It is a memory I will always have. I always thought she was so stuck up and to see her spit out her food was priceless.

[@sldawgs]

...And two hardboiled eggs

[@ggrarl]

HONK! "Make that three hardboiled eggs."

[@michellecasey5752]

My mother got me hooked on old movies once cable tv came to town. I was a child when the Marx Brothers were fading from first-hand memory, so I never watched their movies. I took a film class in college and their work was easily highlighted because it was short. I was brought up pretty strictly so a lot of the humor still didn’t strike me as funny. But, having watched even more movies, learning a bit more about comedy, and just experiencing life, these gags and jokes are funnier to me now than they were 30 years ago. I look at these with my brain. Observations, plays on words, comedic timing. I used to watch with my eyes and my 1980’s cultural view. You will find these funnier in second and third viewing, as you have predicted.

[@frednich9603]

I'm surprised you left off the punch line to "sanity Clause". Oh well. Just like duck soup (my favorite Marx Bros movie) I think this one fades in the 2nd half but it's still funny.

[@curtismartin2866]

😮WHAT kind of soup?

[@jamesmoyner7499]

​@@curtismartin2866 Watch the film they explain it.

[@curtismartin2866]

@@jamesmoyner7499 Mr. Finley has apparently had a run in with "Letter Man". Narrator: So Letter Man, taking the "U" from his chest, replaces the "I" and again we have "Duck Soup"! Spellbinder: Curses! Foiled again!

[@richeymeister]

This is still hands down my favoirite Marx Brothers Movie. It is not the most famous or featureing all four Marx Brothers like Duck Soup. Kitty Carlisle insisted on singing her own part and Allan Jones was a fantastic tenor. Marx Bothers were not of the ilk of The Three STooges or the stand up comedy of Abbott and Costello. But for the rapid fire chaos of the delivery and the absurdity of the situations they couldn't be beat, though some tried. Throw in fun piano and Harpo's harp and a dance number and it is fantastic. It is important to note the changes in quality good and bad were part of switching studios (politics) and the earliest Marx Brother movies started out as Stage plays. Glad you enjoyed it, and the Stateroom scene is considered a classic.

[@farfromperfek]

I think you can tell a lot about someone if they are a Marx Brothers fan or a Stooges Fan. I am definitely in the Marx Camp. You mentioned both Mel Brooks and Monty Python site the Marx Brothers as influences. So did Danny Kaye (one of my favorites) who was in White Christman. As for older classics, you need to watch Citizen Kane.

[@mercurieretrograde]

I almost died when Ashleigh made the Roger Rabbit reference. I think the Marx Brothers are the inspiration for Roger Rabbit styled humor. They ARE a live action cartoon.

[@Lunch_Meat]

Didn't know you had to choose between the stooges and the brothers. I've been a fan of both for years. Also the proper term for a Marx camp is a gulag

[@farfromperfek]

@@Lunch_Meat kinda like the Beatles and the Stone. You can like both but one is far more influential to you.

[@Lunch_Meat]

@@farfromperfek lies entirely. For while you may have a greater place in your heart for the Marx brothers or the stooges/ the Beatles or the rolling stones, you might also prefer Bud Abbott and lou Costello or Led Zeppelin. There is so much good stuff from that era! Why divide it up unless you're a gate keeper

[@farfromperfek]

@@Lunch_Meat my point isn't about division. No scientific research here just observations from life. Their comedy styles are so different. On average I found that guys who play sports were more often stooges fans with the physical slapstick. Band geeks (I was) tended to go to the Marx Brothers and their sarcastic quick wit humor. This also meant we could do a line-for-line of anything Monty Python while they knew the batting stats of a backup player.

[@jillpeterson8196]

I love that you're open to all genres, and classics.