The Marx Bros - Broadway revue I'll Say She Is (1924), filmed in 1931

[@twalsh06]

"I no speak-a very good English, but I'm fulla pep and I gotta the ambish."

[@baronvonfuppster4717]

Lmaaaoooo. Almost 100 years later and can still make people laugh. That is real talent.

[@fullervisiondotnet]

Meanwhile, no one remembers Chevalier.

[@Historian212]

@@fullervisiondotnet Lots of us do. But younger generations who never saw him in films or TV shows have nothing to remember. My grandmother was shocked that I'd never heard of Francis X. Bushman, a star from her WWI generation. You can't remember what you never saw.

[@radicalross7700]

Oh but that's not true. I do remember Chevalier. First heard of him watching the Marx Brothers movie "Monkey Business".

[@huntingthekaiser6490]

Wow. Discovering a new Marx film is like finding a new primary color.

[@matthewl4067]

@@hyzercreek It's a scene from a compilation film called "The House That Shadows Built." It was also used for "Monkey Business" that same year, though.

[@ksol1460tv]

Squant! This was shown in its entirety in the 1982 documentary "The Marx Brothers In A Nutshell". All I could do at the time was audiotape it. I still have it somewhere.

[@Mxyzptlksac]

I just noticed the desk drawers are on the wrong side

[@akito7025]

Any more colours and we'll have a problem on our hands

[@larryconcepts]

@@matthewl4067 The Chevalier bit was used as they try to disembark, in Monkey Business. But its a superficial resemblance

[@jessicathethreestoogesfan2635]

Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Sometimes Zeppo are the funniest comedians ever lived in the 20th Century

[@KeithE4]

I like them, but I also like Moe, Larry, Curly, and sometimes Shemp (forget the two Joes). Different styles, but both comedy teams are equally funny.

[@spectrum7virkeytroni]

Why limit your assessment to the 20th Century, Jessica? I think you could also include the 21st Century.

[@MISTERASMODEUS]

The rhyming is amazing. Wow. This is word choreography

[@bernhardwall6876]

I loved it when they did the Chevalier impressions while trying to get off of a ship without passports.

[@jimgoad7702]

That's from "Monkey Business" (1931).

[@RonMotta1972]

Zeppo was a fantastic performer. I really wish he had been given more to do in the movies. He used to understudy Groucho and when he'd go on, Groucho himself said Zeppo was better.

[@niawhite7457]

They all look so young and lively here!

[@dukesgixer]

The part near the end where Harpo blows up a rubber glove, milks it and then drinks it is classic early surrealism is it not?! Brilliant and way ahead of its time ......or have we always had a sense of humour😊🤘😎.

[@philiphalpenny9761]

Dali clearly thought so...he was a fan.

[@dabble778]

@@philiphalpenny9761 Ah yes, the lost Marx Brothers on Horseback script :-)

[@randymerlo4070]

There is no such thing as ahead of your time they were right on time

[@Extratexture4]

This is Zeppo Marx’s best screen performance, because his character is actually required to get the scene started, and to keep the chaos going at the finale. Maybe if circumstances had been different, he would have been a sensation.

[@eliecanetti]

The other brothers maintained that in private, Zeppo was the funniest of all of them.

[@cards0486]

When they were on Broadway Groucho got sick. Zeppo stepped in and did his part for several nights. Groucho stayed out the rest of the week so Zeppo could have the extra time in the lead.

[@PRR5406]

Zeppo really shows his "glue" in this piece, and I'll guess throughout "I'll Say She Is". While he was active as one of the "Four Marx Brothers", he wrote some of the jokes for the others, especially Harpo. Harpo was difficult to write for and set up in his part, yet arguably the most loved of the four.

[@PRR5406]

Better than Chevalier, certainly.

[@timwoods3171]

I've always loved how there's just a piano ready to accompany The Brothers! It reminds me of Martin Short's Irving Cohen character ("Give me a C, a bouncy C!") on the old SCTV.

[@lizabethmouse]

I love the Marx Brothers! Timeless and hilarious. I can only imagine the chaos in their family's home when they were growing up...must have been hysterical!

[@petermetcalfe6722]

Harpo stole the scene. I couldn't keep my eyes off him.

[@LazyIRanch]

I was keeping my shit together until he started "milking" that rubber glove! I laughed so hard I think I peed myself a bit. Note to self: Visit the bathroom before watching a Marx Brother's skit!

[@petermetcalfe6722]

@@LazyIRanch I just watched it again after 3 years and literally laughed out loud.

[@garryferrington811]

He always did.

[@petermetcalfe6722]

@@garryferrington811 He did indeed.

[@MattBlickDotCom]

"I ought to lay this on your head" "You can't don't belong to the bricklayers association"

[@50sDad1]

I heard a smattering this when I was ten, and recorded it off TV onto my first cassette recorder. I MEMORIZED THIS. How great it is to finally find where it came from!

[@michaelmaldonado7369]

Harpo stole every scene he was in.

[@RonMotta1972]

When Harpo started to milk the rubber glove, that just killed me! These guys were the GOATs.

[@AntiqueAngel44]

I love when "Harpo" jumps up and makes both of them hold each of his legs. = D

[@Stigggs]

Zeppo has major part in a bit for once. He's funny.

[@bertmustin]

The other brothers say Zeppo was the funniest.

[@kali3665]

Never knew this was filmed. Hearing the Marx Brothers doing iambic is kinda fun. Groucho supposedly said once the title "I'll Say She Is" completely confounded him, and this was a man who could explain the titles of every performance the Brothers ever did.

[@minissa2009]

Thx for posting! I taped the PBS special that featured this bit, but it's getting so hard to find a VHS player, I thought I'd never see it again. Amazing how clever their material still is 90 years after it was first performed!

[@johnprovince5304]

Thrift Store $5

[@zapkvr]

Have you thought about transferring the vhs to Mpeg? It's not rocket surgery. I've done it myself.

[@SarekOfVulcan]

Buy a couple of spare DVD players now, you'll need them in 20 years...

[@TheSeanoops]

Harpo low key milking a glove into his hat.

[@RonMotta1972]

That was the funniest part!

[@LazyIRanch]

That's the point where I lost it! My dog came in to check on me, I was laughing so hard!

[@aww773]

lol love the bit at the end where Harpo sits on the guy's head

[@purplereign84]

I enjoy the part at the very end where he attempts to break that woman's arm.

[@jesco_biafra]

Love seeing Zeppo shine in this!

[@Gumboz1953]

"There's my argument... restrict immigration." LOL

[@jamespass4337]

It was being restricted. 30yrs. before WW1, East Europe starting from Italy on up and eastward, emptied out. Those immigrants had children who became the generation that served in WW11.

[@lovernotfighter]

@@jamespass4337 It's nice to hear from someone who learns the facts before he speaks.

[@larryconcepts]

@MichaelKingsfordGray In Monkey Business this occurs at the end of Groucho's lecture to Chico about Columbus. That makes it a good deal more satirical, considering Chico's fake ethnicity. The phrase was a casual political debating trope of the era.

[@davidbbcdonnell9511]

"There's my argument for stricter immigration" - in reference to Chico

[@fastnbulbouss]

And I thought I had seen everything they made. What a fantastic gift this is...and it's not even my BD 😎

[@paulaharrisbaca4851]

The brick joke has to do with Krazy Kat and the way the mouse always hit Krazy Kat on the head with a brick, and she still loved Ignatz.

[@paulwallis7586]

This was their original big break on Broadway. One of the writers said he thought he heard one of his lines in the second act, but wasn't sure.

[@deltabilly1]

Zeppo shows a lot more talent in this short than in any of the movies!

[@MichaelHill-sg8ks]

Despite nearly always playing the "straight man", many people said that he was the funniest off-stage. Due to being the youngest, he grew up watching his elder brothers and could easily imitate any of them. He often stood in for them whenever they were too ill to perform.

[@kurtb8474]

Groucho got very sick and Zeppo had to fill in for him in a stage appearance. Zeppo dressed like Groucho and performed his part. Groucho said Zeppo was so funny, and he was such a hit, that he worried if he was going to have a job after that.

[@RadicalCaveman]

Zeppo didn't really like performing and he wasn't very funny, or even a good actor, in their movies.

[@LazyIRanch]

I always thought he was quite handsome, too! My heart will always belong to Harpo, though. My first love was a Marx Brothers fan, and used to crack me up with his impressions of Harpo. We had a wonderful 8 years together, until he tragically passed at age 32. So many years ago, but I still miss him somethin' awful.

[@premanadi]

He didn't exactly get a lot of opportunities in their movies to show whether or not he had talent.

[@taylordowning2533]

I love when they sing "You Brought A New Kind of Love to me"

[@purplereign84]

This is pure comedic genius.

[@Skizze37]

The brick-layers union joke absolutely laid me out

[@chuckwagon5518]

Masters of the madhouse comedy!

[@zapkvr]

Yes. Predated the Goons by 10 years. Spike and Groucho were quite similar in their style

[@TheIgnatzz]

I'll Say She Is was recently revived by Noah Diamond. The cast did a great job, and they may do it again. Noah used known scripts, known songs, and scene-by-scene breakdown to recreate the show.

[@karmafrog1]

Zeppo's finest hour. Well, finest few minutes.

[@PRR5406]

The humor is in the appreciation we've found in true funny humor. Seeing Zeppo stand out makes me wonder how much of his brilliance was present, but buried.

[@Deutschie]

Best line ever! "There you go restrict immigration." says Groucho as he points to Chico.

[@hyzercreek]

@@aragorn1780 No reason for racism

[@GenerationX1967]

@@hyzercreek Actually, the Italians were looked upon with suspicion at the time of this clip. They were stereotyped as anarchists in the 1920s, then as fascists and gangsters in the 1940s. The exaggerated accent of Chico is still commonplace today as well, but that and other racial and ethnic stereotypes were quite common in popular entertainment at the time.

[@allanrichardson1468]

The Klan was expanding out of the South in the 1920s, and expanding their hate list to Jews, Catholics, and immigrants, even staging a huge parade in full regalia in Washington, DC, and controlling Presidential and Congressional politics. It was in 1924 that Ellis Island and mass immigration were shut down and quotas were imposed, partly due to Klan influence. One possible reason for this was the social conservative backlash against “decadent” Europe from Doughboys’ reports of their service in the Great War (a popular song of the era began “How ya gonna keep ‘em down on the farm, after they’ve seen Paree?”), also a contributing factor to Prohibition. The Marx Brothers, being Jewish, were naturally targets of Klan hate, despite their popularity as entertainers. Chico’s Italian accent (and his and Zeppo’s stage names) were fake, of course (Groucho’s real name was Julius).

[@zapkvr]

@@aragorn1780 That's hilarious. The scary brown italians didn't come to Australia till after WW2. Before that it was scary yellow people from China.

[@zapkvr]

@@allanrichardson1468 Im pretty sure they weren't really all that observant as jews. And of course they were from Europe, not from Palestine. There's a big difference. In fact the devout jews would probably have avoided this as decadent. Iirc Groucho was also married more than once. Chico was a compulsive gambler as well.

[@BrianFeral1]

Amazing, excellent, genius.

[@bertmustin]

Harpo and Chico invented the high five.

[@mtlicq]

African invention, the high five

[@churchmouseTV]

if the nightingale could sing like you , they'll sing much sweeter than they do.... you brought a knew kind of love to me

[@zapkvr]

*new*

[@moonraven3]

Thanks for re-uploading this. It was deleted a couple of years ago and I have been trying to find it ever since. Thanks again!

[@NekoChanSenpai]

Hot damn, I love these brothers!

[@Gumboz1953]

I cannot imagine being on stage with all four of them at once.

[@wilrobles5392]

This was utterly amazing.

[@soylentteal]

Pretty much the only time Zeppo got to shine on film, hence his leaving the act to become an agent after "Duck Soup."

[@lukehauser1182]

Unbelievably funny! They reprised so many of these bits in their later films

[@lovernotfighter]

Still hilarious after all these years.

[@Cliff_Dixon_42]

*I played a part in Ben Hur once.* What part did you play? *A girl, she played the part of Ben.* And you? *I played her.*

[@osvaldoschilling9129]

No censorship at the time.... In another movie the girl Groucho is trying to marry says "but this is bigamy", and Groucho replies " It is big on me too".

[@Cliff_Dixon_42]

@@osvaldoschilling9129 "Let's all be big for a change!!"

[@osvaldoschilling9129]

@@Cliff_Dixon_42 KKKKKK||||| Animal crackers...

[@NukeminHerttua]

Thank you for sharing this! I thought I had seen all their material but apparently not.

[@milcahreyes5287]

My name is What Do You Care My home is anywhere People say I’m awful dumb So I thought to you I’d come

[@nirmalsuki]

At the end: That's no lady, that's my wife!

[@zenpaganwarrior]

"I'm going to hit you over the head with this brick!" Groucho: "You can't do that. You don't belong to the Bricklayer's Union." Classic.

[@cards0486]

My favorite was,”There’s my argument. Restrict immigration.” Chico was my absolute favorite, and I loved how he and Harpo would be paired together for long scenes in most of the films.

[@kevinericsnell4092]

Wish we could send a drone into the past and secretly record a few Marx Brothers stage plays for posterity

[@niawhite7457]

Zeppo's trying to read the script to the guy Groucho and Chico are probably babbling off to each other And Harpo's just being Harpo fooling around with with stuff like a little kid Lol 😊

[@nedraleggett5436]

Had me laughing while I was trying to get ready for work. So funny.

[@RadicalCaveman]

This starts a little slow and then just gets funnier and funnier!

[@Telcontar86]

No one else has commented on it, but Zeppo very casually breaks the 4th wall @ 3:43 lol

[@viggosimonsen]

Wonderful to see the comic Zeppo on par with his brothers here. He became much more subdued in their later films

[@MFPhoto1]

Zeppo never really had any confidence in his acting ability, even though once during their Broadway years he substituted for Groucho when Groucho was hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy. Reportedly, few if anyone knew the difference.

[@bobbo11357]

Somebody had to be the straight man

[@mtlicq]

The best, funniest handshake ever ! 2:25

[@Sopmylo]

How have I never seen this

[@OllieByGolly]

I first saw this on a Goodtimes VHS hosted by Steve Martin called "Classic Comedy Teams". It also has my favorite version of "Who's on First" by Abbot & Costello done in front of a military audience... uncensored!

[@zapkvr]

I also saw this on the PBS special from several years ago. It's the first I ever heard about the sixth brother, Manny

[@niawhite7457]

3:27 Haha Groucho almost did Harpo's bit, making the guy hold his leg!😂😂

[@niawhite7457]

And I think Chico was about to do it too, c'mon Zeppo join the party!

[@jessicathethreestoogesfan2635]

Nia White lol if you can’t beat em, Join em

[@niawhite7457]

@@jessicathethreestoogesfan2635 ha good point they are blood so it's necessary!😂

[@AceripXF]

Chico is so cute lol i love his singing!

[@EdKazO-Vision]

Wow! Never saw Zeppo this animated’

[@badt4life857]

I want to play a dramatic part, The kind that touched a woman's heart, to make her cry, for me to die.

[@melissacooper4282]

Did you ever get hit with a coconut pie?

[@DantheToonMan]

there’s m y argument, restrict immigration

[@ralpharroya158]

this was a successful Broadway show that they all appeared in, then they started in movies with "the Coconuts"

[@sha11235]

Coconuts and Animal Crackers were also Broadway shows the Marx. Bros. did first and then turned them into films.

[@mehrgharibi6873]

Thnx for sharing this video , they make clean and innocent jokes

[@EthelredHardrede-nz8yv]

" they make clean and innocent jokes" Sometimes. Then again see the bits with Groucho and Margret Dumont. Sorta clean but not innocent. Well Margret was as she allegedly never got the jokes.

[@AHHHHHHHHHHHHl]

"We took photographs of the native girls but they weren't developed"

[@TheRealLaughingGravy]

I guess you missed the Ben Hur bit at 1:35 ("I played her.")

[@pamlee7020]

It is a routine from a 1926 stage show that was filmed in 1932 for an anthology.

[@CubReporterK]

Thanks, really great quality compared to versions of the full Paramount promo reel

[@Mxyzptlksac]

We had this on a VHS in the 80s. I don’t remember why.

[@minissa2009]

Did I forget to say "God bless YT"?

[@kdavis1492]

They pulled that in "A Night At The Opera." Funny every time you see it.

[@deckardcanine]

Harpo's really milking it.

[@alanr4447a]

There's MY argument - restrict immigration!

[@maxnullifidian]

I thought there might actually turn out to be milk in the hat! LOL

[@melissacooper4282]

Could be. If he can draw a cup of steaming hot coffee from his coat pocket then he can get milk from gloves.

[@nealsausen4651]

@@melissacooper4282 : What do you mean he pulled a full-grown live dog out of his overcoat in whatever movie that was the one with Raymond Burr I forget the name now it was funny it was surreal!

[@sovaine]

Pure genius:-)

[@keithleeuwen877]

Great !

[@michaeldanello3966]

I'm not an expert on the Marx Brothers but I know about films and this is labeled 1926, the opening of the print cites 1924 (which I take was the year the show first opened). The fact that this is fully realized sound (not with microphones hidden in the furniture) definitely indicates this had to be recorded late 1929 but more likely mid 1930. I could be mistaken but I don't think so. They always did complete chaos, insanity and overlapping dialogue, so I get no clues from that.

[@huevomusique]

i think the play is from '24 but this short footage has been recorded by Paramount in 1931 ;)

[@randymiller7788]

1927 was the first talkie movie Al Jolson the Jazz Singer

[@melissacooper4282]

This footage was filmed by Paramount pictures in 1931.

[@RumBuboe]

@@hyzercreek No it isn't

[@lyon406]

"That's no lady...that's my wife"

[@theresaholguin699]

Funny even after 100 years later.

[@garryferrington811]

This gives us some idea of what they were like on Broadway...or even vaudeville, come to think of it.

[@LeighAnnLittleKC]

Chico: ♪ When the nightingale, they look like you ♫ 😂😂😂

[@vxenon67]

Harpo is a trip.

[@jx14aby]

He sells frankfurters down at the Merchant of Weiners?

[@alanr4447a]

His pound of flesh. Or half a pound, at least. Verily, the links in the description!

[@PinkLaffs]

This is actually a clip from the 1931 film "The House That Shadows Built."

[@roboticd]

I remember seeing this on some PBS special in 2nd grade and deciding to become Groucho... Didn't work.

[@jasobres]

This was basically used as a promotional film for _Monkey Business._ Some elements carried over into the film, such as each of the brothers doing their Maurice Chevalier imitations and also Groucho's line "There's my argument, restrict immigration."

[@MFPhoto1]

In the original Broadway script, the imitations were of Gallagher and Sheen. It was a salute to their Uncle Al Sheen who had guided them in their early years.

[@rackinfrackin]

Gorgeous print. Does anyone know where to find this on DVD? I was hoping it would be included with the upcoming "Marx Bros. Silver Screen Collection" blu-ray release (Oct. 18, 2016) of all 5 Paramount films, but it doesn't seem to be included in the bonus features.

[@belot217]

Apparently a special feature on the DVD of the documentary, Inside the Marx Brothers

[@marcobechere4452]

Harpo is the man.

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Chico without his tyrolean hat! The Monkey Business bit.

[@macmcleod1188]

Rap before there was rap.

[@macmcleod1188]

@MichaelKingsfordGray The stuff by Eminem lately is amazing. story line, meaning, rhythm, and all delivered at auctioneer speeds. But... I am old and have a hard time understanding people... yet I can undestand each word he says at that speed. I find that amazing. There are other good rapsters out there too. A lot of crap too tho.

[@philipmonihan8222]

Now I know where Money Business was coming from. Fascinating.

[@premanadi]

Monkey Business. Though Money Business would be a good title too!

[@philipmonihan8222]

@@premanadi Whoops! Autocorrect...

[@davidbbcdonnell9511]

@@philipmonihan8222 Autocorrect doesn't change monkey to money...wtf??

[@gregruland1934]

This is vaudeville love it

[@AJKPenguin]

Genius! God bless Vaudeville. : )

[@snackcakeman]

I didn’t find the skit very funny, however that they did pull it off is amazing. Everybody talking at the same time.

[@premanadi]

It only had a few amusing moments - not at the level of the writing of Animal Crackers, Cocoanuts and their early films.

[@AvuncularFeldspar]

Add up the number of words Zeppo says in all other films, multiply by 10, add 50, and it's still not as many as he says here!

[@pamlee7020]

Hi Demarco - It isn't based on 'I'll Say She Is' - It's a scene from the show.

[@robinreality9979]

someone have sd-lol, the original trolls-much loved, the funniest, the best! fun-loving trolls. Harpo always steals the show. Is tht Zeppo?

[@RedVynil]

I order of appearance, Zeppo, Chico, Groucho, Harpo.

[@niawhite7457]

How old were they here? they look real young.

[@melissacooper4282]

@@niawhite7457 Since this sketch was filmed in 1931 I have the following age of each Marx Brother: Zeppo was thirty, Chico was forty-four, Groucho was forty-one, and Harpo was forty-three.

[@niawhite7457]

@@melissacooper4282 uh thanks but I don't know they look more younger than in their forties and wasn't this filmed in 1924?

[@melissacooper4282]

@@niawhite7457 If this was filmed in 1924 it would've been a silent film with title cards. And yes. They did look young for their ages in this film.

[@RedVynil]

Will I ever see the whole movie?

[@warrengwonka2479]

A recreation of I’LL SAY SHE IS

[@warrengwonka2479]

Is now on You Tube

[@caryheuchert]

Brilliant!!!... those Marxes.

[@kdavis1492]

"I played Her." Pure Groucho

[@evenflow5491]

Hey wait a minute, he’s not Mario Schavele

[@frankiefine69]

Oh this was probably a prelude to the skit in monkey business