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MARX BROS. thread "That's the secret word!"
Matthew
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My favorite comedians have been dead for something over 20 years. Is that odd? Hardly.
Th emarx brothers were my favorite comedians, eventhough they were all dead before I was born. My DVD collections of their films are some of my most watched DVDs, and my favorite book is called "The essential groucho: Writings by, for, and about Goucho Marx."
I've loved pretty much all their major movies, except for one. Duck Soup.
It's strange, everyone I know has always talked about how great that movie is, and how it outshines every other film they made. I want to know what they're seeing. I thought it was their weakest film.
My favorite's were, actually, the two films that preceded "Soup." "A Night at the Opera", and "A Day at the Races." Both featuring great scenes from the bros, and, of course, Margaret Dumont, and great singing from Alan Jones.
But what about you guys? What do you remeber about this comedy Trio (or quartet if you count Zeppo)?
EDIT: Some famous scenes.
The patient scene (A day at the Races): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_prmS_q2oU
The stateroom scene (A Night at the Opera): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iLrBT2KuK8
Groucho and Chico in ANIMAL CRACKERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0VHNr27F8Q&feature=related
EDIT: Okay here's the mirror scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy3FnA3mJHE
Th emarx brothers were my favorite comedians, eventhough they were all dead before I was born. My DVD collections of their films are some of my most watched DVDs, and my favorite book is called "The essential groucho: Writings by, for, and about Goucho Marx."
I've loved pretty much all their major movies, except for one. Duck Soup.
It's strange, everyone I know has always talked about how great that movie is, and how it outshines every other film they made. I want to know what they're seeing. I thought it was their weakest film.
My favorite's were, actually, the two films that preceded "Soup." "A Night at the Opera", and "A Day at the Races." Both featuring great scenes from the bros, and, of course, Margaret Dumont, and great singing from Alan Jones.
But what about you guys? What do you remeber about this comedy Trio (or quartet if you count Zeppo)?
EDIT: Some famous scenes.
The patient scene (A day at the Races): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_prmS_q2oU
The stateroom scene (A Night at the Opera): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iLrBT2KuK8
Groucho and Chico in ANIMAL CRACKERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0VHNr27F8Q&feature=related
EDIT: Okay here's the mirror scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy3FnA3mJHE
Matthew on
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From that beautiful compilation of his letters I have around the house I remember the advice he gives his daughter about the guy she says she's in love with. I'm paraphrasing, but he mentions that she met him in a lift, then asks if the lift was going up or down. If it was going down, he says, that feeling in your stomach when it goes too fast could easily be mistaken for love.
Priceless.
Yes, I like them. Liked them more as a child, when the strange pacing of their movies, inherited from vaudeville, felt less awkward. These days I like each individual scene far more than the whole thing. Their humor, anyway, is something you need to dissect. It could get to you hours after you've been exposed to it. It doesn't hit you as much as it radiates through you.
And I do agree with you about Duck Soup. It's the last one I saw (saw again, it's the last one I've been exposed to) and I remember thinking something was oddly off in it.
Or Animaniacs, but you probably didn't know it at the time since they were much more subtle. ;-)
That's my favorite one actually. Plus it actually had a funny song in it.
I was a much bigger fan when I was a kid. I bought a bunch of them on dvd but I was disappointed when I watched them as an adult.
I bet some of these movies could easily be remade. I'm sure thats heresy, but many potential fans can be put off by the lack of color, low production values (by today's standards), weird comedic timing and especially the singing. Hollywood is mostly out of ideas, so this seems like a good source of material.
I came across a kinda fun remake/homage a few years ago. It was on TV and I didn't pay attention to the makers of it. All I remember is a guy with high hair doing a rather lousy but still funny Groucho and lots of sketches lifted straight from Marx Bros movies.
But anyway, I LOVE THE MARX BROTHERS. My favorite is actually Animal Crackers - I love Groucho and his 'strange interludes'. Duck Soup is also not really one of my favorites, but that's mainly due to me really not liking the scenes with Harpo and the lemonade vendor. They're just really long, mean-spirited, and not really funny. I think there's a pretty marked difference between the Paramount and MGM pictures, with the later ones following more of a standard 'comedy film' kind of format - which is still extremely funny, just not quite as weirdly off the wall as their earlier ones.
There's actually a script released for a stage version of Animal Crackers, I came relatively close to getting my college theater to put it on - but we realized what a bad idea it probably was.
I really need to pick up the MGM dvds - I've got the Paramount collection, as well as a bunch of other dvds with interviews and 'bet your life' episodes and such, as well as a cd of other random bits...most of which I haven't listened to/watched.
-- Jesse, Breaking Bad
Animaniacs had so much extra humor that went right over my head when I was younger. It's a fantastic show to rewatch.
I've never found them dated. They were never really political comedians, or anything like that. I like them, but I might be a little biased.
I can't imagine how listless the Capt Spaulding entrance scene would be without Hooray for Capt Spaulding/Hello I Must Be Going.
Anybody here ever hear about a movie called "Brain Donors?"
Remake of "A Night at the Opera."
EDIT: Here's Paula Abdul dancing with Groucho ... sort of.
Link
I only watch that because John Toturro is so. goddamn. funny. I just wish he'd get more pure comedy roles, instead of the supporting stuff he does.
(I loved him in Transformers)
I can never remember the name of any of their movies though, it's always "That one with the football."
These guys and the Three Stooges got me through a lot of bad stuff in childhood.