Topic: Marx Brothers - blind buy?

[luke795]

Tom Kennedy starred in at least one Marx Brothers movie (Monkey Business), one Three Stooges short (Spooks), one Laurel and Hardy movie (Pack Up Your Troubles), and one Abbott and Costello Show episode (Killer's Wife).  I'm not sure if he starred in any Ritz Brothers movies and I'm not sure if I know of any actor or actress who starred with all 5 of those comedy teams.

[archiezappa]

Yeah, "Monkey Business" is definitely one of the best films of the Marx Brothers.  Not just in this box set, but overall.  Just wait until you get to "Duck Soup."  That one is considered their best.  I like it better than "Horse Feathers." 

Speaking of "Horse Feathers," Nat Pendleton plays one of the Football players in that movie.  Of course, he was in several films with Ted Healy.  And he was in "Fugitive Lovers" with Ted Healy and the Stooges.  So, he's definitely been around as a supporting player.  Just another piece of trivia.

[Justin T]

I just finished Monkey Business and it was a substantial improvement. The pacing and the flow of the movie was much better. The plot was executed better. The supporting cast was miles better than the first two "films," especially Tom Kennedy ("Spooks"). I thoroughly enjoyed this one after being lukewarm at best on the first two. I'm hoping the final two are as good as this one. This one had me from the get-go with the hiding in the barrels bit. Very few bad moments in this one and a great ending in the barn.

Highlights:

- Harpo and the puppet show
- The ending barn scenes
- The barber shop scenes where they trim the guy's mustache
- Harpo attacking the guy with the "frog" in his throat
- Maurice Chevalier imitations at the passport line

Awesome review False, I gave my mother this set as a Christmas Gift last year. She loves the Marx Brothers as much as the Three Stooges.

I have only seen the Cocoanuts and Duck Soup. Your review of it earlier sums up my feelings on it. It was decent but not as great as their later films.
I would call it a good begining for them. I still need to watch Monkey Business, Horse Feathers and Animal Crackers.

Duck Soup was the first Marx Brothers movie I ever watched. I was blown away at how funny the movie was. It really is a comedy classic. Now I see why fans put that one and A Night At The Opera at the top as the best of their films.

[metaldams]

I LOVE the barrel scene and Harpo at the puppet show.  I think MONKEY BUSINESS may be the only Marx film where Zeppo has a somewhat respectable role.....I said somewhat. 

[xraffle]

COCOANUTS and ANIMAL CRACKERS were straight adaptations of the Marxes' Broadway hits. They weren't staged as motion pictures, and that constitutes most of their roughness. The two filmed at Paramount's film facility on Long Island... in fact, while the Marxes were filming COCOANUTS in the day, they were on Broadway at night, performing ANIMAL CRACKERS.

MONKEY BUSINESS, HORSE FEATHERS and DUCK SOUP were planned and produced as motion pictures, filmed in Los Angeles at Paramount Studios. They represent the brothers at their anarchic finest.

It's interesting that these movies are chronologically ordered this way. "The Cocoanuts" (the first movie) is the worst out of the five and "Duck Soup" (the last movie) is the best. So as you watch these in order, they just get better and better.

Falsealarms: Once you watch "Horse Feathers" and "Duck Soup", you would definitely feel that this set is worth the purchase. Those two movies are the best of the bunch and they're much better than "A Night In The Opera" (which is the best MGM movie).

I just tracked my package and it arrived in my post office this morning, so I should be receiving it in a couple of hours.

[falsealarms]

I watched Horse Feathers. Way better than Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers, but a tick below Monkey Business. Monkey Business seemed a little more zany than Horse Feathers.

While the song/dance skits have often been a drag, Groucho's "I'm Against It" was really good. Memorable lines include the one about being in college for 12 years and students sleeping in the classroom. Harpo and the cop was a terrific scene, as was the password scene and the classroom scene. I'm starting to wonder if Harpo was funnier than Curly -- I love his bulb horn.

Yet to watch Duck Soup.

xraffle, I'll be interested in your impressions on the A/V quality. Cocoanuts ranged from okay to awful, but overall the set hasn't been too bad considering the age of these films. We've been spoiled a bit by Sony's wonderful restorations.

[xraffle]

I just received my set. Let me first express my anger regarding Amazon's packaging. It's awful. They stuffed my merchandise into a padded envelope and mailed it to me. The Marx Brother Box cover is now dented on the corners. I will not purchase from Amazon ever again, not matter how cheap they are.

Now, about the set. After skimming through the movies, the video quality is better than I expected. Like I said before, I wasn't expecting much because I believe the original negatives to these films were lost/damaged and restoration is pretty much impossible. But these look ok. "Duck Soup" looks the best out of the five.

[falsealarms]

A padded envelope? Mine came in a rectangular Amazon box.

I guess that's the difference between free shipping and standard shipping.

[xraffle]

A padded envelope? Mine came in a rectangular Amazon box.

I guess that's the difference between free shipping and standard shipping.

I've gotten merchandise in a padded envelope with standard shipping before. But since it's been a while since they've used one, I thought they did away with them. I guess not.

I contacted Amazon and they're sending me a new one, free of charge. Delivery estimate is July 8th. I specifically told them to send me the replacement in a box. Let's see if they listen.

[metaldams]

Geez man, I don't even NOTICE the packaging when I get stuff from Amazon.  I get what I order out of the box and the box is in the garbage right away.

I had one complaint about amazon, and it was the time, YEARS ago, when I never received my VHS copy of THE OUTLAWS IS COMING.  Probably just got lost in the mail.  I called them, they were very polite, and I got my copy a few days later.  No big deal.

One great thing about MONKEY BUSINESS and HORSE FEATHERS is Thelma Todd.  They don't make 'em like her anymore, though of course Margaret Dumont is great too, just in a different way.  As for DUCK SOUP, False, if you don't like that one, you're simply not a Marx Brothers fan.  If the scenes with Chico, Harpo, and Edgar Kennedy at the lemonade stand don't make you laugh, you're simply not human.

[xraffle]

Geez man, I don't even NOTICE the packaging when I get stuff from Amazon.  I get what I order out of the box and the box is in the garbage right away.

And that's the problem. I never got a box. It was just flopped in a padded envelope and the envelope was half torn when it arrived.

I still say there's no excuse for my product to arrive in beat up shape. You should see the cover of my box set. It's all crushed in the sides. I pay for a new product and that's what I want Amazon to give me.

[falsealarms]

Finished Duck Soup - likely the best one on the set, edging out Monkey Business. The whole movie was good, but especially the ending, Harpo vs the lemonade vendor, and everyone pretending to be Groucho. I was admittedly letdown after the first two efforts, but the final three rebounded in a big way. The set was worth the purchase.

I'd rank the 5 -

1. Duck Soup
2. Monkey Business

3. Horse Feathers

4. Cocoanuts
5. Animal Crackers

[xraffle]

I'm surprised you didn't like "Animal Crackers." I thought it was one of their better movies. I thought it was equally as good as "Monkey Business." The scenes where Chico and Harpo play bridge and switch the paintings were hilarious. "The Cocoanuts" is the one I found to be the weakest.

In this set, "Animal Crackers" looks quite fuzzy compared to the other four films, but I've always remembered this movie looking like that so I'm not surprised.

[JazzBill]

I remember when Sony put out those Buster Keaton shorts and I was told by everyone here to get them because I wouldn't be sorry. You guy's were correct. Looks like I'll be checking out the Marx Brothers pretty soon.

[FineBari3]

I remember when Sony put out those Buster Keaton shorts and I was told by everyone here to get them because I wouldn't be sorry. You guy's were correct. Looks like I'll be checking out the Marx Brothers pretty soon.

I got into the Marx Brothers back in the early 1980's. There was a documentary called "The Marx Brothers In a Nutshell" that ran one day on PBS. I was hooked ever since.

I really do not remember seeing any Marx Brothers stuff on TV until the 1990's. They are considered to be a way higher form of comedy...even art...than the Stooges ever were. (This is among film academic-types).  The Marx's comedy was more cerebral than any slapstick. I believe the Marx Brothers were energy in a bottle, and talkies came around just in time to capture two of their Broadway plays virtually unchanged for the camera.

 I wonder why many of you have never discovered them until now? Is it an age thing or a TV programming thing, or what? Many of us grew up with some Marx Brothers films on UHF TV in the 70's (not me!). Very strange. Have the Marx Brothers gone that far off the radar?

[xraffle]

It's amazing how much talent these Marx Brothers have. Not only are they very funny, but they have great musical talent as well. I always envy Chico. I wish I could play the piano like him. It's a great instrument. I never had the patience to learn how to play it well.

[Justin T]

It's amazing how much talent these Marx Brothers have. Not only are they very funny, but they have great musical talent as well. I always envy Chico. I wish I could play the piano like him. It's a great instrument. I never had the patience to learn how to play it well.

I'm with you X, their musical talent blew me away. I love watching Chico play the piano and Harpo on the harp.

[locoboymakesgood]

I got into the Marx Brothers back in the early 1980's. There was a documentary called "The Marx Brothers In a Nutshell" that ran one day on PBS. I was hooked ever since.

I really do not remember seeing any Marx Brothers stuff on TV until the 1990's. They are considered to be a way higher form of comedy...even art...than the Stooges ever were. (This is among film academic-types).  The Marx's comedy was more cerebral than any slapstick. I believe the Marx Brothers were energy in a bottle, and talkies came around just in time to capture two of their Broadway plays virtually unchanged for the camera.

 I wonder why many of you have never discovered them until now? Is it an age thing or a TV programming thing, or what? Many of us grew up with some Marx Brothers films on UHF TV in the 70's (not me!). Very strange. Have the Marx Brothers gone that far off the radar?

From articles and websites I've read on the subject, I think it's mainly because they never had a resurgence after the early 70s. The Stooges and Laurel & Hardy had a bit of a renaissance in the mid-late 80s which helped introduce them to a whole new generation as well. VHS even in that time span, along with weekly syndication airings, brought them back in to the mainstream.

I'm in to the Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, and classic film because of my Dad who grew up with all this on TV and all that back in the 60s. The Marx Bros. were never big in our house, although we watched them if they popped on TV. I didn't see my first Marx Bros. film until the later 90s when Duck Soup was on TV - I think AMC at the time. From that point I had borrowed the VHS tapes of their movies from the library and then got the DVD set when it had come out. I think they're very funny, but their brand of humor is different than what a lot of people are used to from the comedy teams of that era.

I've come to appreciate them a bit more as time has passed. I don't know a lot of people that really are in to the Marx Bros. per se but I think in terms of classic comedy, most people would classify them as one of the best. I'm lucky enough to be at an age and in the environment I grew up in to have known about them and all sorts of "lost" comedy teams and films from that time period (being 22 and watching Silent Movie Sundays isn't a way a lot of my colleagues spend their Sunday nights!), but it's sad a lot of people haven't been exposed to a team as big as The Marx Bros. and probably won't. Anyone who was on the fence about watching any of their movies you really owe it to yourself.

[falsealarms]

I'm 23 and I think it's part age and part availability. I don't think their films are on TV all that often (though I could be wrong) and I didn't develop a liking for them as a child as I did with the Stooges. It was only until recently that I felt much of an urge to delve into other classic comedy -- for years, the only classic comedy I knew (and liked) were the Stooges. But after really liking the Columbia Keaton's, I decided to give the Marx Brothers a try and I'm glad I did. I'm even considering getting their other box set.

The Stooges have outlasted all of their contemporaries as far as staying in the mainstream.

[locoboymakesgood]

The Stooges have outlasted all of their contemporaries as far as staying in the mainstream.

I think that has to do with the generation that grew up with them. Any of the Stooges fans I know around my age were introduced to them by their parents at a young age. I think being born in the 80s is another reason they tend to still be in the spotlight since our generation is very reminiscent of growing up in that time period.

I think as history goes on the Stooges will always live on, while others may be forgotten about and buried.

[falsealarms]

Plus, the Marx Brothers only made like 13 or 14 talkies. Compare that to the Stooges' four decades worth of films.

[metaldams]

(being 22 and watching Silent Movie Sundays isn't a way a lot of my colleagues spend their Sunday nights!)

Nothing will get you into a girl's pants quicker than a Lon Chaney flick.

[falsealarms]

This scene from A Night In Casablanca is one of the best Marx Bros. moments that I've seen.

[youtube=425,350]tii-5OAKLbA[/youtube]

[locoboymakesgood]

Nothing will get you into a girl's pants quicker than a Lon Chaney flick.

If that was the case I wouldn't be single.

[metaldams]

If that was the case I wouldn't be single.

Well dude, MOCKERY is on tonight.  The maternity wards are already preparing 9 months in advance.

All kidding aside, I've actually stayed up plenty of Sunday nights/early Monday's watching some newly discovered 4 hour Russian epic about breadlines.  I'm definitely a silent Sundays guy.  Even thinking of buying some DVRs for the Chaney film tonight.