http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028772/?ref_=nv_sr_2
So close to another classic, but not quite. At one hour forty nine minutes, this is definitely a longer Marx film, and it definitely could have used a little trimming. I don't think anybody would argue the lavish MGM style song and dance number on those floating clamshell thing-a-ma-bobs, or whatever the heck it was, could have been trimmed. Then much later on in the film we get the romantic couple singing a tender song after one of the great all-time Marx comedy scenes (more on that later), kind of ruining the comic flow a bit. After that, we get Harpo as Gabriel, being the pied piper to African Americans the world over. Completely bizarre. I have to admit, as unnecessary as the scene was to the film, it does have its entertainment value. The combination Negro spiritual, swing, jazz and dancing is really awesome and does add a unique flavor to the film. An unnecessary flavor, as I said, but an entertaining one. My only other complaint about the film is Groucho running away from the law like a coward because he's a horse doctor instead of a human one. I wish they could have found a way to make him more defiant, but perhaps I'm just nitpicking.
There is still a lot of great comedy to be found in this one. The scene where Groucho stalls showing the doctors his medical techniques by constantly sanitizing his hands with his brothers is an all-time favorite scene of mine. The milking of the hand sanitizing gag, Groucho's stream of jokes about the bearded doctor's grooming habits, poor Margaret Dumont being thrown in every direction in that examination chair, the scene is a comic masterpiece. Seamus, you and I discussed how Harpo is more behaved with the ladies at MGM. Well, when the three pretty nurses walk in, Harpo hugs/fondles one of the nurses, "accidentally" gets her nurses jacket off to reveal a short skirt and stockinged legs as she runs away. There's some degenerate life in the old mime after all! Then the finale where the brothers are riding away on the horse with the sprinkler system going off is a great final touch.
This may be my favorite Margaret Dumont role. The fact she is stupid enough to fall for Groucho being a human doctor is hysterical in itself, but her combination of blind love, stupidity, and trust is too much. In other films, she's almost above Groucho at times, but here, she's a little loonier and obviously taken in by him. Kind of random, but later in the film when Douglass Dumbrille tells her to shut up, her aghast reaction always gets a laugh out of me.
My other favorite bit is the tootsie frootsie ice cream scene. The way Chico just suckers Groucho in by making him buy all those books is another classic scene. Again, they just milk this for all its worth. After a while, Groucho seems to know he's being suckered in, but he goes through with it anyway. It's almost like, yeah, he made it this far, might as well see where this thing concludes. I'm glad he waited, because the sight of Groucho as a human library is well worth it.
Oh yeah, gotta mention the "love making" scene that gets interrupted by Chico and Harpo. The attractive tall blonde's "thank you" line is always fun to hear, as is Groucho dancing around the room like a sixteen year old before she comes in. Chaos ensues once all brothers are in the room, climaxing in that wonderful wallpaper gag.
There are a lot of funny scenes in this one but if perhaps the romantic couple's story line was a little more to the point and twenty minutes or so was trimmed off this thing, we'd have another perfect ten. Irving Thalberg did die two weeks into this film's production, so I'm not sure had he lived if it would have made a difference at all. As things stand, we have a good film on our hands, but oh, what could have been.
8/10
