http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030696/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Now here's an unusual Marx Brothers comedy for a few reasons. The first reason this is unusual is because it is the only Marx Brothers film done at RKO studios. Like stated in last week's review, Irving Thalberg, the MGM executive who championed The Marx Brothers, died two weeks into the filming of A DAY AT THE RACES. This left Louis B. Mayer as the sole head of MGM. The brothers did not get along with Mayer personally and Mayer did not like the Marx Brothers comedy, making an uncomfortable atmosphere. Secondly, there was a hot play at the time called ROOM SERVICE that studios were bidding for. RKO won the rights to the play, bidding $250,000. Then, through negotiations with Zeppo as manager, an additional $250,000 was bid for the services of The Marx Brothers by RKO. The MGM contract and still working for the hostile Louis B. Mayer remains in effect, but not for this one film. Being based on a play, this is also the only Marx Brothers movie with characters not written specifically for the brothers, minus a variation or a Harpo gag or two. Morris Ryskind was brought in to adapt this to the Marx Brothers as much as he can, but again, the characters are basically still overall faithful to the play.
With all that out of the way, not being written specifically written for The Marx Brothers, this does not make a great Marx Brothers movie. Groucho and Chico do a fine job in their respective roles, but one can't help to think just about any comic actor worth his salt could have stepped in and played the same role. Think about it, who's to say William Powell could not have done the Groucho role or Ted Healy the Chico role? You can't say that for any other Marx Brothers film. Harpo isn't given that much to do, but he's great with what he has. My favorite bit is when he has to play sick in bed and squeeze the toy doll to get a sound out of his mouth when being examined by the doctor. A great gag obviously written around the idea Harpo can't speak.
While not a great Marx Brothers movie, ROOM SERVICE is a very enjoyable thirties screwball comedy. It's very stage bound, but that's fine in this case, because the plot moves forward at a very brisk pace and steadily builds up. Things start out slow and the tension builds towards the end. Like most great screwball comedies, ROOM SERVICE, has all of these fun little side characters. There is the Russian waiter who hams it up wanting to be an actor, there's the befuddled man who comes to endorse the check for the play, there's the doctor who gets tied up after being called a quack, there's the man from the collection agency who makes sporadic appearances trying to get the $42 on the typewriter, fun little side characters like this who make these movies a lot of fun. Donald MacBride is absolutely fantastic as the quick tempered hotel manager, possibly the best role in the film, which backs up my point that this is a stronger comedy than Marx Brothers film. Frank Albertson is also fun to watch as the naive playwright who has to grow up real fast. The two ladies are Ann Miller and Lucille Ball, of all people. Both, sadly, aren't given much to do knowing what both are capable of, especially the latter. That said, they both carry themselves well with what they are given, and guys anyone want to take a crack at how old Ann Miller was when this was filmed? The answer is 15. She lied about her age, and just goes to show, guys, be careful. She looks much older than 15, and carries herself very maturely as well.
Also want to add the brief point that there are no non-comic romance scenes, and no non-comic musical numbers. This is a pure comedy like so many here want, yet the comedy is not of a Marxian flavor.
A fun movie overall, and my overall rating is a reflection on the overall quality of the film as a comedy, not a Marx vehicle.
8/10
