Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews
Hotel Anchovy (1934) - The Ritz Brothers
metaldams:
--- Quote from: hiramhorwitz on February 11, 2020, 08:17:54 PM ---Phil Arnold, of course - from a number of the Shemp-era Stooge shorts.
--- End quote ---
Give this man a cigar.
Umbrella Sam:
It’s a shame that the Ritz Brothers didn’t do more shorts, because it seems like they fit much better here than in features. Watching this short is a lot like watching a Tex Avery MGM cartoon. For those who don’t know, Avery directed the first shorts for Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny at Warner Bros., but over at MGM, he really didn’t have many distinguishable characters besides for Droopy. What he lacked for in characters, he made up for in sheer energy and wild gags. The Ritz Brothers seem to be exactly the same. They’re not easy to distinguish and at first glance, it’s a bit hard to understand their appeal. But as it goes on and on it becomes a lot more clear just how their appeal comes from their zaniness. Gags like the one with the revolving door or the one with them all impersonating a potential door. They’re just so fast and wild that it’s honestly really impressive...and, yeah, after taking all of that in, I did find that I was actually laughing a lot as well.
I remember after watching THE THREE MUSKETEERS, I felt so disappointed because these guys had some potential, but they were totally lost in a dramatic world where their lack of personalities just didn’t fit. That might be just because of how serious of a work THE THREE MUSKETEERS is, so for all I know, maybe there is a good feature with them out there. HOTEL ANCHOVY shows that their style definitely can hold up for a short amount of time and is a fun film to watch overall.
9 out of 10
metaldams:
--- Quote from: Umbrella Sam on February 13, 2020, 01:15:08 PM ---It’s a shame that the Ritz Brothers didn’t do more shorts, because it seems like they fit much better here than in features. Watching this short is a lot like watching a Tex Avery MGM cartoon. For those who don’t know, Avery directed the first shorts for Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny at Warner Bros., but over at MGM, he really didn’t have many distinguishable characters besides for Droopy. What he lacked for in characters, he made up for in sheer energy and wild gags. The Ritz Brothers seem to be exactly the same. They’re not easy to distinguish and at first glance, it’s a bit hard to understand their appeal. But as it goes on and on it becomes a lot more clear just how their appeal comes from their zaniness. Gags like the one with the revolving door or the one with them all impersonating a potential door. They’re just so fast and wild that it’s honestly really impressive...and, yeah, after taking all of that in, I did find that I was actually laughing a lot as well.
I remember after watching THE THREE MUSKETEERS, I felt so disappointed because these guys had some potential, but they were totally lost in a dramatic world where their lack of personalities just didn’t fit. That might be just because of how serious of a work THE THREE MUSKETEERS is, so for all I know, maybe there is a good feature with them out there. HOTEL ANCHOVY shows that their style definitely can hold up for a short amount of time and is a fun film to watch overall.
9 out of 10
--- End quote ---
I just watched THE GORILLA the other day and while it had its moments, especially early on, it delved too much into mystery territory by the end. There still is a question with me whether these guys can sustain a feature so your THREE MUSKETEERS comment - a film I know you review - is interesting. But yes, I think they would have done fine in shorts. Imagine them at Columbia. They also were comfortable on stage and I think it’s telling they left Hollywood by the mid forties.
stooge_o_phile:
--- Quote from: metaldams on February 06, 2020, 09:21:40 PM --- ... I think the lack of individuality is why The Ritz Brothers these days do not catch on with people like other comedy teams. ...All three Ritz Brothers have a similar look and all three are extreme scenery chewers...
I will say there is this one bit earlier in the short from Harry where he runs out of a room, does this amazing vertical leap over a chair and then gracefully jumps over the hotel check in counter. Quite impressive...
... HOTEL ANCHOVY on its own is a fun way to spend seventeen minutes...
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: metaldams on February 13, 2020, 05:48:34 PM ---...There still is a question with me whether these guys can sustain a feature...
--- End quote ---
Well said all the way around Metal.
In fact I believe Leonard Maltin wrote in his book “Movie Comedy Teams” (a little dated now but still a good read) that these guys were most comfortable doing nightclub work, and I think their shtick comes off best when you visualize it in that setting.
metaldams:
--- Quote from: stooge_o_phile on September 20, 2020, 06:33:36 PM ---Well said all the way around Metal.
In fact I believe Leonard Maltin wrote in his book “Movie Comedy Teams” (a little dated now but still a good read) that these guys were most comfortable doing nightclub work, and I think their shtick comes off best when you visualize it in that setting.
--- End quote ---
For sure. Watching YouTube footage, they seem more night club comedians than film comedians.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version