Topic: The Marx Brothers

[archiezappa]

i'm also a great Marx Brothers fan......have all their movies on dvd.....with the exception of "The Story of Mankind", which i've never seen.......but also have read was pretty bad.........also have quite a few You Bet Your Life radio eps as well......this my first post........this site is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've never seen "The Story Of Mankind," either.  I understand that Groucho, Chico and Harpo are all in it, but they don't have any scenes together.  I'm still curious about it.  I'd like to see it at least once.  You never know.  It may not be as bad as you might think...

[archiezappa]

  "Soup to Nuts" was on AMC yesterday (June 1) and I watched most of it.  It's now on my DVD wishlist.

I finally got "Soup To Nuts" a few months ago.  I got it from Amazon for like $6.99 or something.  That's a low price, considering that it's the very first film appearance of The Three Stooges.

[Justin T]

I became a Marx Brothers fan when I was about 10 years old. I watched "Duck Soup" on Comedy Central one Saturday morning and I became an instant fan.

As for those three films you haven't seen, my advice is to go see them. Those three films are their best, especially "Horse Feathers." In fact, that's my second favorite Marx Brothers film.

Oh yes, I do plan on watching those 3 in the near future when I can. I've been looking foward to Animal Crackers for some
time because I've heard how great it is. Ditto for Horse Feathers.

[Dunrobin]

I won't rest until there's a Kennedy/Collins database.  So it shall be written, so it shall be done.

You're a damned trouble-maker, you know that?   

I've registered the domain name comedyfilmclassics.net (and .com), which I think I'm going to use as a central portal tying together threestooges.net and themarxbrothers.net (along with yet to be registered domains for Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello), with comedyfilmclassics.net also showcasing the "lesser" comedians like Kennedy/Collins, etc.  It would be organized something along these lines:

comedyfilmclassics.net:

• threestooges.net
• themarxbrothers.net
• abbotandcostello.net*
• laurelandhardy.net*

* or something similar - I haven't checked domain names for those yet

I'll have to work out the details, but I'll be able to utilize the same coding for each and should be able to pull info from the different databases to show things such as actors that appeared with the different teams, etc. 

Well, at least this should keep me off the streets and out of trouble this summer.   

[metaldams]

I was obviously joking about Kennedy and Collins (or at least I thought it was obvious), but if you do a database for "lesser" comedians, that would be cool.  Whatever you do Rob, I'm looking forward to it.

[Dunrobin]

I was obviously joking about Kennedy and Collins (or at least I thought it was obvious), but if you do a database for "lesser" comedians, that would be cool.  Whatever you do Rob, I'm looking forward to it.

I knew that you were joking, Doug, but your comment did get me to thinking about doing more, especially after discussing it with my brother.  When I saw that the domain name, comedyfilmclassics, was available for all TLD extensions I couldn't resist registering the .com and .net domains.  Creating the additional sites won't be that much of a challenge, since I will be able to recycle coding and database structures, but adding data to the sites will be a bit of work.  I expect to draft some volunteers for that when I get to that point.   

[metaldams]

I expect to draft some volunteers for that when I get to that point.   

I'll do whatever I can to help.

[archiezappa]

You're a damned trouble-maker, you know that?   

I've registered the domain name comedyfilmclassics.net (and .com), which I think I'm going to use as a central portal tying together threestooges.net and themarxbrothers.net (along with yet to be registered domains for Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello), with comedyfilmclassics.net also showcasing the "lesser" comedians like Kennedy/Collins, etc.  It would be organized something along these lines:

comedyfilmclassics.net:

• threestooges.net
• themarxbrothers.net
• abbotandcostello.net*
• laurelandhardy.net*

* or something similar - I haven't checked domain names for those yet

I'll have to work out the details, but I'll be able to utilize the same coding for each and should be able to pull info from the different databases to show things such as actors that appeared with the different teams, etc. 

Well, at least this should keep me off the streets and out of trouble this summer.   

This sounds like it will be totally awesome!  And if you do it, I know it will be.  That pretty much covers everything we like in old movies.  With old movies there's The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, Abbott & Costello, Laurel & Hardy, Columbia Shorts and everything else.  Everything else, to me, is related material.  Anyway, it sounds like the ultimate old movie website.  Rock on!

[Justin T]

I knew that you were joking, Doug, but your comment did get me to thinking about doing more, especially after discussing it with my brother.  When I saw that the domain name, comedyfilmclassics, was available for all TLD extensions I couldn't resist registering the .com and .net domains.  Creating the additional sites won't be that much of a challenge, since I will be able to recycle coding and database structures, but adding data to the sites will be a bit of work.  I expect to draft some volunteers for that when I get to that point.   

That is very awesome, and I will gladly provide any help I can.

[luke795]

I would like to have a Ritz Brothers website too.

[metaldams]

I would like to have a Ritz Brothers website too.

Too obscure, but if we HAD to pick an obscure team, I'd pick Wheeler and Woolsey first.

[Dunrobin]

My plan, so far, is to use comedyfilmclassics.net as the portal site linking the four other .net sites together and also to showcase other comedy teams like the Ritz Brothers, Wheeler and Wolsey, Burns and Allen, etc.

[OldFred]

I could see Wheeler & Woolsey over the Ritz Brothers mostly because their films still get shown more often, especially on TCM, over the Ritz's. Thelma Todd co-starred in several W&W films which is a reason you'll still see some of the flicks. Both W&W and the Ritz's were hugely popular teams in their day who unfortunately don't get the screen time the Marx's and the Stooges' get and are almost forgotten today. W&W's 'Diplomaniacs' is as funny a political satire of it's time as 'Duck Soup' is for the Marx's, they're almost sister films.

I'm looking forward to another message board that honors the other movie comedy teams.

[metaldams]

I could see Wheeler & Woolsey over the Ritz Brothers mostly because their films still get shown more often, especially on TCM, over the Ritz's. Thelma Todd co-starred in several W&W films which is a reason you'll still see some of the flicks. Both W&W and the Ritz's were hugely popular teams in their day who unfortunately don't get the screen time the Marx's and the Stooges' get and are almost forgotten today. W&W's 'Diplomaniacs' is as funny a political satire of it's time as 'Duck Soup' is for the Marx's, they're almost sister films.

I'm looking forward to another message board that honors the other movie comedy teams.

I've seen about a half a dozen W&W films, and they vary in quality.  Still, I agree about DIPLOMANIACS, a MUST see for any DUCK SOUP fan.  Louis Calhern even plays a similar role in both films.  HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY! is a funny film and has one of the best titles for any 30's comedy.

[luke795]

Will there be a Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts/Patsy Kelly website?

[Dunrobin]

Will there be a Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts/Patsy Kelly website?

There's no reason why there couldn't be.  It will be a community-driven fan site based on either teams or individual comedians for the classic film era.

By the way, I'm open to suggestions about defining that.  My initial thought is any film comedians from the silent era through 1949?

[metaldams]

There's no reason why there couldn't be.  It will be a community-driven fan site based on either teams or individual comedians for the classic film era.

By the way, I'm open to suggestions about defining that.  My initial thought is any film comedians from the silent era through 1949?

You better make it 1948.  Martin and Lewis's first comedy was 1949.  OK, OK, only joking......maybe.

In reality, though I'm not a fan, I do consider Martin and Lewis the last of the stage trained film comedians, so perhaps its best you end with them.  After them, live television and sitcoms took over comedians, as well as more risque stand up comics (Lenny Bruce).

[archiezappa]

You better make it 1948.  Martin and Lewis's first comedy was 1949.  OK, OK, only joking......maybe.

In reality, though I'm not a fan, I do consider Martin and Lewis the last of the stage trained film comedians, so perhaps its best you end with them.  After them, live television and sitcoms took over comedians, as well as more risque stand up comics (Lenny Bruce).

I actually like Martin & Lewis.  I have 14 of their movies on DVD.  I've always felt that they were the last of the old-time comedy teams.  And they were much better together then they ever were solo.

[OldFred]

I actually like Martin & Lewis.  I have 14 of their movies on DVD.  I've always felt that they were the last of the old-time comedy teams.  And they were much better together then they ever were solo.

Martin and Lewis' solo careers were actually very successful. Dean reinvented himself after the split to his lovable lush persona which made his variety show such a delight, I found him many times funnier than Jerry. And Dean proved himself to be a very good actor and many of his films showed that he had a great acting range.

While Jerry did make a lot of funny films, he kept playing the same character he played opposite Dean, only this time he didn't have Dean to balance out his nonsense. Jerry was an innovative film director and the video playback system used on all film sets today was created by him. However, Jerry kept playing his crazy kid character well into his Thirties and beyond and it got to the point of being both annoying and embarrassing. Even Chaplin eventually dropped the Little Tramp character. In 'The Nutty Professor', considered Jerry's best film, he was able to pull off two totally different characters without reverting to the crazy kid persona. It's when Jerry branched out to more serious roles like in 'King of Comedy' did he reveal a fuller range as an actor.

A message board that honors other movie comics and comedy teams will certainly be most welcomed. 

Dean Martin and Bob Newhart

[Dolemite]

I think the Marx Bros., Laurel & Hardy and W.C. Fields were the best.  There's a Laurel & Hardy site http://www.laurelandhardyforum.com/portal/ which is excellent.  There's a website up for Harpo Marx's Palm Springs home, can't tell if it's still for sale.