Marx Brothers!

[tegeus-Cromis]

I was thinking, "You know, what this forum really needs is a Marx Brothers thread." So here it is. Do you love them? How much do you love them? And if you don't love them, maybe you should consider actually watching one of their movies? Post your favorite clips, quips, whatever.

Here's one of my favorite scenes from one of their more underrated movies:

 

[CupofJoe]

My dad was a huge Marx Brothers Fan. He got me into them just about the time that Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel was recreated on the radio by the BBC. I think Grouch was great but that isn't to underplay the roles of Chico and Harpo [and even Zeppo once in a while]. Each one could hold and steal a scene from the others. "You can't fool me... There ain't no Sanity Claws!"

 

[BAYLOR]

Groucho Marx was brilliant, quick witted and could deliver a movie line, joke, one-liner , quip and comic insult with absolute precision. He had no equal . From what ive read, he did not suffer fools gladly or at all. He was a man who could have succeeded at anything , he was that good. The same could be said of his brothers Harpo and Chico. Im glad that he and his brothers went into comedy because , the world would otherwise be a far poorer place for not having them to make us all laugh .

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Monkey Business contains one of my favourite gags, and its not from a Marx brother

Steward: "Sorry to have to report there are four stowaways in the forward hatch."
Captain: "Stowaways? How do you know there are four of them?"
Steward: "Well, they were singing Sweet Adeline."

I don't know why, but it's always stuck with me that exchange.

And, controversially, if they are doing a four-part harmony, then Harpo must be speaking (Well technically singing, but you know what I mean)

 

[Vince W]

I watched a number of Marx Brothers films on telly but they never appealed to me as much as Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges. Mainly because the Marx Brothers were more quips and puns while L&H and TTS were gags that your typical kid would grasp more easily. I should give the Marx Brothers another try sometime.

 

[Alex The G and T]

When my kids were extremely busy teenagers, sometimes only home for a quick change and a snack; my favorite line was always, "Oh, so you only came to say you must be going."

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I fell in love with the Marx Brothers movies more decades ago than I would care to admit, and eventually tracked them down and saw them all. (This was back when you had to read the television movie listings and actually sit down in front of the set when the movie was broadcast; no recordings! When I was really lucky, one of them would be shown in a real theater, which was great, because you could experience the audience reacting.)

If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Duck Soup. Besides being hilarious, as always, it's also a biting satire on a world that was blindly walking back into war.

 

[Narkalui]

I looooooooove Duck Soup

 

[BAYLOR]

When my kids were extremely busy teenagers, sometimes only home for a quick change and a snack; my favorite line was always, "Oh, so you only came to say you must be going."

I loved Margaret Dumont, she was a very striking and the perfect foil for Gruacho . She wasn't young them , but she must breathtaking when she was .

 

[Randy M.]

I fell in love with the Marx Brothers movies more decades ago than I would care to admit, and eventually tracked them down and saw them all. (This was back when you had to read the television movie listings and actually sit down in front of the set when the movie was broadcast; no recordings! When I was really lucky, one of them would be shown in a real theater, which was great, because you could experience the audience reacting.)

If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Duck Soup. Besides being hilarious, as always, it's also a biting satire on a world that was blindly walking back into war.

Duck Soup and Horse Feathers were unadulterated, pure quill, no goofy musical piece or sappy romance added, Marx Brothers and all the better for it. That said, A Night at the Opera is great fun and their earlier movies and A Day at the Races are only a bit less so. I remember going to a local theater slightly larger than a Greyhound bus and watching five of their movies, one after the other. I don't recommend it unless you don't mind bruised ribs and aching lungs.

Randy M.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

I like Marx Brothers movies. Many favorite scenes. The auction scene in Cocoanuts always comes to mind. The amazing musical interludes by Chico and Harpo were great. Real or not, smashing a piano into a harp always a hit. Room Service has plenty of good "writers" gags, but the turkey flying around the room is so comical, it doesn't matter how contrived the flying turkey looks, who cares.

 

[BAYLOR]

I like Marx Brothers movies. Many favorite scenes. The auction scene in Cocoanuts always comes to mind. The amazing musical interludes by Chico and Harpo were great. Real or not, smashing a piano into a harp always a hit. Room Service has plenty of good "writers" gags, but the turkey flying around the room is so comical, it doesn't matter how contrived the flying turkey looks, who cares.

As musicians , they were both outstanding.

 

[F.J. Hansen]

My favorite comedy troupe. I have seen all of their sound films and recently expanded my film collection to include all of them. I love Groucho's fourth wall moments, like the scene with Eve Arden in At the Circus where Groucho tries to recover stolen money, Eve's character steals it back and hides it in her bra, and Groucho wonders aloud to the audience how he can get it without getting in trouble with the Hayes' Office.

If I were to choose a favorite movie, it would be either Duck Soup or A Night in Casablanca.

I've also watched some of Groucho's game show, You Bet You're Life. Those episodes never fail to make me laugh.