Director: Norman Z. McLeod

Screenwriters: S. J. Perelman and Will B. Johnstone

Released by: Paramount Pictures

Starring: The 4 Marx Brothers

Why Now? With all the unrest and problems in the world these days, we could all use a little bit of comedy in our lives to keep us going. For the month of July, I wanted to watch some classic pre-code comedies in the vein of The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, and now seemed to be the perfect opportunity to delve into the films of The Marx Brothers.  Last week I saw Duck Soup, the film I had heard most about, and this week, I will check out their other title I’ve heard thrown around.

Why Monkey Business? Not only have I heard it mentioned the most behind Duck Soup, but it’s also another film within the group’s tenure at Paramount. I believe that a few of the clips I’ve seen over the years–just to check out the Brothers’ brand of comedy– come from this film, so I am eager to see them in their full context. Doesn’t this one take place on an ocean liner? That will be an interesting setting.

What do I Know About the Marx Brothers (Now)? Groucho is a savage smooth-talker who spits fire on everyone he meets, Chico is a multi-talented Italian man with a plan, Harpo is a cartoon-ish mime who just wants to have a good time, and Zeppo is…just Zeppo.

Post-Screening Synopsis:

Four stowaways (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo) wreck havoc on a cruise ship, flirting with women, conning various individuals, and generally enjoying themselves by messing with others. during the commotion, they get tangled up with both sides of a hostile encounter between a gangster and a racketeer.

Praise:

This story-line is so smart. Not only do the fresh gags benefit from the uncommon setting of a cruise ship (at least for the first part of the film), but the film is able to cleverly weave in a gangster subplot nearly twenty minutes into the film and quickly jump back and forth between the shenanigans tied to that story and the stowaways’ desire to have a good time.

Groucho is still the best. The leader of these sly, bullshitting con-men is a Loony Tunes character come to life (oh how cool it would be to see him with Bugs Bunny). I love seeing him act like a pseudo-intellectual, fooling everyone around him and roasting everything back to back. He is flirt who plays hard to get, and he doesn’t flinch whenever he is in danger ( he gets a gun pulled on him a couple times and instead reprimands the gangster for getting between him and the gangster’s bored wife).  Every single line he says is smart–it’s crazy how good he is!

“Love flies out the door when money comes innuendo.”
-Groucho Marx

Chico is also really cool. His Italian accent and demeanor are as engaging as ever, and like in Duck Soup, he enjoys passing himself off as the middle class professional of the group. His scenes with Groucho are gold as both they’re  bulliish grandiose personalities clash and undermine each other in rapid fire double entendres.

Harpo is a clown who wants to have a good time and chase ladies around. His gags are the most childish, but they’re still fun to watch.

Zeppo in this film is the most normal of the brothers, and finds himself assuming the role of romantic lead when he falls in love with the daughter of the racketeer. While he isn’t the cause of many hi-jinks, he does take part in his brothers’ schemes and actually has some moments of action. Good for him!

Plus, the brief moments of singing and dancing were not grating at all, not really slowing the story.

Comments:

I really have next to no comments–the film was almost perfect for me.

Thankfully, Harpo’s gags didn’t seem to last as long in this film as Duck Soup, though one of them, featuring him playing the harp along with an opera singer, was almost there, but ended quickly.

I do wish Zeppo was highlighted more in the film for his unique aspects like each of the others,  but at least  he did have more of a story line  and things to do in this one. he seemed more related to the main story than just as a side character.

The ending did feel abrupt to me, but I have seen that with a few other classic films from that era. It’s like they had a runtime limit to hit or just ran out of jokes, resulting in a film with little to no denouement (though not much is needed for a comedy).

Verdict:

I love it! Fast-paced, witty, full of adult jokes and crazy situations that overlap with a subplot involving gangsters and racketeers, this film, at least for me, showed how great The Marx Brothers were at the height of their success.