Hitchcoc "Hooray for Captain Spalding" became the theme for Groucho Marx. He used it on his TV show "You Bet Your Life." When he enters to this theme in Animal Crackers with that crazy dance, turning his legs out, looking like an African explorer with a pith helmet, it is one of the all time classic moments in the movies. The one liners go on and on so the plot is inconsequential. What there is of it involves the theft of a valuable painting and a worthy fake. People are frustrated until the Marx Brothers get involved. Of course, they are hardly helpful, just causing chaos. And it makes no difference. Because there is no situation they can't screw up and eventually land on their feet. We are always going to be treated to a piano solo by Chico and some harp by Harpo (in addition to his off the wall craziness). Great movie.

SimonJack The Marx Brothers were masters of comedy who entertained audiences for four decades in vaudeville, radio, films and television. Five of their films are on the American Film Institute's list of America's Funniest Movies. "Duck Soup" of 1933 is fifth on the list. "A Night at the Opera" of 1935 is number 12, and "A Day at the Races" of 1937 is number 59. Those are my favorites, and all three have zany plots. "Animal Crackers" was the second feature film the brothers made, when Zeppo was part of the acting team. In place of a plot it has a thin line of a story used just to string together dozens of vaudeville skits and bits. Some are very dated and of interest only to see what people laughed at a century ago in entertainment theaters. The filming appears stagy, as if it was done during live vaudeville acts. The performers often speak to the audience off stage. And it has a stage feel even to the point of an echo and sound reverberations as from a sound stage with poor acoustics.Some of the lines still are funny today. But the long list of routines hardly resembles a movie. It's somewhat interesting and entertaining, but it can't hold a candle to the later great comedies the Marx Brothers gave us.

SnoopyStyle Socialite Mrs. Rittenhouse throws a party for celebrated explorer Captain Spaulding (Groucho Marx) after returning from Africa. Horatio Jamison (Zeppo Marx) is his suffering assistant. Professor (Harpo Marx) and Ravelli (Chico Marx) are in the party for some reason. Hives is the put upon butler. Arabella Rittenhouse and her boyfriend John Parker replace a valuable painting with his work to prove his painting skills. Then both the original and the copy disappear and mayhem ensues.For some reason, I don't find this one that funny except for a couple of scenes. The jokes are not really hitting me. There is a stretch where Groucho breaks the 4th wall while the women freeze in place. None of that struck me as funny. When jokes fall flat like that, the movie feels sad. It's possible that I simply don't get many of the references. I don't find Hungerdunger that funny. Zeppo drags down the comedy. By comparison, Chico and Groucho does a great long back-and-forth. It's sharper and more energetic. The final scene with Harpo and the silverware is something special. However those are the only sections where I get big laughs.

st-shot The second Marx Brothers film shows the brothers Marx on a little surer footing then their early sound debut in The Cocoanuts. The brothers are sharper, the musical numbers peppier and the sound vastly improved as the anarchic quartet (read as trio) take high society and the art world to task with a fusillade of non-sequitor, malaprop and the impish pantomine of Harpo.Guest of honor Captain Spaulding (Groucho) regales guests in song and dance with tales of adventure at a Hamptons soirée. Brothers Harpo and Chico are also on the guest list and after a valuable painting disappears they become suspects. Groucho meanwhile continues to insult his hostess Mrs. Rittenhouse ( Margaret Dumont ) as well as make satiric comment about the stock market and Oneill's Strange Interlude.Grouch leads the way with two signature tunes Hooray for Captain Spaulding and Hello I Must Be Going while Chico murders the English language and tickles the ivories with his unique style. Harpo meanwhile steals silverware and cheats at bridge as well as contribute a harp solo follow-up to Lillian Roth's rendition of Why am I so Romantic. Crowning all the zaniness is the austere presence of dowager Dumont who despite being put through the wringer by the brothers never loses her dignity or sense of propriety.