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The first all-talking, all-singing musical motion picture
I've always thought it would be interesting to pair this film with Singing In the Rain, because all the technical glitches satirized in the later movie were very real during the production of this one. While Jolson's The Jazz Singer predates The Cocoanuts, this was the first musical to have a full-length, credit-to-credit soundtrack.
As such, it's often goofy, ludicrous, clumsily staged and badly timed. The songs are... well, what can you say about a movie that opens with a song called "The Monkey Doodle-Doo"? And all that disappears when Groucho launches into a routine, such as the famous "viaduct" ("I'm all right, how are you?") routine with his brother Chico.
An interesting piece of trivia about this movie (and others with the Marx brothers) -- having grown up in live theater, they were unable NOT to work the audience. Unfortunately, the audience on the set consisted of the stagehands, sound crew, and other technicians, who would bust up laughing and ruin the shots. Yet when the crew kept quiet, the Marx brothers assumed, almost subconsciously, that their jokes were falling flat -- so they'd make up new ones. Too bad the rushes for this film have no doubt long decomposed; it'd be a howl to see what they did *first*.
Last comment: in December 1991, while on a family holiday, I found myself driving to the town of Cocoa Beach, Florida... over a viaduct leading from the mainland. It was all I could do to keep the rental Chevy out of the surf.
Rated three stars, for Groucho, Harpo, and Chico, of course.
The Marxes Unleashed
Despite its technically inferior sound and variable print quality, "The Cocoanuts" (1929) remains a cinematic landmark. It was the first musical-comedy captured on film and, most importantly, introduced the Marx Brothers to the big screen. Though shot within the stage-bound confines of Paramount's Astoria studio, directors Robert Florey and Joseph Santley manage to incorporate stylish visual touches that complement the anarchic spirit of Groucho, Harpo, Chico and (briefly) Zeppo. As a result, "The Cocoanuts" lacks the stiffness and claustrophobia that plagued many 1929 talkies. Admittedly, there are a few slow stretches, since the filmmakers and performers hadn't quite mastered the pacing and timing of early sound comedy (notice the Groucho-Margaret Dumont exchanges). Still, the film moves at a pretty good clip (except for the forgettable musical interludes with Mary Eaton and Oscar Shaw) while showcasing some of the Marxes' best routines. Harpo, in particular, is brilliant and remarkably inventive throughout. Groucho has plenty of memorable dialogue, but his portrayal of Mr. Hammer is no match for Captain Spaulding or Rufus T. Firefly. Chico, of course, represents the ideal visual-verbal counterpart for Harpo and Groucho, even though his character is more belligerent than usual. And poor Zeppo would have better opportunities in his remaining film appearances. Flaws and all, "The Cocoanuts" survives as a fine introduction to Marxian madness.
It's one of the best
First off, lets get some stuff straight. This is a great start for the Marx Brothers. Second, The sound can get bad but please still buy it. Third, Zeppo does not star in it. He's in it for like 4 minutes and then he doesn't say anything. After 10 minutes of the movie he turns into Harpo. Fourth, this can be interrupted by some dances.But this is an awsome movie, and I recommend it.
This is one of my personal favorites of the Marx Brothers movies (the other being "A Day at the Races"). This movie follows the brothers as stowaways on a ship, forever being chased around deck by the captain. The brothers then, completely by accident, become bodyguards for rival gang members. Groucho and Zeppo get stuck defending Alkie Briggs, while Chico and Harpo agree (for a fee) to defend Joe Helton. Zeppo then falls in love with Joe Helton's daughter, while Harpo joyfully chases a bullfrog around the ship! Once off the ship, Alkie Briggs, trying to trap Joe Helton into signing an agreement plans to kidnap Helton's Daughter, and the Marxes come to the rescue!
This was a great film for Harpo, some of the funniest gags in this film are his, especially the afformentioned bullfrog.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Harpo Marx Director(s): Norman Z. McLeod DVD Release Date: Released the 17 October 2000 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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Imagine Groucho as the president of a college and Harpo and Chico as football players. It doesn't get much wackier than this. Horse feathers, indeed. Groucho is hilarious to watch as a hip professor. He's at his most rebellious singing "Whatever it is, I'm against it." Thelma Todd does some of her best vamping to help fix the big football game, which Harpo and Chico are supposed to throw. Naturally, the brothers have other ideas. For sheer laughter, this has to rate almost as high as Duck Soup, with the memorable speakeasy sequence, and the funniest football finale of all time, complete with banana peels and a chariot. --Bill DesowitzMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Harpo Marx - Chico Marx Director(s): Norman Z. McLeod DVD Release Date: Released the 17 October 2000 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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This second Marx Brothers classic has Groucho playing Captain Spaulding (an inside joke pertaining to a renowned Hollywood drug pusher), whose song "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" became his signature anthem. Despite its staginess, it has some hilarious gags as the boys try to solve the mystery of a stolen painting among the high-society crowd. Some of the highlights include Groucho's African lecture about shooting an elephant in his pajamas, and a wacky card game between Harpo, Chico, and the always-gullible Margaret Dumont. The musical interludes here don't seem as awkward as in later films. It's really quite charming watching Chico and Harpo show off their graceful talents. --Bill DesowitzMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Harpo Marx - Chico Marx Director(s): Victor Heerman DVD Release Date: Released the 17 October 2000 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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For those who love the Marx Brothers (Animal Crackers, A Night at the Opera), that this movie is side-slappingly funny is a given. For those new to the Marx Brothers, this is the perfect introduction to Groucho, Chico, and Harpo (and even Zeppo), three of the funniest men to ever grace the screen. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) is the dictator of the small nation Freedonia. The country is a disaster, in financial disrepair, and the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) is its benefactor and the object of Firefly's shrewd affection. When the leader of the neighboring Sylvania decides he's in love with Mrs. Teasdale, Firefly declares war. The movie, from 1933, is tremendously satirical, a play on politics and war. (As Firefly says to a hapless young solider, "You're a brave man.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Groucho Marx - Harpo Marx - Chico Marx - Zeppo Marx Director(s): Leo McCarey DVD Release Date: Released the 10 October 2000 This item is currently not available.
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When it comes to long-awaited treats like The Marx Brothers Collection, you can never get too much of a good thing. These seven comedies can't compare to the sheer lunacy of the five classics (The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup) that the Marx Bros. made for Paramount between 1929 and 1933 (available in The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection), but when uber-producer Irving Thalberg signed Groucho, Harpo, and Chico to an MGM contract in 1935 (by which time sibling costar Zeppo had become the team's off-screen manager), he knew just how to cure their box-office blues. As a result, A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races were critical and commercial hits, lavishly produced... More Info about this DVD Director(s): William A. Seiter - Archie Mayo - Charles Reisner DVD Release Date: Released the 04 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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