These wonderful actors and movies are almost forgotten. Are there any fans out there? Whats your favorite movie? Who is your favorite Marx Brother, and Why?
Hi,I've been a fan of the boys for 26 years now,I never stopped loving them,never stopped being blown away by them,the very first movie I ever saw of the Marx Brothers was Go West,I was floored by the gags and the final train scene.My favorite movie is A Day at the Races,I have seen it many,many times,I never get tired of it.My favorite Marx man is obviously Groucho for his incredibly sharp wit,he takes my breath away whenever he starts going and going...
I just got "love happy" and i would recommend it to everyone. I think it might be their funniest movie. It's hard to pin that down though because they are all good in their own right.
The Marx Brothers made wonderful films. Hysterically funny, and Harpo was capable of great pathos. I grew up watching these films, and my sense of humor, which made me a successful improv actress for several years, can be largely attributed to the Marx Brothers.
the marx brothers are quite a show biz story.growing up in new york.workink the vaudeville circuite developing their characters.they seemed to have hit their stride in the late 20's when talkies began.the world is better because of them.zanier too.
I think that the Marx brothers were probably some of the most subversive movies to come out of any era. I've only really seen Night at the Opera. But within that there is a strong message about classism, Legalese ("You can't fool me, there is no sanity clause"), and showbiz in general. Also Rob Zombie gets props for naming the charachters in House of 1000 Corpses, and The Devils Rejects after Marx Brothers Charachters.
If you liked "Love Happy", then I recommend "Duck Soup", or "Animal Crackers". These were made during their prime. A little note of Love Happy, Marlyn Monroe had a walk on appearance made soon before she became a huge movie star. She was the slinky dame who walks into Groucho's office. Groucho gets my vote.
Duck Soup was the best, then it's a toss up between Horsefeathers and A Night at the Opera. I'd say their worst movie was The Big Store, but even that one had its moments.
screw this poll... it is unfair! i cast my vote for gummbo. he was the invisible one. gummbo gave up the stage and screen before the marx brothers made it to the big screen. he took the job of being the brothers manager. oh, hell! i'll have a heart, and give my vote to poor old boring zeppo.:cheers2: back in that period of history, the marx brothers and the three stogies... america was the king of physical comedy back in that day! what went wrong? we sure do suck at it today!:sad:
I never understood the fascination with the Marx Brothers Back in the 80s a local TV station would play You Bet Your Life hosted by Groucho Marx and I didn’t think he was funny at all I wasn’t prejudice because the show was in B&W because that same station also showed the Bowery Boys (from around the same time period) with Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall and I loved it. Hotwater
For me, the fast paced Marx Bros movies were way above the one-liners the older Groucho used for his Tv GameShow. You Bet Your Life was just an excuse to see how Groucho would play when he was with the everyday person.... the movies are a combo of classic stage comedy blended with not-so-thinly-veiled social commentary. Movies like Night at the Opera, Day at the Races, and Horsefeathers really outclass any of the individual brothers work and comparing the gameshow You Bet Your Life to them is apples to oranges. They are completely different in every way! The movies do move pretty fast, and like Python, alot gets lost for listeners who dont/wont/cant keep up with the dialogue. Not everyones cup of tea, but I love it!
"I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member" classic, says scratcho,the erstwhile 6th brother!
very, very, well put indeed samson!:cheers2: i'm old enough that i have a very, very, very, vague memory of you bet your life when it was live on tv. i only remember that part of the show, and nothing else at all about it. in that same time frame, i remember everything about the marx brothers movies, that first started to appeared on tv for the first time. none of the brothers, were worth much of a shit on their own.:toetap05: as a team they, were SUPER GREAT HOT SHIT INDEED!arty:
Sure, You Bet Your Life wasn't as funny as the Marx Bros. movies, but while the movies were scripted and rehearsed, the game show was mostly spontaneous, which is what made it so funny. Very few people in the history of show biz could come up with spontaneous wisecracks the way Groucho did. Lady Contestant: I've had 10 children because I love my husband. Groucho: I love my cigar but I take it out now and then!
as for scripted, there was a script for the movies but a large part of the dialogue from the brothers was ad libbed.... if i recall they had trouble with the studio because directors didnt like having to let them run their own show during filming! good stuff tho, i love it
very, very, well put yet again samson!:cheers2: a couple of days back, i watched the 1986 french movie betty blue. after watching the move, i watch an interview with the director of the movie. he stated he had offers from several american movie studios, for him to do the movie in english. all the studios wanted to see the screen play and script. he told the studios there was going to be no screen play, script or, lines for the actors to go by! as he said the actors would need to grow into a real relationships, in a real story. that he said could not be achived with the fakenss of a pre-developed story. no way were the american studios going to touch that! he made the betty blue in france. it is one hell of a great movie too!:cheers2: no pre-developed storyline. no script. no screen play. no lines for the actors to learn. the move developed, grew and, unfolded on it's own. i would say say that only somewhere between 1% to 3% all the movie directors in the world could pull that off and, most likely, only about 10% of all actors in the world could pull that off also. anyone whom can pull that off IS the best of the best. now, back to the marx brothers. if i remember correctely, the director for all or most of there movies was william 'one shot' budine (pronounce 'bo deen') budine got the name 'one shot' because, he always took only one shot or, take. he never, ever, in his long career (1914 to 1966) ever do a re-take. he did had a screen play and script for all the movies he directed but, so what? one take, and ONLY one take with him; never, ever, a second take. that is why both the marx brothers and the three stooges love him to no end as a director. his style was soooooooo extremely flexible. it gave one hell of a great power to the humor of the brothers and the stoogies. the op said the brothers are not too will remembered today. how may people, remember the director who alowed both the brothers and the stoogies to fly. if some one like alfred hitchock had been the director of the brothers or, the stoogies... will; they would have super sucked to no end! hitchcock would have flush there careers down the toilet! i'm stumbling around all over the place here as, you all can from above. i have not had in sleep in about the last 20 hours. i'm out of here, and i'm going to get some sleep, before i screw up an more around here. see you later on.
I remember hearing that "Room Service" had been a big hit as a Broadway play, without the Marx Brothers in the cast. When they planned to make it into a movie starring the Marxes, the playwright was reluctant because he knew they would turn it into a Marx Bros. movie, constantly ad-libbing until it was very different from the original script. He finally relented knowing that having them in the cast would guarantee a hit. Lucille Ball was also in the movie, and there's no doubt her comedy style was influenced by working with the Marx Brothers.
