Hello, fellow Marx Brothers fans! This week Ian and Dave turn their attention to the first film of the Marxes MGM period: A Night at the Opera. Featuring the return of ace writing team George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, and the disappearance of Zeppo, it was definitely a high point in the Marx Brothers film career, but what did Ian and Dave think of it? Well, give this week’s show a listen and all will be revealed!
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Okay, although the Marx Brothers are still not my comedic cup of tea, I watched A Night At the Opera online so I could check out your commentary and hear about the background of the film. I did enjoy the contract scene, the stateroom scene, the porthole scene and some of Groucho’s banter. And I agree that Chicko’s performance of “All I Do Is Dream of You” on piano is super charming. I did appreciate the writers coming up with a narrative that would “appeal to women” and make the brothers’ characters more sympathetic and less anarchic. Moliere and Shakespeare borrowed from Greek and Roman comedies and commedia dell’arte plots (clever and clownish servants outwitting the rich and arrogant while aiding the cause of true love) as a showcase for their own brands of humour and social commentary, so why not these guys?
Dang, I spelled Chico wrong. I guess my fingers wanted to pronounce it correctly.
DID YOU KNOW . . .
You’ve mentioned the W C Fields film MILLION DOLLAR LEGS a few times. The female lead in that film was Susan Flemming. She later went on to become Mrs Harpo Marx. And now you know the rest of the story!
Jerry above stole my pedantry– I kept waiting for you to mention Susan, also.
I wish I were writing to discuss the actual film itself– I loved your take on it. There were a few great Groucho and Chico lines you skipped over, but I guess to mention them all would put your ‘cast over 4 hours….
Anyway, when David was trying to explain Allan Jones’s son Jack’s singing credits, you left out his most recognizable pop culture credit…. Jack Jones sang the TV theme song to The Love Boat in the ’80s.
Hail Freedonia!
Danny Joseph
Thanks to both of you for bringing up Susan Fleming as one of the co-stars of the coo-coo-crazy Million Dollar Legs. Mea culpa, but can I just say that sometimes in the rush of conversation, bits of my research just fly out the window?
Someone mentioned your Full Marx podcast in a review at Letterboxd, so I looked you up. I’m this far (starting at the beginning) and am really enjoying them. You get a few details wrong about classic Hollywood, and sometimes miss things that everyone should know (Michael Curtiz directed Casablanca!) but that’s forgivable. I guess.
Thanks for listening! Glad you found us. So far my claims of 100% infallibility have not panned out, but fortunately our fabulous listeners have been there to bail me out. I will remember that Casablanca was not directed by Mel Blanc as I said on the show! ????
Greetings and salutations from the Yorkshire part of the UK so good they only had to name it once
loving the what is probably ancient history to you guy’s the run down of my hero’s well mainly hero as i’m a great devotee of Julius Henry Marx
just one thing to mention to you from 5 years in the future that you didn’t mention 5 years ago ‘A night at the opera’ was remade as ‘Brain Donors’ in 1992 which is 26 years after you made the podcast and 57 years after the original film and a pretty good little film it is too
and if you add them dates together, gives you the winner of the kentucky derby last year….. doh! sorry never mess with laws of time i guess
Craig