Choose one of the titles below to take a look at theater programs for each of the Marx Brothers' three Broadway hits, or read dialog from these shows that never made it onto film.
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Groucho was starting to get his writing published in various prestigious publications and Harpo had been adopted by the Algonquin wits.
#MARX BROTHERS WHY A DUCK FULL#
For the time being all I have to offer is a glimpse into the past, when prohibition was in full swing, the movies hadn't yet found a voice, and the Marx Brothers were filling Broadway theaters to capacity and bringing down houses on a regular basis. In the future I am going to flesh out this section to go into more detail of the Marxes' Broadway career. Click here for an updated version of the "Shows" page.
#MARX BROTHERS WHY A DUCK ARCHIVE#
What a diminished world that would be.This page is here as an archive of the "Why A Duck" website. Had it not been a hit (or had the brothers been successful in their attempt to buy back the negatives and keep it from getting released) we might not have Duck Soup or any of their other films. So if you want a real reason to be thankful for The Cocoanuts, consider its stance as the first Marx Brothers movie. More powerful than a thousand therapists! Something for everyone! Remember, the Marx Brothers are such a force of good unto the world that their very existence was enough to bring Woody Allen out of an existential depression in Hannah and Her Sisters. Your lame, humorless, stuffy brother-in-law probably identifies with Zeppo. Anyone who can understand English should get a kick out of Groucho and Chico. They are eternal, a joy for any era and any age group. I’m mostly grateful for the Marx Brothers as a whole.
#MARX BROTHERS WHY A DUCK MOVIE#
It’s a movie where as soon as one great scene is about to end, I immediately get to look forward to the one that’s about to begin.Īlso, this month is a celebration of what we’re thankful for. The adjoining hotel room chase, the auction, the “Why a Duck?” bit, the costume scene… this list could go on much longer. I also think The Cocoanuts has one of the strongest lineup of classic bits in any Marx Brothers movie. An unfortunate number of Groucho-free songs get in the way, but for the most part the film is one bit of joy after another. Also, once it gets going - and it does take some time to get going - it’s pretty much non-stop Marx Brothers action. The Marx Brothers started on stage, and this one feels the most like how that must have looked. You feel the air between jokes and occasionally some almost-botched deliveries. When I want to watch a Marx Brothers film, The Cocoanuts is the one I keep coming back to. There’s a love story and a crime plot, but, like porn, we don’t watch these films for their narratives. Nevertheless, I have always had the strongest affection for The Cocoanuts.
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![marx brothers why a duck marx brothers why a duck](https://previews.agefotostock.com/previewimage/medibigoff/4e42646e10be65eec98aeb93c79d4d4b/uai-iftn_04586.jpg)
They all end up being pretty much the same deal: Groucho fucks with rich people Chico and Harpo fuck with the entire universe. You have the college one, the one with the stolen painting, the one where they’re stowaways, etc. In addition to that, they are all somewhat difficult to distinguish from each other. For one, I tend to remember them by the strength of individual bits rather than as whole movies. Ranking the early Marx Brothers films is kind of a fool’s errand to begin with.
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I don’t think it’s even my second favorite (that would probably be Horse Feathers). If you’re only going to watch one, that’s the keeper.īut it’s not my favorite. Duck Soup is the best Marx Brothers movie.