Monkey Business (1931 film)
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| Monkey Business with Harpo, Chico, Groucho and Zeppo Marx. | |
|---|---|
| Image:Monkey Business.jpg Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Norman Z. McLeod |
| Produced by | Herman J. Mankiewicz (uncredited) |
| Starring | Groucho Marx Harpo Marx Chico Marx Zeppo Marx Thelma Todd |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 19, 1931 |
| Running time | 77 min |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Monkey Business is a 1931 film, the third of the Marx Brothers' movies and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows.
The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is directed by Norman Z. McLeod with screenplay by S. J. Perelman and Will B. Johnstone. The story takes place on an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
While stowing away on a ship to America, the boys get involuntarily pressed into service as toughs for a pair of feuding gangsters while trying desperately to evade the ship's crew. After arriving stateside, one of the gangsters kidnaps the other's daughter - and it's up to our unlikely heroes to save the day.[1]
[edit] Songs
Chico performs two songs, "Pizzicata Polka" by Delibes, which then morphs into the song "When I Take My Sugar to Tea" written by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal and Pierre Norman, in his usual unique piano style. Harpo performs "I'm Daffy Over You." The most famous sequence from this film involves the four brothers attempting to get off the ship using a passport stolen from famous singer Maurice Chevalier. Each brother impersonates Chevalier (complete with straw hat) and sings "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" ("If the nightingales could sing like you ...") in turn. This poses a problem for Harpo, who never talks. Yet his rendition is nearly flawless. He is using a hidden phonograph playing a Chevalier record. When the needle skips and begins playing one line over and over, the ruse is uncovered.
[edit] Musical numbers
- You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
- Pizzicata Polka
- When I Take My Sugar to Tea
- I'm Daffy Over You
- Sweet Adeline
- O Sole Mio
[edit] Trivia
This film was banned in Ireland because censors feared it would encourage anarchic tendencies. Upon alighting from the ship, The Marx Brothers' real life father ("Frenchie") is briefly seen in a cameo sitting on top of luggage on the pier as they wave to him. (see Simon Luovish's excellent biography)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| The Marx Brothers |
|---|
| Chico Marx | Harpo Marx | Groucho Marx | Gummo Marx | Zeppo Marx |
| Films with Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Zeppo |
|
Humor Risk (1921) •
The Cocoanuts (1929) •
Animal Crackers (1930) • |
| Films with Chico, Harpo, and Groucho |
|
A Night at the Opera (1935) •
A Day at the Races (1937) •
Room Service (1938) •
At the Circus (1939) • |
nl:Monkey business (film) no:Monkey Business sv:Fyra fräcka fripassagerare
