They've taken the time to create a pleasing fold-out package with gorgeous photos and a small booklet attached to the spine, but the information therein is pretty sparse and the extras are, in a word, lame. While the movies are superb, enough reason to make this a must-own, Universal's presentation is somewhat lacking. Universal Home Video's six-disc DVD release The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection comprises the five films the Brothers made at Paramount in the early 1930s - which includes most of their best work. It often contains sly digs at social and political issues and is based on real observations of human behavior, qualities which keep their comedies timeless. The Marx Brothers could turn any word into a bit of zany wordplay and create the most madcap of visual gags, but their comedy is more than that. In fact, while they were shooting their first film at Paramount Studio's East Coast headquarters in Astoria, NY, the brothers spent their evenings performing Animal Crackers on Broadway (It was their second stage hit). Rittenhouse), Louis Sorin (Roscoe Chandler).Īnimal Crackers (1930), like The Cocoanuts (1929), started out as a stage hit for the Marx Brothers. Jeffrey Spaulding), Harpo Marx (The Prof.), Chico Marx (Signor Emanuel Ravelli), Zeppo Marx (Horatio Jamison), Lillian Roth (Arabella Rittenhouse), Margaret Dumont (Mrs. Screenplay: Bert Kalmar, Morrie Ryskind, Harry RubyĬast: Groucho Marx (Capt. The film would also be the last film adaptation of a Marx Brothers' stage play.
It was never locked."Īnimal Crackers received raves from audiences and critics its international acclaim earned the brothers a lucrative stage contract in London and further success in Hollywood. Heerman issued a repudiation, stating "(t)here was a jail left over from another picture, and we used it as a makeup room or for the actors to lie down in. Lillian Roth reported to friends that a jail had been constructed on the set to hold the brothers between takes. Still, Heerman's attempts to gain control over the madhouse set resulted in at least one tall tale. Roth found her experiences on the set to be "one step removed from the circus."Īlthough Heerman and the Marx Brothers clashed over who had final control of the film, Heerman successfully convinced them to drop some of the musical numbers to emphasize the comedy routines. Schulberg stated, "We're sending you back to New York to be kicked in the rear by the Marx Brothers until you learn to behave." Stunned, she fled the room in tears. Schulberg, new head of the West Coast office, at a party given by David O. As Roth remembered it, she was informed of her assignment by B.P. Heerman was also charged with reining in the ingenue of the film, Lillian Roth, who had gained a "difficult" reputation working with Cecil B. To ensure a more stabile work environment on Animal Crackers, Paramount hired Victor Heerman, a director who had a reputation as a disciplinarian. While their nonconformist lifestyle and humor attracted audiences, it was a headache for Paramount Studios and the director of The Cocoanuts. Typically, the brothers arrived late on the set, sometimes slept in their dressing rooms or departed for a game of golf or an early lunch. The unrestrained anarchy of the brothers' antics onstage was often mirrored in their off-stage behavior. The film even parodies contemporary theater: Eugene O'Neill's play, Strange Interlude, inspired a scene in which Groucho's character, Captain Spaulding, has an interior monologue concerning his marriage proposals to two different women. In Animal Crackers, musical numbers are interspersed with a storyline concerning the theft of a valuable painting. The Marx Brothers' first two films provide a unique look at how the brothers' developed their brand of humor and how they worked on stage, since both were essentially filmed versions of their popular theatre plays.
Share Animal Crackers (1930), like The Cocoanuts (1929), started out as a stage hit for the Marx Brothers.
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