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The Cocoanuts
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The Cocoanuts (1929) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   2,445 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers:
George S. Kaufman (play)
Morrie Ryskind (adaptation)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Cocoanuts on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 August 1929 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Musical more
Tagline:
Paramount's All Talking-Singing Musical Comedy Hit! more
Plot:
During the Florida land boom, the Marx brothers run a hotel, auction off some land, thwart a jewel robbery, and generally act like themselves. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
Fan Rant: No Shopping on Cinema Screens!
 (From Cinematical. 18 February 2009, 9:02 AM, PST)

User Comments:
I liked it. It was nice. more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Zeppo Marx ... Jamison

Groucho Marx ... Hammer

Harpo Marx ... Harpo

Chico Marx ... Chico
Oscar Shaw ... Bob Adams
Mary Eaton ... Polly Potter
Cyril Ring ... Harvey Yates

Kay Francis ... Penelope
Margaret Dumont ... Mrs. Potter
Basil Ruysdael ... Detective Hennessy
Gamby-Hale Ballet Girls ... Themselves (as Gamby-Hale Girls)
Allan K. Foster Girls ... Themselves
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Additional Details

Runtime:
96 min | USA:140 min (preview)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (certificate not issued at release) | UK:U | Finland:K-8 | USA:Passed

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Cocoanuts opened at the Lyric Theater in New York City on December 8, 1925 and ran for 276 performances starring the four Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont and Billy De Wolfe with songs by Irving Berlin. more
Quotes:
[the Marx Brothers are chasing each other through Mrs. Potter's suite]
Hammer: This hotel not only has running water. It has running guests!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Unknown Marx Brothers (1993) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
FLORIDA BY THE SEA more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 14 people found the following comment useful:-
I liked it. It was nice., 6 December 1999
8/10
Author: Jon Brian Waugh (waugh@stanford.edu) from Stanford, CA

The Marx Brothers first motion picture and Paramount's first "all talking, all singing, all dancing" musical will delight fans of the Marx Brothers, musicals and early cinema alike. While dated and somewhat stagey, after all it *was* basically a filmed version of their hit Broadway show, it holds up better than many films of its day. Kaufman and Ryskind, who also wrote the stage show, wrote the screenplay with an eye to making the Marx Brothers wit appear spontaneous and natural. I remember how shocked I was when I first realized the boys were using a script!

The movie is laced with classics of Marxian comedy. The famous "Why a duck?" scene with Groucho and Chico (remember - it's pronounced Chick-o, not Cheek-o, because he was such a womanizer), Groucho answering the telephone at the hotel's front desk (Ice water? Ice water? Peel some onions. That'll make your eyes water.) and Harpo shaking hands with the house detective while all of the hotel silverware falls out of his coat pockets.

Margaret Dumont is priceless as the clueless matron. She claimed in later years it wasn't an act; she really had no idea what the brothers were doing. Regardless, she is the ideal foil for the boys as they tear into "polite" society.

Take a look at The Cocoanuts. You'll see the wellspring from which all that Marx madness flows.

Jon Brian Waugh

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Cocoanuts (1929)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Marx Brothers on PBS Poll Herald7
Dancing is amateurish plynwalt-1
The Harpo Scrunchy Face, jmonholland-1
Only one page of topics for this film? Where would it rank? jmonholland-1
Song from the movie grvdggr
need script zao6685
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