Animal Crackers (1930)

Director:

Victor Heerman

Writers:

George S. Kaufman (play) &
Morrie Ryskind (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 August 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

The maddest comics of them all!

Plot:

Mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding.

Plot Keywords:

Party | Explorer | Painting | Marx Brothers | Police

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding
Harpo Marx	...	The Professor
Chico Marx	...	Signor Emanuel Ravelli
Zeppo Marx	...	Horatio Jamison
Lillian Roth	...	Arabella Rittenhouse
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Rittenhouse
Louis Sorin	...	Roscoe Chandler
Hal Thompson	...	John Parker
Margaret Irving	...	Mrs. Whitehead
Kathryn Reece	...	Grace Carpenter
Robert Greig	...	Hives
Edward Metcalf	...	Hennessey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Allen	...	House Party Guest (uncredited)
Donald MacBride	...	House Party Guest (uncredited)
Ann Roth	...	House Party Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Heerman

Writing credits
George S. Kaufman		(play) &
Morrie Ryskind		(play) &
Bert Kalmar		(play) &
Harry Ruby		(play)
Morrie Ryskind		(writer)

Original Music by
Max Reese		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
George J. Folsey		(as George Folsey)

Art Direction by
Ernst Fegté		(uncredited)

Sound Department
Ernest Zatorsky	....	sound (uncredited)

Other crew
Pierre Collings	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1930) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (Spain) (2003) (Spain) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Western Electric  sound system

Runtime:

97 min | Argentina:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Spain:T | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U | USA:G (1974 re-release)

Filming Locations:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

During a rehearsal a test was made for a color movie process called Multicolor (a predecessor of Cinecolor) and the result was the first known footage of the Marx Brothers in color! The clip is silent and lasts only 15 seconds. The Marx Brothers also appeared in color in the film The Story of Mankind (1957) in which they appeared separately.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening scenes Hives turns to speak to Mrs. Rittenhouse after his opening song, and his waistcoat is different. It continues to swap from one style to another throughout the movie.

Quotes:

Ravelli: [while playing the same first part over and over] I can't think of the finish!
Capt. Spaulding: That's funny, I can't think of anything else.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes: America's Greatest Quips, Comebacks and Catchphrases (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

You Must Do Your Best Tonight

The Search for Abe the Fish-Man

For many years, ANIMAL CRACKERS was a "lost" film. Paramount owned the audio, and Universal owned the Visual elements (It may of been vice-versa) During the re-birth of Marx Brother popularity, ANIMAL CRACKERS mad it's way back into theatres in the Fall of 1974.

It was a thrill to see the movie in a theatre (the best place to see a classic comedy). The plot concerns a wild, out of control explorer's (Groucho Marx) visit to a Long Island estate. He comes across stuffy snobs and a questionable musician for hire (Chico Marx and his lunatic partner, Harpo.) Groucho's dialog is superb. His verbal assaults on stuffed shirts are priceless "It's not safe to ask this man a simple question" Groucho says to the audience when he talks to a pompous "art critic".

Chico and Harpo provide the more manic visual antics, especially when they steal the birth mark of above mentioned art critic. Even straight man Zeppo gets to be funny and silly.

The only real problem with the film is well voiced in critic's Richard Anobile's review "This is a RECORDING of a stage play. The camera barely moves. it just sits there and records the Marx Brothers" Still in all, see ANIMAL CRACKERS to enjoy the joy of Marx mayhem