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Monkey Business (1931)

7.5
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Ratings: 7.5/10 from 6,855 users  
Reviews: 62 user | 27 critic

On a transatlantic crossing, the Marx brothers get up to their usual antics and manage to annoy just about everyone on board the ship.

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Title: Monkey Business (1931)

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
(as The Four Marx Brothers)
...
...
...
Zeppo Marx ...
Rockliffe Fellowes ...
Joe Helton
Harry Woods ...
Briggs
Thelma Todd ...
Lucille
Ruth Hall ...
Tom Kennedy ...
Gibson
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Storyline

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 desparately 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. Written by scgary66

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Comedy

Certificate:

Unrated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

19 September 1931 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

A Culpa Foi do Macaco  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Robert Osbourne, during the first day of shooting, it's reported that the Brothers Marx showed up in each other's clothing and impersonated each other. See more »

Goofs

During the Passport scene, when the brothers try to get off the boat by impersonating Maurice Chevalier, neither Zeppo (the first brother to try) nor Groucho (the third to try), get Chevaliers passport back from the officer in charge, yet Chico and Harpo each have it as they approach the front of the line. See more »

Quotes

Chico: My father was-a partner's with Columbus.
Groucho: Your father and Columbus were partners?
Chico: You bet.
Groucho: Columbus has been dead 400 years.
Chico: Well, they told me it was my father.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening credits are painted on the sides of barrels (In the film's opening, the Marx Brothers' characters are stow-aways on a cruise ship, hiding in barrels marked "Kippered Herring"). See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Unknown Marx Brothers (1993) See more »

Soundtracks

"You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me"
(1930) (uncredited)
Written by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal and Pierre Norman
Sung by Zeppo Marx, Groucho Marx and Chico Marx
Heard when Harpo tries to convince the passport officials that he is Chevalier
See more »

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User Reviews

 
This is where the Marx Brothers hit their stride
20 August 2005 | by (Denton, TX) – See all my reviews

Much better than the first two Marx Brothers efforts. This is the first Marx Bros. movie written directly for the screen rather than adapted from one of their Vaudeville shows. The result is a faster pace, a bigger production and a wider variety of scenes. This was exactly what the brothers needed to become more effective on screen. The supporting cast is trimmed down, with Zeppo filling the romantic lead, thus combining two non-funny characters into one. This gives more screen time to Groucho, Harpo and Chico, who are on top of their game here. The comic bits don't drag on too long, and the musical numbers don't kill the momentum; both improvements from their earlier films. The storyline and the rest of the cast are just as bad as always, but what do you expect? The point is that the movie is hilarious and entertaining from beginning to end. Monkey Business is where the Marx Brothers really began to hit their stride.


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