Monkey Business (1931)

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

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

S.J. Perelman (by), Will B. Johnstone (by),

Stars:

The Marx Brothers, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx

Cast

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

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

gangster | marx brothers | interview | brawl | pitchfork | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Culpa Foi do Macaco

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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").

---

Connections

Referenced in The Unknown Marx Brothers (1993)

---

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

User Reviews

This is where the Marx Brothers hit their stride

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.