Horse Feathers (1932)

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Bert Kalmar (by) &
Harry Ruby (by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 August 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

The Maddest Comics of the Screen!

Plot:

Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new president of Huxley U, hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help his school win the big football game against rival Darwin U.

Plot Keywords:

College | Education | Professor | Widow | Speakeasy

Cast

The Marx Brothers		(as The Four Marx Brothers)
Groucho Marx	...	Professor Wagstaff
Harpo Marx	...	Pinky
Chico Marx	...	Baravelli
Zeppo Marx	...	Frank Wagstaff
Thelma Todd	...	Connie Bailey
David Landau	...	Jennings
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bobby Barber	...	Speakeasy Patron (uncredited)
Reginald Barlow	...	Retiring Collage President (uncredited)
Vince Barnett	...	Speakeasy Patron (uncredited)
Sheila Bromley	...	Wagstaff's Receptionist (uncredited)
E.H. Calvert	...	Professor in Wagstaff's Study (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Speakeasy Bartender (uncredited)
Robert Greig	...	Biology Professor (uncredited)
Theresa Harris	...	Laura - Connie's Maid (uncredited)
Edward LeSaint	...	Professor in Wagstaff's Study (uncredited)
Florine McKinney	...	Peggy Carrington (uncredited)
Nat Pendleton	...	MacHardie - Darwin Player (uncredited)
James Pierce	...	Ed Mullen - Darwin Player (uncredited)
Frank Rice	...	Doorman at Speakeasy (uncredited)
Syd Saylor	...	Speakeasy Patron at Slot Machine (uncredited)
Arthur Sheekman	...	Typing Sportswriter (uncredited)
Ben Taggart	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Phil Tead	...	Football Broadcaster (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Z. McLeod		(as Norman McLeod)

Writing credits
Bert Kalmar		(by) &
Harry Ruby		(by) &
S.J. Perelman		(by) and
Will B. Johnstone		(by)
Arthur Sheekman		uncredited

Produced by
Herman J. Mankiewicz	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
John Leipold		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Ray June		(photographed by)

Makeup Department
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Barton	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harry Caplan	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gene Merritt	....	production sound mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Neal Beckner	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
George Bourne	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Francis Burgess	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Daniel L. Fapp	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Gordon Head	....	still photographer (uncredited)
James Knott	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Fred Mayer	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Bert Kalmar	....	music and lyrics by
Harry Ruby	....	music and lyrics by

Other crew
Adolph Zukor	....	presenter
Harold Hecht	....	dance director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1932) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Paramount Picture)
• Paramount Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (Spain) (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U | Spain:T | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | USA:Approved (PCA reissue certificate no. 1713-R) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Occidental College -1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Zeppo played Groucho's son, but in real life, Zeppo Marx was only 11 years younger than Groucho Marx. Groucho was born in 1890, and Zeppo in 1901.

Goofs:

Continuity: Pinky and Baravelli are kneeling in the center of the section of floor they're sawing, but when they fall through into the football players' room, they fall well to the left and right of the section of floor.

Quotes:

Connie:Oh, Professor, you're full of whimsy.
Professor Wagstaff:Can you notice it from there? I'm always that way after I eat radishes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "You Bet Your Life: Episode #4.20" (1954)

Soundtrack:

I'm Daffy Over You

Whatever it is, he's against it!

HORSE FEATHERS, the fourth of the five Paramount Marx Brother Movies, is one of their best - tackling the world of higher education in America. Groucho is the latest of the Presidents of Huxley College, which is doing very badly (apparently) not because of poor scholastic standards but due to not having a successful football team. His son (Zeppo!) steers him toward solving this issue, but with typical Groucho ineptness he thinks the two semi-professional football players he is looking for are Harpo and Chico. He proceeds to regret his own mistake, until the climactic football game.

The music numbers of this film are well remembered, particularly Groucho's introduction ("I'M AGAINST IT!") and "Everyone Says I love you". The latter was sung to the anti-heroine of the story, Thelma Todd in her second and last film with the brothers. Thelma plays the "college widow", a popular fictional figure in early 20th Century American humor - a euphemism for an ever-ready widow of a college professor who was there to have sex with students or the staff. George Ade, the humorist who wrote FABLES IN SLANG, wrote a play called "THE COLLEGE WIDOW" in the teens of the 20th Century. Thelma is certainly effective as the vamp trying to help David Landau (President of Darwin College) get the football signals of Huxley College. Her scenes with Groucho and Chico are quite funny. Chico is playing the piano and she sings. She says she has a falsetto voice. Chico says that's all right, his aunt has a false set of teeth. And Groucho, when taking Thelma for a boat trip throws her a lifesaver (literally), while returning with a duck who interrupted his singing.

The final football game is the second best spoof of college football on film (the one in Harold Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN is a better one). In the end we see the boys demolish football huddles, football signals, even hot dogs (poor Nat Pendleton).

A delightful antique, it is well worth watching. This is one film I'm not against.