A Night at the Opera (1935)

A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

George S. Kaufman (screenplay), Morrie Ryskind (screenplay),

Stars:

Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Groucho Marx	...	Otis B. Driftwood
Chico Marx	...	Fiorello
Harpo Marx	...	Tomasso
Kitty Carlisle	...	Rosa
Allan Jones	...	Ricardo
Walter Woolf King	...	Lassparri (as Walter King)
Sig Ruman	...	Gottlieb (as Siegfried Rumann)
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Claypool
Edward Keane	...	Captain
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Henderson (as Robert Emmet O'Connor)

Storyline

The Marx Brothers take on high society. Two lovers who are both in opera are prevented from being together by the man's lack of acceptance as an operatic tenor. Pulling several typical Marx Brothers' stunts, they arrange for the normal tenor to be absent so that the young lover can get his chance.

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Plot Keywords:

opera | stage | marx brothers | stowaway | opera singer | 

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Taglines:

Don't miss it! The funniest picture ever made!

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

15 November 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Uma Noite na Ópera

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 91 min (1948 re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A persistent rumor involves the presence of The Marx Brothers' father, Sam Marx (aka "Frenchie"), in the film as the ship leaves dock. He is not in this film - he died in 1933. The rumor came about because he had a cameo in a similar scene in Monkey Business.

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Goofs

When Rosa is singing to Ricardo from the rail of the ship, she puts her handbag and gloves down on the rail to her left. In the next shot of her, they are gone.

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Quotes

Otis B. Driftwood: Say, I just remembered, I came back here looking for somebody. You don't know who it is, do you?
Fiorello: It's a funny thing, it just slipped my mind.

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Connections

Referenced in Grey Gardens (1975)

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Soundtracks

"All I Do Is Dream of You"
(1934) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Played on the piano by Chico Marx

User Reviews

awfully good but too much singing

This film is the first and probably the best Marx Brothers film made by MGM. Unlike later MGM/Marx collaborations, this film has energy and creativity. However, it also has LOTS of singing--hence, the title of the movie. That means in addition to the usual Chico and Harpo songs, there is a lot of operatic-type stuff from the duo of Jones and Carlisle. For me, these songs were frankly the low-point of the picture, but for some dumb reason, Hollywood's conventional wisdom was that comedies MUST have musical numbers to be appreciated by wider audiences. This same formula was foisted upon WC Fields, Abbott and Costello and even Laurel and Hardy. However, this movie is th rare exception that is STILL good in spite of the pointless songs.