A Day at the Races (1937)

A vet posing as a doctor, a race horse owner and his friends struggle to help keep a sanitarium open with the help of a misfit racehorse.

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Robert Pirosh (screen play), George Seaton (screen play),

Stars:

The Marx Brothers, Groucho Marx, Chico Marx

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
The Marx Brothers	...	(as Marx Brothers)
Groucho Marx	...	Dr. Hackenbush (as Groucho)
Chico Marx	...	Tony (as Chico)
Harpo Marx	...	Stuffy (as Harpo)
Allan Jones	...	Gil
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Judy
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Upjohn
Leonard Ceeley	...	Whitmore
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Morgan
Esther Muir	...	'Flo'
Sig Ruman	...	Dr. Steinberg (as Sig Rumann)
Robert Middlemass	...	Sheriff
Vivien Fay	...	Specialty Dancer
Ivie Anderson	...	Specialty Singer
The Crinoline Choir	...	Musical Ensemble

Storyline

Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's farm by winning a big race with her horse. There are a few problems. Hackenbush runs a high priced clinic for the wealthy who don't know he has his degree in Veterinary Medicine.

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Plot Keywords:

sanitarium | horse | hat | steeplechase | singer | 

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Taglines:

America's Joy-Friends are back again in the grandest entertainment gallop of 1937! More howls, more girls, more song hits than "A Night At The Opera"! Oh boy!

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

11 June 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Um Dia nas Corridas

Filming Locations:

Santa Anita Park & Racetrack - 285 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White Black and White (Sepiatone) Black and White (blue tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Groucho Marx's character was initially to have been named Dr. Quackenbush, which he and everyone else thought was too silly a name to offend anyone. However, MGM's legal department discovered at least a dozen legitimate U.S. doctors named Quackenbush, so for legal reasons and to Groucho's dismay, the name was changed to Hackenbush.

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Goofs

When Chico starts playing, the piano clearly shows "Steinway and Sons." In later shots the logo is missing.

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Quotes

Tony: [to Stuffy] Morgan fired you, huh? He wanted you to throw the race?
Gil: Wanted Stuffy to be crooked, eh?
Tony: Yeah, you know he's honest!
[Stuffy's hand starts to creep into ice cream cart - Tony slams the lid of his down onto it]
Tony: He's honest, but you gotta watch him a little.

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Connections

Referenced in Peter O'Toole: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2012)

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Soundtracks

"An der schönen, blauen Donau, Op. 314 (Blue Danube Waltz)"
(1866) (uncredited)
Written by Johann Strauß
Played in the score and Danced by Groucho Marx

User Reviews

hilarious; 9/10

I haven't seen enough of the Marx Brothers' films to say which is their best and which is their worst. I have seen Duck Soup, which I would say has to be at least one of their best, seeing that I believe it to be one of the funniest comedies ever. I have also seen A Night at the Opera, which is also often considered one of their best, often the best. I myself found it much less funny than Duck Soup. I wanted to kill myself during the musical numbers of that film.

Now I've seen A Day at the Races, the Brothers' follow up to A Night at the Opera, a smash hit in theaters. Generally, Races is considered a weak follow-up to a great film. I disagree. I liked A Day at the Races much more than A Night at the Opera (but a bit less than Duck Soup). All three Brothers are firing bullseye after bullseye. Harpo could stand to do a little bit more. He may have had the funniest role in Duck Soup. He was an utter maniac with total disregard for human life. When the Marx Brothers left Paramount for MGM, their edge was dulled down a bit. Oh well, Races still succeeds.

Also, except for the boring opera voice, even the musical numbers work here. I love to watch Chico play the piano. That's hilarious. Harpo's harp number is less good, but still not bad. The ballet sequence is also quite good. There's one more musical number that's just fantastic: the poor black folk singing "Who's that man?" as Harpo runs around playing the flute. It's somewhat shocking to see a scene like this. It does not exploit them (it may seem to now, but it was probably quite inclusive and progressive in its day), and it's a smash.