At the Circus (1939)

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Writer:

Irving Brecher (writer)

Release Date:

20 October 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

NOT SUITABLE FOR GENERAL EXHIBITION (Australian one-sheet poster)

Plot:

The Marx Brothers try to help the owner of a circus recover some stolen funds before he finds himself out of a job.

Plot Keywords:

Circus | Marx Brothers | Gorilla | Shyster | Stolen Money

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Attorney Loophole
Chico Marx	...	Antonio
Harpo Marx	...	'Punchy'
Kenny Baker	...	Jeff Wilson
Florence Rice	...	Julie Randall
Eve Arden	...	Peerless Pauline
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Dukesbury
Nat Pendleton	...	Goliath
Fritz Feld	...	Jardinet
James Burke	...	John Carter
Jerry Maren	...	Little Professor Atom (as Jerry Marenghi)
Barnett Parker	...	Whitcomb
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Byron Foulger	...	Courtroom clerk (scenes deleted) (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

A Day at the Circus (USA) (working title)
The Marx Brothers at the Circus (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (certificate #5436)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Originally entitled "A Day at the Circus" it was to be the third in the Brothers' "Day/Night" series after A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937)

Goofs:

Continuity: Multiple different-sized actors, in noticeably different gorilla costumes, were used to play Gibraltar the gorilla.

Quotes:

J. Cheever Loophole: O, Susanna, o, Susanna
[Starts singing]
J. Cheever Loophole: Oh, won't you fly with me/for I need $10,000 'cause the Sheriff's after me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bride of Killer Nerd (1992)

Soundtrack:

Blue Moon

low on the Marxist totem pole

I used to think that "At the Circus" was the worst Marx Brothers movie, but that was before my exposure to the agonies of "Room Service." It's one of the worst, at any rate.

The "action" starts off with bad rear-screen projection and a tedious musical number involving characters we don't even know yet. Can't you just hear an ill wind blowing through these early scenes, seeming to whisper "this movie's gonna suuuuck"? Well, I can. It's almost fifteen minutes before Groucho turns up, and nearly an hour before Margaret Dumont makes an appearance. Somebody better bring me a beer (or ten) to dull the boredom...

Ah, but I complain overmuch. There is still good material here, diamonds in the rough. Though Groucho delivers his lines like he only first read the script yesterday, and didn't like it much, he comes alive as soon as he's alone with Dumont. And Harpo really shines in a mediocre vehicle like this; his antics are alway charming even in the midst of his brothers dropping bombs. Certain segments - searching the strongman's room, walking on the ceiling with Eve Arden - work wonderfully. Trouble is, the thing doesn't hang together as a whole, mostly because I don't care about the characters played by Kenny Baker and Florence Rice.

Ah, the young couple - the albatross around the neck of all late Marx Brothers movies. Whereas I could tolerate the likes of Allan Jones, Baker comes across cloying and stupid, and he's got one of those helium-sucker voices that just drives me up the wall. Rice is pretty - pretty enough that I wonder why she's got such a loser boyfriend - but what does she actually do? Our resident couple barely even interacts with the Marx Brothers, so I have a hard time believing that they're all friends, much less that they'd be so invested in each others' fates. "A Night at the Opera" did the same plot, better.

And so, in my generosity, I bestow the big two stars on this movie. I like it for the same reason I like "Rocky IV"; it's more footage in a good series. Not necessarily good footage, but more. And it's more enjoyable than both (a) work and (b) going to a poetry reading at my grad school, so I guess it's got to be worth something.