A Night in Casablanca (1946)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Joseph Fields (writer)
Roland Kibbee (writer)

Release Date:

10 May 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The Marx Brothers spend...

Plot:

The Marx Brothers are employed at a hotel in postwar Casablanca, where a ring of Nazis is trying to recover a cache of stolen treasure.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Nazi | Marx Brothers | North Africa | Post WWII

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Ronald Kornblow
Harpo Marx	...	Rusty
Chico Marx	...	Corbaccio
Charles Drake	...	Lt. Pierre Delmar
Lois Collier	...	Annette
Sig Ruman	...	Count Pfferman / Heinrich Stubel
Lisette Verea	...	Beatrice Rheiner
Lewis L. Russell	...	Governor Galoux (as Lewis Russell)
Dan Seymour	...	Prefect of Police Capt. Brizzard
Frederick Giermann	...	Kurt
Harro Mellor	...	Emile
David Hoffman	...	Spy
Paul Harvey	...	Mr. Smythe

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Hungary:14 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Loma Vista Productions

Trivia:

According to Marx Bros. biographer Joe Adamson, Harpo was offered $50,000 to utter the single word "Murder!" in this film, presumably to add publicity value to the film by having Harpo speak for the only time on-screen. Harpo declined the offer and never spoke publicly until a concert one year before his death.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the police prefect gives the order to "Round up all likely suspects," his lips clearly say, "Round up the usual suspects."

Quotes:

Beatrice Rheiner: I shall be in the Supper Club.
Ronald Kornblow: The Supper Club?
Beatrice Rheiner: Yes. Will you join me?
Ronald Kornblow: Why? Are you coming apart?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Projectionist (1971)

Soundtrack:

An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314

They were and are the greatest comedy team.

The Marx Brothers are the greatest comedy team of all time. Even in their later films, including this one, which weren't among their best efforts, they still manage to make you laugh. They filled their films with social commentary, sexual innuendo, and slapstick, all with effortless ease, and without being offending. The scenes of Groucho going from one hotel room to another, trying to get Annette alone, with brother Chico as his bodyguard thwarting his every attempt, are gems. I introduced the Marx Brothers to my son while he was very young, and he loves them. Now, more then ten years later he still pulls out the old videotapes occasionally. Then for the next week all we hear in the house is, ‘I once shot an elephant in my pajamas. How they got in my pajamas I'll never know.' Nothing compares to the Marx Brothers, before or since.