Love Happy (1949)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

David Miller

Writers:

Harpo Marx (story)
Frank Tashlin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 March 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Musical

Tagline:

New Musical Girlesque!!!

Plot:

The Marx Brothers help young Broadway hopefuls while thwarting diamond thieves.

Plot Keywords:

Diamonds | Sardines | Broadway | Bodyguard | Marx Brothers

Cast

Harpo Marx	...	Harpo (as The Marx Brothers)
Chico Marx	...	Faustino (as The Marx Brothers)
Ilona Massey	...	Madame Egelichi
Vera-Ellen	...	Maggie Phillips - Dancer
Marion Hutton	...	Bunny Dolan - Maggie's Best Friend
Raymond Burr	...	Alphonse Zoto
Melville Cooper	...	Throckmorton
Paul Valentine	...	Mike Johnson - Dancer
Leon Belasco	...	Mr. Lyons
Eric Blore	...	Mackinaw
Bruce Gordon	...	Hannibal Zoto
Marilyn Monroe	...	Grunion's Client
Groucho Marx	...	Detective Sam Grunion, narrator of the story (as The Marx Brothers)

Also Known As:

Blonde Heaven (USA) (working title)
Blondes Up (USA) (working title)
Diamonds in the Basement (USA) (working title)
Hearts and Diamonds (USA) (working title)
Kleptomaniacs (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #13516) | UK:U | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Artists Alliance

Trivia:

Chico Marx says "Tootsie frootsie ice cream", a nod to his routine in A Day at the Races (1937).

Goofs:

Continuity: When we first see Chico in the final scene, he is wearing a bow-tie. In the very next shot he is tie-less.

Quotes:

Faustino the Great: Nevermind the pianissimo. I'm gonna make it very simple for you: we play it allegro pizzicato. That's what-a you call 'em, high-class Carnegie Hall stuff. You know allegro pizzicato?
Mr. Lyons: No.
Faustino the Great: You know Jimmy Pizzicato?
Mr. Lyons: No.
Faustino the Great: None of the Pizzicatos?
Mr. Lyons: No.
Faustino the Great: What *do* you know?
Mr. Lyons: I know pistachio.
Faustino the Great: Pistachio!
[shrugs]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Biography: Marilyn Monroe: The Mortal Goddess" (1996)

Soundtrack:

POLONAISE IN A FLAT

cheerful title for a sad movie...

Yes, this movie is sad; it's the end of an era. Bye bye, Marx Brothers; over half a century later, you still haven't been topped.

However, this movie is not sad in the sense of being pathetic. There's still some laughs here, and on balance, I think this is better than some of the previous Marx efforts ("A Night in Casablanca" and "At the Circus" in particular). Harpo is quite charming (who's not a Harpo fan?), and I remember finding the Central Park scene quite touching. The rooftop chase is a blast, too. Granted, those two scenes are standouts and the rest of the movie is weaker in comparison, but I never found it painfully weak.

Let's put it this way; even mediocre Marx is still okay by me.