Wise-cracking con-man Groucho Marx (as Otis B. Driftwood) wants matronly Margaret Dumont (as Mrs. Claypool) to invest a fortune in the opera. Already involved in musical theater are Italian manager Chico Marx (as Fiorello) and mute dresser Harpo Marx (as Tomasso). They team up to represent handsome opera singer Allan Jones (as Riccardo Baroni). As usual, the plot is secondary to the Marx Brothers' antics. In this case, the story compliments the comedy team very well. Moving to upscale MGM, the brothers and producer Irving Thalberg wisely hired Marx regulars George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind to sweeten, then write the screenplay. They were the gold standard Marx Brothers writers and this film contains some of the team's most memorable scenes and routines...
"A Night at the Opera" begins a more polished, less crazed, Marx era. More dependent on wit and one-liners, Groucho's shtick made the transition better than his brothers. Still, everything essential to the formula is preserved, including unfairly criticized non-comic brother Zeppo, who left the group after their previous "Duck Soup". Zeppo's shoes are nicely filled by Mr. Jones. Likewise maligned, the musical interludes serve to break up the comedy and pace the skits in a feature film. It's great to see "To Tell the Truth" game panelist Kitty Carlisle as the young ingénue. Walter Woolf King is a splendid villain. Regulars Sig Ruman and Ms. Dumont round out perfect support. In this case, listening to opera music with the Marx Brothers is the most fun you're ever going to have at the opera.
********** A Night at the Opera (11/8/35) Sam Wood ~ Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Allan Jones
"A Night at the Opera" begins a more polished, less crazed, Marx era. More dependent on wit and one-liners, Groucho's shtick made the transition better than his brothers. Still, everything essential to the formula is preserved, including unfairly criticized non-comic brother Zeppo, who left the group after their previous "Duck Soup". Zeppo's shoes are nicely filled by Mr. Jones. Likewise maligned, the musical interludes serve to break up the comedy and pace the skits in a feature film. It's great to see "To Tell the Truth" game panelist Kitty Carlisle as the young ingénue. Walter Woolf King is a splendid villain. Regulars Sig Ruman and Ms. Dumont round out perfect support. In this case, listening to opera music with the Marx Brothers is the most fun you're ever going to have at the opera.
********** A Night at the Opera (11/8/35) Sam Wood ~ Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Allan Jones