7.6/10
12,215
90 user 48 critic

Animal Crackers (1930)

G | | Comedy, Musical | 6 September 1930 (USA)
Animal Crackers Poster
Mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding.

Director:

Victor Heerman

Writers:

George S. Kaufman (based on the musical play by), Morrie Ryskind (based on the musical play by) | 4 more credits »

Stars:

Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

On Disc

at Amazon

2 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 39 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Monkey Business (1931)
Comedy | Musical
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

On a transatlantic crossing, The Marx Brothers get up to their usual antics and manage to annoy just about everyone on board the ship.

Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx Brothers
Next »
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Comedy | Musical
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

During the Florida land boom, The Marx Brothers run a hotel, auction off some land, thwart a jewel robbery, and generally act like themselves.

Directors: Robert Florey, Joseph Santley
Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx
Next »
Horse Feathers (1932)
Comedy | Musical | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new president of Huxley University, accidentally hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help his school win the big football game against the rival Darwin University.

Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx
Next »
A Day at the Races (1937)
Comedy | Musical | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

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

Director: Sam Wood
Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx
Next »
At the Circus (1939)
Comedy | Musical
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

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

Director: Edward Buzzell
Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx
Next »
The Big Store (1941)
Comedy | Musical
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

A detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department store, from the store's crooked manager.

Director: Charles Reisner
Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx
Next »
Duck Soup (1933)
Comedy | Musical | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.

Director: Leo McCarey
Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx
Next »
Go West (1940)
Certificate: Passed Comedy | Musical | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

The Marx Brothers come to the rescue in the Wild West when a young man, trying to settle an old family feud so he can marry the girl he loves, runs afoul of crooks.

Director: Edward Buzzell
Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx
Next »
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Certificate: Passed Comedy | Music | Musical
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.

Directors: Sam Wood, Edmund Goulding
Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx
Next »
A Night in Casablanca (1946)
Certificate: Passed Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

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.

Director: Archie Mayo
Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx
Next »
Room Service (1938)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A penniless theatrical producer must outwit the hotel efficiency expert trying to evict him from his room, while securing a backer for his new play.

Director: William A. Seiter
Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx
Next »
Love Happy (1949)
Certificate: Passed Comedy | Crime | Music
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.8/10 X  

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

Director: David Miller
Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
The Marx Brothers
Groucho Marx ... Captain Jeffrey Spaulding
Harpo Marx ... The Professor
Chico Marx ... Signor Emanuel Ravelli
Zeppo Marx ... Horatio Jamison
Lillian Roth ... Arabella Rittenhouse
Margaret Dumont ... Mrs. Rittenhouse
Louis Sorin ... Roscoe Chandler
Hal Thompson Hal Thompson ... John Parker
Margaret Irving ... Mrs. Whitehead
Kathryn Reece Kathryn Reece ... Grace Carpenter
Robert Greig ... Hives
Edward Metcalfe ... Hennessey
The Music Masters The Music Masters ... Six Footmen
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Captain Spaulding, the noted explorer, returns from Africa and attends a gala party held by Mrs. Rittenhouse. A painting displayed at that party is stolen, and the Marxes help recover it. Well, maybe 'help' isn't quite the word I was looking for--this is the Marx Brothers, after all... Written by Ken Yousten <kyousten@bev.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

tuscaloosa alabama | returning evidence | party | explorer | painting | See All (72) »

Taglines:

The maddest comics of them all! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Musical

Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 1930 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Os Galhofeiros See more »

Filming Locations:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chico Marx plays his trademark song "I'm Daffy Over You" for the first time in this film. See more »

Goofs

In the opening credits, the first name of Captain Spaulding, is spelled "Jeffrey". Moments later in newspaper clip, his first name is spelled "Geoffrey." See more »

Quotes

Capt. Spaulding: [Describing his trip to Africa] The elks, on the other hand, live up in the hills. And in the spring, they come down for their annual convention. It is very interesting to watch them come to the water hole. And you should see them run when they find it is only a water hole! What they're looking for is an alcohol.
See more »

Alternate Versions

Censored for a 1936 reissue to meet Production Code requirements; this censored version was the only one available for television showings and subsequent VHS/DVD releases. A surviving complete and uncensored print was found in England, and is the source being used for the 2016 blu-ray release. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Beverly Hills, 90210: Isn't It Romantic? (1991) See more »

Soundtracks

I'm Daffy Over You
(1930) (uncredited)
Written by Chico Marx and Sol Violinsky
Performed by Chico Marx on piano
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

The Search for Abe the Fish-Man
4 December 2001 | by boris-26 – See all my reviews

For many years, ANIMAL CRACKERS was a "lost" film. Paramount owned the audio, and Universal owned the Visual elements (It may of been vice-versa) During the re-birth of Marx Brother popularity, ANIMAL CRACKERS mad it's way back into theatres in the Fall of 1974.

It was a thrill to see the movie in a theatre (the best place to see a classic comedy). The plot concerns a wild, out of control explorer's (Groucho Marx) visit to a Long Island estate. He comes across stuffy snobs and a questionable musician for hire (Chico Marx and his lunatic partner, Harpo.) Groucho's dialog is superb. His verbal assaults on stuffed shirts are priceless "It's not safe to ask this man a simple question" Groucho says to the audience when he talks to a pompous "art critic".

Chico and Harpo provide the more manic visual antics, especially when they steal the birth mark of above mentioned art critic. Even straight man Zeppo gets to be funny and silly.

The only real problem with the film is well voiced in critic's Richard Anobile's review "This is a RECORDING of a stage play. The camera barely moves. it just sits there and records the Marx Brothers" Still in all, see ANIMAL CRACKERS to enjoy the joy of Marx mayhem
15 of 17 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 90 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Free Movies and TV Shows to Watch Now

On IMDb Freedive, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!

Masters of the Universe
The NeverEnding Story
Groundhog Day
Contact
Mac and Me

Browse all our free movies and TV series

Stream Popular Action and Adventure Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed