At the Circus (1939)

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

Writer:

Irving Brecher (screen play)

Stars:

Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Jeff Wilson, the owner of a small circus, owes his partner Carter $10000. Before Jeff can pay, Carter lets his accomplices steal the money, so he can take over the circus. Antonio Pirelli and Punchy, who work at the circus, together with lawyer Loophole try to find the thief and get the money back.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | song | circus midget | deception | damsel in distress | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Day at the Circus

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Groucho says "There must be some way of getting that money without getting in trouble with the Hays office." The Hays office (Named after Will Hays) was the Hollywood censorship board from 1930-1934. Joseph Breen replaced Hays in 1934 and was incumbent at time of filming, yet the office remained universally known as the Hays Office.

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Goofs

When Jeff first gets on the train, his badge keeps changing position on his coat.

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Quotes

Peerless Pauline: You're the man I've been dreaming of!
J. Cheever Loophole: What do you eat before you go to bed?

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Connections

Featured in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Big Parade of Hits for 1940 (1940)

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Soundtracks

Lydia, the Tattooed Lady
(1939) (uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Sung by Groucho Marx and chorus, with Chico Marx at piano

User Reviews

At the Circus (1939) **

Middle-of-the-road Marxes, with some good scenes and laughs unevenly weighted down by those ever-intrusive and out-of-place musical numbers that so often plagued these movies. No, I'm not referring to Groucho's spirited rendition of 'Lydia the Tattooed Lady'; I'm talking about hearing those two useless lead lovers crooning their sappy romantic tunes to each other ('Two Blind Loves', which is sung over and over at intervals throughout the picture, is especially grating on the nerves). There is also a song and dance sequence that comes out of left field later in the film that really feels out of place and gets in the way of things.

There are certainly some witty Groucho zingers, as well as vintage Harpo madness, to be found here. It's just that there's not enough consistency and too much of the fluff. It's a pity the filmmakers just didn't realize that it's the Marx Brothers we're here to see; not Kenny Baker and Florence Rice.