Love Happy (1949) User Reviews

cheerful title for a sad movie...

[dr_foreman · 7/10 · 29 March 2004]

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.

Marx brothers, Raymond Burr, and... Marilyn Monroe. And it's *not* great

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 6 September 2016]

Love Happy is the final movie that features the three Marx brothers (Groucho Chico Harpo) in top billing and as the stars. Once again they do the occasional musical performances. This time Frank Tashlin co-writes the script (bringing, I'd imagine, some pure cartoonish brilliance to it, in fits and starts). And it's OK... ish. Actually Harpo is better than OK, but when isn't he? This isn't even his premier work and he's delightful to watch in scenes that should be rote like when the actress asks Harpo to be his manager and he mimes becoming a "big shot" with his feet up on a can of rubbish in a park, miming as well being on the phone with many agents. It's what he was made for as a performer, moments like this.

The main problem for me is a major lack of the brothers interacting with one another - Groucho barely appears in the first half for Pete's sake, and only through limited 4th wall breaks - yet there are a lot of legitimately entertaining musical numbers (really, there isn't a dull one, including a number where a woman sings about being frustrated with motherhood). There's once again another loony but half-baked crime plot, here involving stolen diamonds in a can of... sardines I think, Chico on piano, and a musical that is on thin ice as far as being produced. Objectively this isn't as good a movie as I'm rating it, but I'm being generous because when these guys do click in their scenes they are just that funny. In other words it's better than Room Service (oddly enough this has the storyline that it's closest to), but not by much.

It's also uncanny seeing Groucho without his grease-paint mustache as a movie character with the brothers.

The Marx Brothers may seem stale, but Vera-Ellen sparkles...

[amorpak · 7/10 · 21 December 2001]

The Marx brothers shtik is on its last legs in this one. Some production trivia mentioned in the Turner Classic Movies airing suggest that 'Love Happy' was intended to be a Harpo vehicle, but the backers weren't going to unless Groucho and Chico were also in. A lot of the Marx vaudeville formula is evident and may seem a bit worn, but Harpo still gets me with his crazy mime and charades. He has a scene with Chico that is pretty comical. The REAL gem in 'Love Happy' is Vera-Ellen's Sadie Thompson dance number. Man, that chic could really move it on high-heels. Wow!

The Marxes' Finale is Really Harpo's Show...

[cariart · 6 December 2004]

"Love Happy" is remembered, primarily, as the last "Official" Marx Brothers film (they would all appear in brief vignettes in "The Story of Mankind", seven years later, but not as a team), but if the film were a baseball statistic, it would have an asterik (*), because it truly isn't a showcase of the brothers, together, but a comedy starring Harpo, with Chico in a supporting role, and Groucho doing narration, and making brief appearances, occasionally (rather like the "General Electric Theater" TV episode the brothers would do, in 1959, where Harpo and Chico played crooks with hearts of gold, and Groucho would make a surprise appearance at the finale, as their lawyer).

As a comedy, "Love Happy" is so-so, with Harpo providing some genuine laughs, particularly during an interrogation scene with villains Raymond Burr, Ilona Massey, Eric Blore, and Bruce Gordon, and in the rooftop finale, with Harpo offering the same kind of outrageous physical humor that he had demonstrated in the classic MGM comedies. But the rest of the plot, while mildly entertaining, is simply a musical variation of "Room Service", as an impoverished group of performers (headed by Paul Valentine and future star Vera-Ellen) struggle to put on a Broadway musical.

The back story of the film is possibly more entertaining than the movie, itself; Harpo had wanted to make a solo film throughout the forties, and had tinkered on the script for several years, while soliciting financial backing for the project. Chico, meanwhile, was running up huge gambling debts, as was often the case (while a brilliant card player, he was a notoriously bad gambler), and just as the Marxes had made "A Night in Casablanca", in 1946, to pay off his debts at that time, Harpo brought him into "Love Happy" to do the same. Unfortunately, the end of the decade was a depressed time for film making (with television making inroads into the ticket-buying public), and backers would only fund the project if all three brothers would appear in the movie.

Groucho, by now a genuine TV star, thanks to the "You Bet Your Life" quiz show, hated the script of "Love Happy", and had little desire to co-star in the film. He was, however, loyal to his brothers, and finally reached a compromise; he would only appear briefly, would not have to wear his trademark greasepaint eyebrows and mustache, and would have final approval of his dialog and the performers working with him. He could honestly say he helped 'discover' Marilyn Monroe, at an open audition (watching two other starlets walk across a stage, followed by Marilyn, when asked for his pick for a small role, he raised his eyebrows and quipped, "You're kidding, right?")

Be warned: While "Love Happy" is not terrible, it certainly is no "Night at the Opera", or "Duck Soup"!

A very entertaining movie! (Who believes "movie critics" anyhow?)

[Little-Mikey · 7/10 · 21 August 2007]

Unfortunately, this movie was my first Marx Brothers movie. (I saw it in December 1977.) It really isn't a good introduction to the comic mayhem of the Marx Brothers because it was never intended to be a Marx Brothers movie in the first place! It was originally a Harpo Marx movie. But Chico had some debts to pay so he was worked into the script. Since you cannot have Harpo and Chico without Groucho, Groucho was also added to the script. Groucho didn't have that much of a part. But Groucho was so unique that he could generate laughs by saying anything! "Love Happy" was the movie that marked the end of the Marx Brothers as a single comedy act. (It would also be the movie that started Marilyn Monroe's career.)

The movie was very entertaining and it provided more than enough comedy and laughs to qualify as a good comedy. Harpo was great, doing what he was best as doing. The chase was a riot.

For those who were saddened over this movie being the end of the Marx Brothers as a comedy act, this movie also marked the beginning of the Marx Brothers as individuals who would each enjoy his own level of success with Groucho being the most successful with his TV show "You Bet Your Life" in the 1950s and a comeback in the 1970s, touring the country.

After "Love Happy", Harpo would make 9 appearances plus 15 as himself. Chico would make 6 appearances plus 7 as himself. and Groucho would make 13 appearances plus 29 as himself and he would also enjoy success as a writer and one shot as director. That's not bad.

The real tragedy was the 3 Stooges' "Kook's Tour" which really marked the end of the 3 Stooges as an act by featuring them in retirement. "Kooks' Tour" was cut short by Larry's stroke and it marked the end of the 3 Stooges (except for a few personal appearances by Moe as a member of the audience in the 1973 movie "Dr. Death Seeker of Souls" and as himself on "The Mike Douglas Show".)

Sardines!

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 2 May 2010]

This film marked the finale for the Marx Brothers glorious career in movies. Of course, "Love Happy" does not compare with their classic work which was much wittier than what comes out here. It almost appears the movie was a vehicle for Harpo Marx more than a collaboration of the trio that made us laugh.

The plot is paper thin, but there are moments that work, like the chase sequence at the end and the "Kleptomaniacs" performance by Harpo as the film begins. Groucho is only seen as an afterthought. Chico Marx has nothing to do in the film. The lovely Ilona Massey adds a sinister tone to the comedy, with her Madame Egilichi, who is after the Romanoff diamond necklace that has been smuggled in a can of sardines.

As directed by David Miller, with an uncredited help by Leo McCarey. The production shows it might have had problems, which probably means that Mr. McCarey came to make the film more appealing to audiences. The same can be said about the screenplay by Frank Tashlin and Marc Bedoff, as an uncredited Ben Hecht was brought in to help with the project.

The cast shows two surprises. Raymond Burr is seen in one of the many heavy types he played at the start of his days in Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe is ravishingly fresh and fun as an aspiring actress. Vera Ellen, Eric Blore, Marion Hutton, Melville Cooper and Paul Valentine have featured roles.

In spite of all its flaws, "Love Happy" is a must see for all Marx Brothers fans.

Love Happy (1949) **

[JoeKarlosi · 5/10 · 3 December 2004]

This last Marx Brothers film is NOT the right place to begin if you've never seen one of their movies before. That said, it's not as bad as its reputation suggests either. It was originally conceived as a vehicle for Harpo, so as a result we get lesser input from Chico and even less from Groucho (which is especially unfortunate). But as it stands, Harpo fans should find some things to chuckle about, on and off.

That's the main problem with LOVE HAPPY - it's not consistent in entertaining you, and the funny bits come and go. It's also too long and veers off into other characters we just don't care about. But you could do worse, and this is noteworthy as Marilyn Monroe's debut film (she's got a tiny part). It's always a pleasure to see Ilona Massey strutting her stuff, too.

The last Marx Brothers movie?

[The_Movie_Cat · 6/10 · 22 February 2012]

Taken as the final Marx Brothers movie, then Love Happy can't help but disappoint. But the enjoyment contained in this pleasant diversion of a film is perhaps directly proportionate to how you approach it. Really the film, based on a story by Harpo, is a solo Harpo Marx vehicle, and the first one in which his character shares the same moniker as his stage name since Monkey Business.

I've reviewed three Marx Brothers movies on the IMDb over the last decade or so, and in some of them I've been pretty mean about Harpo's character. As a relative Marx Brothers novice (though, as said, I've still been watching them for around a dozen years now) maybe it took me a while to get used to him, or maybe he really is just more likable in this one? Certainly his affectations around women seem more genuinely innocent and charming than the would-be sex pest of the earlier vehicles.

Though this is, of course, the whole point: the Harpo Marx in this film isn't really the uncontrollable force of nature from earlier ventures, but a more passive and selfless man played by an actor now in his sixties. You're no longer watching THE Harpo, but A Harpo. One inconsolable issue I've always had with the character is that the inner beauty he allows us to see during his harp solos isn't reflected in the regular persona. So the sweet and gentle look in Harpo's eyes comes from a different place to the guy causing violent mayhem or female harassment. By the time of Love Happy, both sides of the character finally meet in the middle, as Harpo begins to embrace the kind of naked sentimentality so beloved of Chaplin, particularly towards the end of his career. (And as Harpo ages, he begins to bear more than a passing resemblance to Chaplin, particularly as Charlie played other characters with his own white hair during the 50s).

So, if we can take this film on its own terms, and lower expectations accordingly, it becomes more palatable. Then we factor in that it has a minor role for Chico. The brothers had previously come out of a five- year retirement for A Night In Casablanca (6) reputedly to help clear Chico's gambling debts. Chico doesn't get away with this scott free, as in Casablanca and this movie he's forced to take parts in scenes that involve him gambling. Love Happy even has him losing, with a "There goes my coat". And in an age of product placement, then the mark of the financial backers is even sent up, with Harpo amusingly using most of the advertising billboards during the climax as makeshift fairground rides.

With all this in mind, it's a likable enough movie that features the final film performance of Harpo Marx, with a guest appearance from his brother. Except, by this stage, the financial backers want the obvious and Groucho is also drafted in. Yet Groucho isn't properly integrated into the narrative, and just does introductory monologues/voice-overs and gets to share hardly any screen time with his brothers at all, not even being seen on screen with Chico even though they're supposed to be in the same scene. Even worse, Groucho couldn't make his disinterest any clearer if he'd tried. While he appeared reinvigorated for Casablanca - for my money, better than any film they took part in since A Day At The Races – here he's just there to help out his brothers, a deeply bored man sans greasepaint, more interested in his TV quiz show than this "not really a Marx Brothers" movie.

Certainly even less of a Marx Brothers movie is an endeavour they all did eight years later – Irwin Allen's The Story of Mankind (5), featuring all three brothers playing minor roles in vignettes where they do not meet. A film that looks part epic (thanks to reused stock footage), part cheap episode of Star Trek, it has some amusing moments for a once-again-trying Groucho, a "blink and you'll miss it" secondary part for Chico and two minutes of Harpo as Isaac Newton. The only time they were shot in colour – in this case the lovably dated and garish Technicolor – you finally get to see them in their splendour, although Groucho once again appears without his make-up, and all three are pushing seventy. It's by no means a great film, and by no means a Marx Brothers movie, though it's probably better than its reputation, even if only by default.

So for the final three Marx Brothers pictures after their return from retirement, we're left with the unsettling prospect that only one of them can genuinely be regarded as a Marx Brothers movie. Love Happy, then. It's a terrible Marx Brothers movie. But as a movie in its own right, it's really quite charming.

Groucho briefly shines with Marilyn Monroe in his brothers' Love Happy

[tavm · 4/10 · 19 August 2007]

This day being the one Groucho Marx died 30 years ago, 3 days after Elvis, I decided to watch some of his movies that I either have on tape or just checked at the library. Love Happy, I taped 12 years ago from AMC. This movie came 20 years after Groucho and his brothers' talkie debut in The Cocoanuts. His participation is limited here which is just as well since he doesn't have many funny lines except with the villainous Ilona Massey and, in her brief part, a well-endowed Marilyn Monroe. Says Groucho to her, "Is there anything I can do for you? (turns to audience as he see-saws his eyebrows) What a ridiculous statement!" The story mainly concerns Harpo, as himself, as he steals plenty of sardine cans as they're being thrown at him unknowingly by Eric Blore. One Blore doesn't throw but has stolen unbeknownst from him by Harpo has some valuable diamonds. There's also a plot about a musical show with dancer Vera-Ellen and singer Marion Hutton (Betty's sister) that's for the birds. Best parts of those segments concern Chico's piano playing with violinist Leon Belasco though there's also a sexy Vera-Ellen number that got my temperature rising. Worst parts for me were Chico's wooing of Ms. Massey and Vera-Ellen's constant crying in front of Harpo. Most interesting part was the chase sequence at the end where Harpo rides on lots of billboards in one of the rare instances of product placements of the period. Many of those gags probably came from former animation director Frank Tashlin, a co-writer of the script. While there's one scene with Groucho and Harpo, the one with Chico at the end probably was shot on separate occasions since they don't share that scene together, just a cut to Chico after Grouch calls out to him. So, technically, this isn't really a "Marx Brothers" picture, just Harpo starring with Chico in support and Groucho in an extended cameo. Having not seen The Big Store, I reserve judgment on whether this is the worst movie of their career but Love Happy is certainly one of their lesser ones. P.S. Raymond Burr is one of the henchmen.

Fine movie, great performance by Harpo

[Seattle10 · 7/10 · 29 February 2012]

Even Groucho himself did not like this picture, and I cannot understand why everyone says it is bad.

It is a fine movie, and as everyone states here, it is to showcase Harpo, and he is excellent in Love Happy. Great pantomime and excellent special effects.

To see Vera-Ellen, and Marlyn, and a cast of other known greats, is a real treat. The eventual conclusion of the missing diamonds, was a real surprise, yet quite nice.

A great way to end their film career together. I liked this one more than several from their golden age.

worth watching ONLY for two scenes

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 6 February 2006]

This is a very sad effort from the Marxes, as you can't help but wonder how much better the film would have been if they hadn't messed with an old formula and allowed the brothers to actually work together--Groucho is more the narrator and has no real involvement with Chico or Harpo. Plus, given their age, the team just seems old and tired (with the exception of Harpo).

However, despite these major drawbacks, there are a couple sight gags that are marvelous. HOWEVER, DO NOT READ FURTHER AS THERE ARE SPOILER!! When Harpo is being searched, the stuff they find in his coat is amazing! So, I guess it can be said that this is Harpo's movie. So, the old formula is just lacking.

Sullen Groucho Fans Are Smearing a Funny Film

[Baravelli_the_ice_lady · 9/10 · 25 December 2004]

I've been a die-hard Marxist for several years now. After I watched their first seven films to the point where my tapes were in tatters, I sought out their later films, the lesser productions Room Service thru Night in Casablanca. After that, I still wanted more, so I finally gave in and watched the one film that I KNEW would be painful: Love Happy. Virtually every review has smeared this film and ripped into it with full claws, so I braced myself and bought the DVD.

Now let me tell you something: this movie is great. Of course it's not in the ballpark of the Paramounts, but it fits nicely with their later films, and is a real delight. So why the negative rap? Well, this movie was originally intended as a solo vehicle for Harpo Marx. Chico joined on when he needed money to get out of debt. Groucho was never supposed to be in this film, but the sponsors said that they wouldn't release it unless he was, so that they could bill it as a "Marx Brothers" picture. So footage of Groucho narrating parts of the story were shoehorned into the finished product. The result? Chico and Harpo are just as enchanting as ever, and Groucho--despite being displayed prominently on the movie posters--is relegated to a commentator. Since most Marx fans are Groucho fans first, Chico/Harpo fans second, this setup comes as a slap in the face, and the film gets trashed.

As such, if you watch the Marxes mainly to see Groucho's witty quips, this movie will bore you stiff. However, if you--like me--love the others just as much as Groucho (for me, Chico will ALWAYS be the funniest Marx Brother!) you'll be surprised at how good Love Happy really is. I'd go into the plot, but with a Marx movie, who really cares about the plot? It's our boys we're after. Chico plays an uproarious piano/violin duet, lusts after Ilona Massey, has some "tootsy-frootsy ice cream" and does some flawed mind-reading; Harpo tumbles through a washing machine, turns his fingers into candles, pulls a dog out of his coat and lusts after Ilona Massey. And Groucho narrates, searches, quips, ponders the situation, and...lusts after Ilona Massey. Oh!--and did I mention this film started the career of a young Marilyn Monroe?

In short, to a Chico/Harpo fan, this movie is as good as (and often better than) At the Circus or A Night in Casablanca. To a Groucho fan...well, that's why we have remote-controls.

Uneven

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 21 November 2009]

"Love Happy", the last official Marx Brothers film (unless you want to count "The Story Of Mankind"), is also usually listed as their worst, but I'm not sure I can agree with this evaluation. There are numerous problems with it, to be sure: Groucho only appears about 4 times in total; Chico overdoes his Italian accent more than ever before, but his only truly funny scene is the pantomime game with Harpo; the piano and harp interludes are dull; the chase climax is weak. And yet, there are lots of things to like in "Love Happy" as well: Harpo is joyful, expressive, tireless and sometimes even touching (the scene where they "search" him for the diamonds is hilarious); during his limited appearances, Groucho throws out all the funniest lines in the film (my favorite comes at the very start: "The FBI was baffled, the Scotland Yard was baffled. They sent for me, and the case was solved immediately: I confessed!"); Ilona Massey milks the icy-hot bad girl role for all it's worth; the supporting cast is filled with lovely, leggy ladies; the musical numbers, although not exactly necessary, are quite entertaining in their own right; and let's face it, if you're a fan, every film the Marx Bros. made is worthy of a spot in your DVD collection. Beware of the hype for the Marilyn appearance, though, it is literally a few seconds long. **1/2 out of 4.

Sad that the Marx Bros. had to go out this way

[tomakalinus · 1/10 · 26 January 2007]

Despite the heavy advertising of Marilyn Monroe on the cover for any of the videos, she only has a small walk-on role. That's only one of many disappointments awaiting the person who rents this movie. The Marx Bros. were filmed separately - they have no scenes together - so there's no chance to capture that manic comic energy. Harpo plays the harp often, with the movie grinding to a halt every time this happens. Groucho literally phones his scenes in - he's in an office with a phone and nearly everything he does happens here. Meanwhile, nothing funny happens anywhere. A sad final note in what was otherwise a hilarious and illustrious career by one of the greatest comedy film teams ever.

Marx brothers together for the last time

[Petey-10 · 16 February 2000]

Love Happy is the last movie where the Marx brothers appear together.Harpo is the biggest star of the movie.He gets in a trouble when he steals a sardine can that has Romanoff's diamond inside.Love Happy is good Marx movie.Groucho, Harpo and Chico are as good as they were in their younger days.And you can see Marilyn Monroe in a little part as Groucho's client.A must see for Marx fans, especially Harpo fans.

Not Up To the Marx

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 7 January 2008]

For their final film, the Marx Brothers are featured in Love Happy which while it has some flashes of brilliance, does not come any kind of close to what they were doing in the Thirties. As a sign of the times. Groucho disdains the false mustache and wig and grows his own upper lip coverage, making him look more like the Groucho Marx I first knew, as the host of You Bet Your Life.

In fact Groucho is thrown into this film almost as an after thought. Until the end, he does not interact at all with Chico and Harpo. He narrates and plays detective Sam Grunion who is on the trail of a valuable diamond necklace that spider woman like villainess Ilona Massey has smuggled into the country in a specially marked can of sardines worth a Maltese Cross.

But the plans go up the spout as Harpo in his capacity as shoplifter, takes all kinds of food from the delicatessen that the sardines were delivered to. The food is for the cast members of a show that is struggling. Dancing ingénue Vera-Ellen gets the valuable sardines though she doesn't know it and the necklace goes on quite an adventure.

Harpo gets the best moments for the brothers in Love Happy. His pantomime skills are at their very best here. I do love that telephone call to Chico when Ilona Massey and henchmen kidnap him and later on when he plays charades with Chico trying to give him a message of danger. Unfortunately it's not enough to carry the film by itself.

Marion Hutton is the singer in the cast and she's Betty's younger sister and former vocalist with Glenn Miller. She had a fine voice, but her style was too similar to her sister and she never really established any individuality after leaving the Miller Orchestra.

Compared to their work for Paramount and MGM in the previous decade, Love Happy just doesn't hit the mark.

The tepid end of a great comedy team

[theowinthrop · 5/10 · 8 June 2005]

Because I like the Marx Brothers I am willing to give this film a 5. If it had starred Wheeler and Woolsey or the Ritz Brothers, I might have given it a 2.

After ROOM SERVICE, only A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA had any real merit among the final Marx Brother films. In the case of these two films, the former was based on a successful Broadway farce (which is still produced occasionally), and the latter had some planning involved in it as well (a novelization of the complete screenplay - certain parts were edited out of the final film - was published). The other four are mediocre at best. And LOVE HAPPY is the weakest.

Yeah, Harpo gets some nice moments, like him riding the neon lit "Pegasus" on a rooftop sign. He and Chico have one or two good sequences together (one of those patented "Chico-verbally-interpreting-Harpo's-mimed-message" sequences is good). Chico also has a wonderful moment when he tries to be romantic to Ilona Massey, promising to cover her in sardines. But these are so few and far between that the weaknesses in the film are shown.

Yeah, Groucho is an afterthought. He has that one famous moment with Marilyn Monroe, but that's it. It looks like much of Groucho's material ended up on a cutting room floor. His "Watson" figure is Eric Blore (an interesting combination of comic talents there), but Blore too is only briefly seen. One wishes to know what more there was to that sequence.

But even if we discount shortchanging Groucho, what is left is nothing to shout about. It is a disappointing film, especially as it was the last real Marx Brother feature film. The following movie the brothers were all in was THE STORY OF MANKIND, and each was in a separate segment. There were three television shows they were in together (though one was with other Hollywood comics like Ernie Kovacs), but none of these had the strengths of their best nine movies.

Harpo's Solo Film

[joemigliore · 5/10 · 11 August 2008]

LOVE HAPPY was originally intended to be a solo effort by Harpo, but he couldn't get backing. It was Mary Pickford who suggested that Groucho and Chico become involved, then she, one of the original United Artists, would finance it. So The Marx Brothers ended their cinematic career with an atypical feature, but an improvement over THE BIG STORE.

Groucho shares barely any screen time with his brothers, serving mostly as narrator. This is because he was host of the popular television show YOU BET YOUR LIFE, and had only a couple of days available for filming. (He even wears his real moustache instead of the grease paint one he sported for the previous features!) Chico fares better, easily falling into the patter he long ago perfected.

Obviously, this is not the film to introduce someone to The Marx Brothers. (That would be DUCK SOUP or MONKEY BUSINESS anyway.) Instead, this entry is dessert for the viewer who has already viewed the other dozen Marx Brothers features, but is still hungry for more.

for Harpo fans its a classic..........

[leonvander · 10/10 · 12 October 2007]

i'm a big marx bros fan and love most of their films, especially the early paramounts and a day at the races and most of the others so thats pretty much all of them i guess. Room service is the weakest of their output as far as i can tell..

If I was mainly a Groucho fan, which most of the reviewers of Marx Brothers films seem to be, I'd be giving this movie between 1 & 3 stars. His part is minimal, not very funny and is mainly famous for the scene with Marilyn Monroe in one of her first speaking roles (which lasts a few seconds)...

I've just read a review for this film calling it unfunny. Maybe they were watching a different movie? I am completely fed up with reading the nonsense that's been written about this film by people who probably haven't even watched it...

I'm a Harpo fan.........I really think he's a true screen genius, the greatest one of his kind. When he's on screen for me its pure magic.

This film has a special place in my heart.. The screenplay is based on a Harpo story and he is the main star (originally the film was to be a solo vehicle for him). Chico's and Groucho's appearance was an afterthought..Chico performs well and the scenes when he's with Harpo are great and are the equal to any other marx movie. Harpo doesn't disappoint with so many great hilarious scenes that were mainly devised and performed by himself (he did most of his own stunts)...quite amazing considering he was in his early 60's at the time....

The story revolves around a theatre production called 'love happy' and a missing diamond necklace in a sardine tin. The other cast members perform well and the songs are not too cheesy. Chico does a great piano duet with a violinist and harpo plays the harp as beautifully as ever..

If I was hoping to see and hear Groucho in his element, i'd be very disappointed with Love Happy. But, on every other level its a classic. So please, give it a chance - its worth it............

The Great Diamond Caper

[lugonian · 3/10 · 26 October 2006]

LOVE HAPPY (United Artists, 1949), a Mary Pickford presentation, directed by David Miller, became the 13th and final collaboration of Marx Brothers comedy team, this time with a few alterations, especially in featuring the silent one, Harpo, as the leading character, with Chico and Groucho taking on lesser responsibilities. While this could have been simply a Harpo Marx comedy, following Groucho's solo effort in COPACABANA (1947), someone probably didn't think it possible to have Harpo carrying on 85 minutes of screen time without his brothers, in spite the fact that he's credited as author of the story. The final result is a musical-comedy labeled the least liked of all the Marx Brothers movies. Overlooking it's negative reputation, it be best to consider the possibilities of what the story has to offer, with some fine comedy material thrown in, that actually keeps this one from being a total disaster.

The story opens in typical 1940s fashion, with Groucho as Detective Sam Grunion relating to the movie audience as to how he had spent eleven years investigating a million dollar theft of the Ramanoff diamonds, followed by his introduction of numerous characters, including Mike Johnson (Paul Valentine), both manager and leading man; Maggie Phillips (Vera-Ellen), his dancing partner; Bunny Dolan (Marion Hutton), a singer and Maggie's best friend; and finally Harpo (Harpo), a kindly hobo who happens to be love happy for Maggie. He helps the troupe by supplying them with stolen food. Also in the company is Faustino the Great (Chico Marx), a mind reader. Madame Egilichi (Ilona Massey), the leader of a gang responsible for the stolen jewels, is told by Throckmorton (Melville Cooper), who uses a delicatessen as a front, that the diamonds have been placed in a sardine can marked with a cross. It so happens that Harpo had taken this can, along with other canned goodies, for his hungry actor friends. Because the diamonds are somewhere in the theater, Egilichi finances the show, leading to a merry slapstick chase on the rooftop as Egilichi, and her henchmen, the Zoto Brothers (Bruce Gordon and Raymond Burr) go after Harpo and Faustino, who have both the real as well as the phony diamonds in their possessions, while Sam Grunion makes his reappearance before concluding his narrative to the great diamond caper. And watch for the surprise ending.

LOVE HAPPY is actually not an attempt to revive the Marx Brothers on screen, for that their best work was already behind them, yet it shows how far they have come, twenty years from their screen debut (1929). Age has caught up with the brothers this time around. Considering the changing times, especially after World War II, their brand of comedy might be, by 1949 standards, old-fashioned, far-fetched or overly familiar. For the first time on screen, Groucho looks more natural, sporting a real mustache, instead of his traditional black tape over his lip. Chico continues to be in character, Italian accented, pointy hat, and once again translating Harpo's mimed message distress call following Maggie's abduction. Chico does provide moments of nostalgia by refusing a can of sardines in favor of his DAY AT THE RACES (1937) product of "Tutsi-Fruitsi ice cream." Aside from playing the piano, Chico offers few comedic moments, such as losing a game of cards to a dog(!). The Harpo here breaks away from his traditional characterization, being toned down a bit and being a range between the old Harpo to that of the sentimental likes of Charlie Chaplin. Key scenes find him falling victim to Egliouchi's thugs as they attempt to empty out his pockets for the diamonds, taking out everything imaginable, including a live dog! When all else fails, poor Harpo is put through the torture test such as smoking rope for six straight hours; spinning in a washing machine filled with water; tied to a revolving rack; being tempted by food at a distance while starving and tied to a chair; and finally the William Tell test. Even Egilichi's attempt to vamp him nearly works, but Harpo uttering a word is totally impossible.

On the musical program, there's "Love Happy" (sung during opening credits); "Mama Wants to Know," "Willow Weep for Me," "The Sadie Thompson Number," "Gypsy Love Song" (piano solo by Chico) by Franz Lehar; "Happy Birthday to You," "Swanee River" by Stephen Foster (Harpo on the harp) and "Love Happy" (reprise, closing credits).

Paul Valentine, Raymond Burr and Marilyn Monroe receive special introductory billing during the opening credits. Although still new to the business, this is not their movie debuts, yet the starring status of Burr and Monroe, would only be a few years into their futures. Monroe's very brief scene with Groucho as a lady in distress constantly being followed by men is truly a highlight.

So ends the movie careers of Groucho, Harpo and Chico as a team. With this being their last, it was one of the first to be distributed onto video cassette during the early 1980s, notably with the video storage case featuring Marilyn Monroe and Groucho Marx on the cover, and currently available on DVD (with restored footage). For its cable TV broadcast history, it alternated between American Movie Classics (1995-2000) and Turner Classic Movies. In spite of an odd mixture of gags, ranging from good, bad to disturbing, LOVE HAPPY has enough ingredients to satisfy any Marx Brothers fans. (**1/2)

The last silent film comedy, at least until Mel Brooks

[dimplet · 15 November 2011]

I disagree with the put downs of this film by some viewers, for a very simple reason: I enjoyed watching it and found it funny. Sure, the plot is a little weak, but who watches Marx Brothers films for the plot? Actually, the plot is stronger than in many of their movies.

Groucho's role is certainly weak, but this may be Harpo's finest film, which showcases his beautiful comic style. Chico does fine, too. And they both deliver some wonderful musical performances.

The scene near the end on the rooftop amid the Times Square advertising signs is delightful. There seems to be an obvious element of "product placement," though I don't know whether the filmmakers got paid for this, but that all adds to the peculiar humor of the scene.

It's been a very long time since I first saw the classic Marx Brothers films, at least as an adult who could appreciate them. Back then they were funny. But I can't say they crack me up these days, as the gags have gotten old.

So it was wonderful to find this Marx Brothers film I hadn't seen, and to laugh at them again. This is a funny film. Period.

It is a bit sad knowing this was their last film, also knowing the great young comedy writers who were about to get started in live television, including Mel Brooks and Woody Allen. If only their talent could have been turned to writing more scripts for the Marx Brothers. Instead, they wrote for Sid Caesar's television shows, which in some ways were the heirs to the Marx Brothers humor.

I think I will watch Love Happy again, soon. I want to watch Harpo's performance more closely. It seems to me he was the last of the silent film comedians, in the tradition of Chaplin and Buster Keaton, whose humor was all in their body language. And this was his last great work.

A sad outing

[75groucho · 1/10 · 18 July 2007]

"Love Happy" is the last film to feature appearances from Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx, but it hardly stands as a Marx Brothers film. It was originally conceived as a vehicle for Harpo alone, and Groucho's contribution is basically tacked-on, a series of voice overs and a few isolated scenes. In earlier Marx Brothers films, the juvenile love interests had more going for them, but in "Love Happy" they come across as downbeat losers. The young lovers are trying to mount an off-Broadway play but don't have the money they need. But Harpo stumbles across the priceless diamond necklace that an exotic femme fatale has sought, and he gets caught up in the intrigue that follows.

The film was very cheaply made and it shows. There are a few signs of life but the brothers all look terribly over-the-hill and none of the other actors are suitable distractions. (Raymond Burr isn't bad as hired goon for the exotic broad) Except, of course, for the very young Marilyn Monroe who had little more than a cameo but lights up the screen for the little time she's involved. It's the only reason to really consider watching "Love Happy".

I didn't love it and it didn't make me happy.

[Welly-2 · 3/10 · 21 January 2008]

If you watch this film as a Marx Brothers fan then there is some hope, but for the neutral it's a disjointed and disappointing effort that raises few laughs, has no plot to speak of and goes nowhere with no purpose. Film buffs will tell you that the minute of the film in which a young Marilyn Monroe appears is worth the entrance fee (it's not) or that Raymond Burr as a vertical baddie is wonderful (it isn't) or that it's great to see so much of Harpo (give me strength) but this independent, though grumpy, soul thought it was a dog's breakfast of a film stitched together from mediocre musical numbers and half-hearted Marx Brother's cameos. If you take it as given that the Marx Brothers in their pomp were great (which I'm afraid these 21st century eyes don't) then this is the runt of their offerings and should be consigned to the file marked 'watch once, forget'.

Bottom line....I didn't love it and it didn't make me happy.

Bizarre - a must for film buffs.

[David-240 · 5/10 · 8 June 1999]

This film has so many weird elements that all film buffs should see it-once-it's not very good. It was the last film the Marx Brothers made together, except for "The Story of Mankind" (1957), which they were all in but appeared separately. But even in this film all three never appear together - they meet in pairs. Very strange. Mostly the film is Harpo's - and he has some inspired moments, particularly his interaction with neon signs.

There are other reasons to see this - there's Marilyn Monroe in a bit part (that gives Groucho his best moment), Raymond Burr as a heavy, Vera-Ellen dancing very well before MGM snapped her up for "On the Town", and that producer credit - Mary Pickford! This was the last film she ever produced.

A genuine curio - the laughs are few and far between. It's all a bit sad really. Rush out and see "A Night at the Opera" to cheer you up.

The Marx Brothers' Last Film: Still Good!

[GameraMothraGodzilla · 10/10 · 1 September 2004]

I always thought that if I had to pick a worst film of the Marxes, that this would be it. But, can I ever say I dislike a movie with Groucho, Harpo, and Chico (and sometimes Zeppo) in it? Hell no! Before I first saw it years ago, I never heard of it before that and was really glad that I did, and had to see it. When I finally saw it, I wasn't disappointed, considering it was their very last official film together. Most of every comedy team's last films aren't as good as they used to be, but so what! Enjoy the chance to see them one last time! Recommended to any Marx Bros. fan!

By the way, note Groucho's mustache and eyebrows in this. They're not the classic grease-paint, he was working on "You Bet Your Life" at the time, and ditched the fake ones.