Horse Feathers

It's college time for the Marx Brothers in "Horsefeathers," a 1932 film from Paramount.

Groucho plays Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new president of Huxley College. Frank, his son, is seeing the college widow (Thelma Todd). Frank encourages his dad to recruit two football players who are often seen in a nearby speakeasy. It's the only way to beat the rival school, Darwin.

Wagstaff hires the wrong guys -- Harpo and Chico, Pinky and Baravelli, while Darwin recruits the real ones. Wagstaff orders the actual players kidnapped by the fakes.

The film satirizes many aspects of college life, and there are some good off-campus scenes as well, most memorably the 'swordfish' scene in the speakeasy. The film is filled with the usual Marx Brothers confusion, with the swordfish password scene being the most typical, and the finale, a crazy football game that has Harpo sitting on the ball at one point.

Groucho delivers one of his best songs here, "Whatever it Is, I'm Against It," and also the hit song, "Everybody Says I Love You," is from this film.

The one-liners are fast and furious. "Where will the students sleep?" "Where they usually sleep - in class." "What are you doing with that cigar in your mouth?" "Why? Do you know another way to smoke it?" The brothers used several bits from one of their vaudeville shows for the movie.

Thelma Todd, the actress who died at the age of 29 under mysterious circumstances, is gorgeous, with huge, sparkling eyes, a radiant smile, and a real flair for comedy. She plays well with the brothers and appeared in another film of theirs as well, the earlier "Monkey Business."

Wonderful comedy - I'll always love A Night at the Opera the best, but as usual, the Marx Brothers really shine and are good for what ails you.