Cheap At the Circus (Video) (Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx) (Edward Buzzell) Price
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| ACTORS: | Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx |
| CATEGORY: | Video |
| DIRECTOR: | Edward Buzzell |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 20 October, 1939 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Turner Home Video |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Black & White, NTSC |
| TYPE: | Feature Film-comedy |
| MEDIA: | VHS Tape |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 027616012135 |
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Customer Reviews of At the Circus
MEDIOCRE MARX AT THE CIRCUS was the ninth Marx Brothers movie and it's not one of their best. Harpo, as usual, says nothing, whistles, plays the harp. Chico, as usual, acts stupid plays the piano, and Groucho, at various times a professor, doctor and an opera impresario, is now a crackpot lawyer named J. Cheever Loophole, and as usual he is in hot pursuit of money. There is the usual maniacal destruction, the usual puns and gags. But this time, their antics manke only fair-to-middling entertainment. Perhaps the three maddest comedians on the U.S. screen needed to abandon operettas, races and circuses and develop a completely fresh pattern. The funniest part of this frolick is in two eary sequences. To secure legal help for his circus-owner boss, Chico sends for Groucho, then refuses to admit him to the circus train because he has no badge. Finally relenting, Chico gives Groucho a badge, then bars him because "that's last year's badge". Also up to old Marx standards is the scene where Groucho, in pursuit of stolen money, invade the tent of Peerless Pauline (a young Eve Arden) the upside down woman who walks on the ceiling. Her other specialty is concealing the $10,000 in which a gang of crooks have stolen from the circus owner. "The thing I like about you" quips Groucho while Arden stows the wallet into her brassiere, "is that money doesn't go to your head". When Arden invites him up on the ceiling, he retorts "No thanks. I'll sit this one out". The same could be said of those of you expecting a first-rate effort from the brothers Marx - (however - ROOM SERVICE - a lark from the year before this was made (1938) is even worse. Even the casting of Lucille Ball and Ann Miller didn't bring it up to snuff!
"Here is Captain Spaulding, exploring the Amazon."
AT THE CIRCUS is an improvement upon their previous movie (the regrettable ROOM SERVICE) but still a step below the heights they had previously enjoyed at Paramount and MGM. The biggest factor dragging this film down is the annoying and obtrusive romantic subplot. Yes, I know that many Marx Brothers' films suffered from this, but it's particularly annoying here. After having watched this, I'll never complain about the romance in A NIGHT AT THE OPERA again.
While the non-Marx sequences drag and drive me crazy, the Brothers themselves have some fairly decent material to work from here. The sequence with them in the too-small room trying to trick a circus midget into handing over some evidence recalls some of their earlier strong comedic set pieces. Chico and Harpo also raise some laughs when they try to search a strongman's room without waking him up.
On the other hand, I felt that Groucho was a bit shortchanged. His one-liners weren't quite as funny and sharp as some of the material from other films, though he makes the best of it. Oh, and what was up with his hair? Was he wearing a wig or something? Whatever was going on with those follicles, I found it distracting.
The movie brightens considerably once standard foil Margaret Dumont appears a little past the halfway point. What slightly shocked me at first was that her character initially doesn't know who Groucho is, which, although I hadn't realized it until that moment, is very unusual. Still, her charming outrage is always welcome, and I think I noticed that Groucho himself seemed to get a little more lively and funny once she showed up.
I can't say that AT THE CIRCUS is a particularly great film, but it certainly has its moments, and it isn't a waste of time. Even substandard Marx Brothers is usually worth it. And any movie that fires Margaret Dumont out of a canon can't be all bad. But please don't judge the Brothers on just this film. If you're only going to watch one Marx Brothers film, don't make it this one.
Funny,very funny
The title basiclly describes the whole movie. It`s not Duck Soup, or A Day At The Races, but it`s funny anyway. I enjoyed watching this movie very much, mostly for it`s musical numbers, and for it`s once in a while hilarious momensts.