Movie Reviews: More Marx Brothers Films

Here's some more reviews of Marx Brothers' movies. After they left Paramount, the boys made films at MGM for Irving Thalberg and then for other studios. See my review of the Paramount movies here.

A Night at the Opera (1935) directed by Sam Wood

Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) has attached himself to Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont), a widowed millionaire who wants to get into high society. Driftwood's plan is for her to donate to the opera. He knows Gottlieb (Sig Ruman), an opera producer who wants to hire a star to go to New York. Gottlieb has his eye on Rudolfo Lassparri (Walter King), an arrogant star who is abusive to his dresser (Harpo Marx) and romantically pursues young singer Rosa (Kitty Carlisle). Rosa actually likes the young tenor Barone (Allan Jones) who does not have enough reputation to be a star. Driftwood goes to the opera house to hire the best singer. He runs into Fiorello (Chico Marx), who is pals with Barone. Driftwood makes a contract to hire Fiorello's guy, not realizing the tenor is not Lassparri. Everyone gets on a boat for America, including stowaways Fiorello, Barone, and the dresser. Antics ensue on the boat and in New York as the young couple tries to be a success and the Marx Brothers try to stay out of jail.

This movie is a small departure for the Marx Brothers in that the plot is a lot stronger and ties in better to the routines. The contract signing scene is the classic "Sanity Clause" routine. Other famous routines are the overpacked stateroom on the boat (Groucho has a small room and too many people squeeze in) and an apartment-switching scene. Chico and Harpo get to perform musical numbers on piano and harp. The movie has some opera numbers too, giving some respect to the art while skewering the pomposity found in opera. Groucho goes through his standard wooing and mocking of Dumont that is less funny ninety years later. She handles it so well. Overall, the movie is a delightful, madcap time.

Highly recommended. This and Duck Soup are their best films.

A Day at the Races (1937) directed by Sam Wood

In Upstate New York, the Standish Sanitarium (this is the old meaning "sanitarium"--a place where sick people convalesce, not an insane asylum) is failing economically. Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan) is about to default on their debt. Even with the help of Tony (Chico Marx), she can't get enough people to come there--all the town's visitors want to go to the race track and casino nearby. Judy's boyfriend Gil (Allan Jones) is a singer at the casino, earning some money. He has sunk his life savings in a horse that he's sure will win enough to save the sanitarium. The trick is to keep the sheriff from seizing the horse because of Gil's debts (feeding and housing a horse is not cheap). Tony overhears the wealthy convalescent Mrs. Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) singing the praises of Dr. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx), a Florida doctor who got her into her hypochondriac state. Chico sends an invitation to Hackenbush, who is actually a horse doctor. Hackenbush gladly comes and hopes to cash in with the job and Mrs. Upjohn. Meanwhile, the track owner is scheming to get the sanitarium and turn it into a hotel. Chaos ensues when Hackenbush arrives and has to bluff his way through the sanitarium and the race track.

This movie ticks all the Marx Brothers boxes. It has the ridiculous romantic relationship between Groucho and Margaret Dumont, who are both on top form. It has musical performances by Chico and Harpo. It has gratuitous musical numbers, including an extended Jazz scene with an almost entirely African-American cast. It has a classic comedy routine between Groucho and Chico. It has an absurd pantomime between Chico and Harpo. The movie is delightfully madcap from beginning to end.

Highly recommended--this is a top-tier Marx Brothers film. 

Room Service (1938) directed by William A. Seiter

Groucho is Gordon Miller, a stage producer who can't get his production going due to lack of money. He and the company have been staying in his brother-in-law's hotel, racking up a huge bill. The hotel brings in a hardliner to get the books straightened out, which spells trouble for Miller and company. The comedy antics flow from there.

The movie has a fun premise but is hampered by being limited almost entirely to the hotel room sets. While it has funny moments, it's not the brothers' best work. Lucille Ball has a supporting role and does quite well against the veteran comedians. 

Mildly recommended.

At the Circus (1939) directed by Edward Buzzell

Circus manager Jeff (Kenny Baker) needs to pay off $10,000 to Carter (James Burke) to own the circus free and clear. He'll get the money with with one more day of performances, but Carter wants the circus and gets some of the performers to conk Jeff on the head and steal the money. Luckily (though whether it is good or bad luck is up for debate) Antonio (Chico) works for the circus as an assistant and hires Attorney Loophole (Groucho) to handle legal affairs. Loophole does some private investigation to figure out who stole the money with the help of Antonio and Punchy (Harpo). Jeff wants to marry horse trainer/performer Julie (Florence Rice), but needs to clear up the debt before he can get married.

The plot is the usual excuse to string together routines and musical numbers, though the individual bits are more tied to the plot than usual. Jeff and Julie have a love song, Chico has a piano solo, Harpo has a harp solo, Groucho and Chico have a routine about badges to get on the circus train, and Margaret Dumont shows up at the end as a love interest/comic foil for Groucho. All the typical elements are on display with plenty of funny moments, including Groucho singing "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady." This is not their best work but it is entertaining.

Recommended.

Go West (1940) directed by Edward Buzzell, co-written by Buster Keaton

It's 1870 and the railroad is making its way across the United States (and the territories). Young man Terry Turner (John Carroll) wants to marry Eve Wilson (Diana Lewis) but their families have been feuding since his grandpa sold some worthless land to her grandpa in a swindle. He's trying to fix the situation by convincing the railroad to buy the land for their line. Other locals are set on selling their own land or swindling the lovers out of their land. Enter the Marx Brothers, obviously on the side of the young lovers. The usual antics ensue--sight gags, absurd conversations, solos by Chico on the piano and Harpo on the harp, musical numbers, etc.

The movie has a lot more plot to it than most other Marx Brothers films. The gags are well integrated into the story and the finale is a chase on a railroad train that was clearly inspired by co-writer Buster Keaton. A lot of the comedy stunts on the train are classic Keaton fair, done quite well by the Marxes. The film does not have any really great routines but is a lot of fun.

Recommended--this is the top of their second tier films.

The Big Store (1941) directed by Charles Reisner

Groucho is Wolf J. Flywheel, a private investigator and body guard. He is hired by Martha Phelps (Margaret Dumont) because she is worried about her nephew Tommy Rogers (Tony Martin). Tommy has inherited half of Phelps Department Store (Martha has the other half) but some crooks want him out of the way. The manager has been cooking the books and wants to stop Tommy from selling his share which will reveal the irregularities. Wolf has an assistant Wacky (Harpo) who runs around with him. Ravelli (Chico) works at a conservatory teaching piano, the same conservatory where Tommy learned music and where he wants to invest the money from the sale. Tommy is also dating Joan (Virginia Grey) who works in the music department of the store. The typical antics ensue.

The Marx Brothers formula is wearing a little thin by this point. A lot of the contrivances of the plot, which normally slip by unnoticed in the comedic chaos, stick out. The set-pieces (the automated bed department and the musical numbers) look big but don't deliver the laughs like in other pictures. They have a chase on roller skates through the store that is entertaining. Otherwise, this is an unremarkable outing for the Marxes.

Mildly recommended.

A Night in Casablanca (1946) directed by Archie Mayo

In what starts as a send-up of the Humphrey Bogart classic Casablanca, Groucho is hired as the manager of a hotel that has had a string of managers die in mysterious circumstances. It turns out that Nazis want to get control of the hotel so they can get some stolen WWII treasure out of there and over to South America. The undercover Nazi Henrich Stubel (Sig Ruman) has Harpo as his incompetent valet, always messing up his clothes and other things. Chico is a camel merchant who helps out at the hotel. There's a handsome young American Pierre (Charles Drake) who also wants to recover the treasure to clear his name of wrongdoing--the Nazis forced him to fly from Paris with the stuff and he contrived to crashland in Casablanca. He's been stuck ever since and has fallen for local girl Annette (Lois Collier). 

Typical Marx Brothers antics ensue, with comic set pieces and musical interludes. The satire of Casablanca gets dropped pretty quickly once the Marx brothers start their routines. A big action set-piece ends the film, a bit of a change from their regular shtick. The film is entertaining enough but on the low end of their works.

Mildly recommended.

National Museum of the Marine Corps

The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia, is south of Washington, D.C. We stopped in on our way back from Williamsburg, though we arrived late and it was only open for an hour. To maximize our enjoyment, we decided to focus on the World War II exhibit.

National Museum of the Marine Corps

The lobby features many vehicles (mostly aircraft) used by the Marines in their recent history. The lobby leads into the galleries along the perimeter of the museum. The exhibits run through the history of the Marine Corps starting with the War for Independence in the 1770s all the way to the 2000s.

The main lobby

More of the lobby

Before visitors get to the history, displays explain the experience of young men and women who join the Marine Corps today, including some interactive experiences of boot camp, where people learn the fundamentals. 

Marine hair cut

Getting chewed out by a drill instructor (not sure you get a choice in the real experience)

Sample of an obstacle course (not interactive)

We headed over to the World War II exhibit, called "Uncommon Valor." Most of the exhibit is focused on the Pacific Theater, where Marines were the first to storm many of the islands as the United States fought its way across the ocean towards the Japanese homeland.

Entrance to WWII exhibits

States of the nations going into the war

A bit on dancing back in the day!

This machine gun nest shows a M1917A1 Browning, a .30 caliber weapon that could fire between 400 to 520 rounds per minute. The effective range was 2,500 yards, just under a mile and a half. It was used for anti-aircraft fighting as well as ground fighting.

Gun nest

The Montford Point Marines exhibit talks about the training and deployment of African Americans as Marines during World War II. The 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions were, other than the white officers, manned entirely by African Americans. Segregation was still the status quo in World War II. A separate battalion allowed the men to serve. They fought in the Pacific theater, serving on Guam, the Marshall Islands, and various atolls.

Beginning of the exhibit

On a tank

Plenty of weapons from World War II were on display.

Various personal weapons

An artillery nest?

A jeep

The Marines expanded their recruitment to include women. During World War II, they did not fight on the front line but did take on other roles, especially in the United States, freeing up other Marines to be deployed. 

Recruitment poster

This Japanese flag was captured on one of the islands and many of the soldiers from the fight signed it.

Trophy of war

The flag raised on Iwo Jima is on display, along with some information about the event. Marines used a nearby water pipe as the flag post. Originally a small flag was put up, but then with a photographer nearby, a larger flag was raised and the iconic photograph was taken.

The famous Iwo Jima Flag

Another exhibit tells the story of the Navajo Code Talkers. These Native Americans were used for communication because the Navajo language was so hard for the enemy to decode.

The Navajo Code

Once islands within bombing range of the Japanese Islands were conquered, the end of the war was only a matter of time. To avoid a costly invasion of the Japanese main land, the United States dropped two atomic bombs, one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki, to convince the Japanese to surrender.

The ending

We still had some time left and look around some more. We visited the Korean War exhibit.

Helicopter used by Marines during the Korean conflict

Other weapons

Korean city simulation

Some of the winters were bitterly cold in Korea and one room is kept very cold to let visitors experience it. Since the museum was about to close, we assumed the air conditioning had been turned off because it was not that cold inside.

Experiencing frigid temperatures

At least my son put his hands in his pockets!

A landing vehicle, LVT-3, is on display and visitors can walk up into it. The vehicle is amphibious, allowing landings at different places and in different situations.

Boarding the vehicle

Ready to come off

As we were walking out, I saw this display of various insignia used by the Corps in the 1800s.

The museum has a lot more to see, including extensive outdoor displays. Maybe we will get back at an earlier time in the day, and in cooler weather, to enjoy more of the museum.

Book Review: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

An unnamed priest is the last cleric in northern 1930s Mexico. The government has outlawed Christianity and forced priests to marry, leave, or be killed. This priest is weak and corrupt, but not weak and corrupt enough to escape or to give in. He has led a lazy, sinful life, including fathering a child, and thinks that he has no purpose other than survival. People (including himself) refer to him as a "whiskey priest." As he wanders, he runs into several other people, including a police lieutenant determined to bring him in. If the priest is caught, his execution would surely be martyrdom though the priest knows that he is not that sort of person.

The book is populated with a lot of disparate characters who are all linked through their experiences with the priest. Greene does not stint on any of his characters. They are all drawn out, sometimes in excruciating detail. They bring out a lot of different things about the priest, developing the story in an organic and convincing way. The priest's physical and spiritual odyssey is compelling. He has enough knowledge and integrity to know what he should be doing or what he could have done if he had made better choices. His slow turn in a new direction is credible (even if he does not believe in it) and inspiring for those of us who struggle with sins big and small (which is probably all of us, right?). I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Recommended.

The book is discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast #362.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg July 2025

Using our summer pass that we bought back on a previous trip, we went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg again at the end of July. The previous trip was early enough in the year that none of the water rides were open because the weather was too cold. At the end of July, it was plenty hot. Also, The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge was not completed back in April. Since it was a brand-new coaster, we went there first.

The park entrance

The Big Bad Wolf ride redux

The line was not too long and the hanging coaster was a fun trip through a Bavarian town plagued by a wolf. At one point on the route, a trap is laid in the ground. After that is an Oktoberfest picnic, so a lot of thematic decorations before getting back to the station. My daughter and I enjoyed it a lot. My wife had to hold bags and my youngest was not comfortable enough to ride.

The front of the coaster

Side view

Another ride that wasn't open last time was Verbolten. The coaster's theme is a car ride through a forest. This is a more traditional sit-down coaster with one or two surprises along the way. It was a lot of fun but more than my wife was happy with.

Verbolten decor

To calm things down we rode the Wirblewind, a swing ride.

Ready to ride

Is there one of these in every theme park?

Fancy sign

Last time, we were unable to ride Apollo's Chariot because of high winds. This time, the weather was calm enough to let us fly up to the sun. The ride is pretty intense but not the most intense in the park.

Apollo's Chariot

Nearby is the Battering Ram, another ride we didn't try last time. It's the classic back-and-forth boat swing. One dad had a gleefully cackling seven-year old on one side and a huddling, frightened three-year old on the other. I was much more like the seven-year old.

Battering ram

We tried to ride our first water ride, Escape from Pompeii, but it shut down just as we got to the front. To get a little wet (and cool off), we went to Roman Rapids instead, which was just opening (some rides had signs saying "Opening at 1100"). Roman Rapids is a large, circular-boat ride with a lot of bumpiness and a leaky aqueduct. 

We saw the big splash but didn't experience it

Least exciting part of the Roman Rapids ride

To dry off, we rode Pantheon twice since the line was so short--well, my daughter and I. Mom and our youngest rode something else. The Pantheon describes itself as challenging five gods and is a very intense and delightful rollercoaster.

Why does the track just end in the middle of the sky?

Dramatic entrance

Another ride closed back in April is Alpengeist, which I assumed had some ghosts on it. No, it's just a ski-themed race through an Alps-like terrain.

Going for Alpengeist

A favorite from last time, Darkoaster, was closed for repairs.

A fun, indoor roller coaster

It was close to lunchtime, so we met up at the Festhaus in the German neighborhood, though we ate the bread and cheese we had brought into the park. The cold water was the best thing ever! We had a bottle that we kept refilling. In here, we refilled it four times! We did not time our visit right because there was no show on the stage.

Festhaus

In order not to lose our lunches, we took a mild ride on the Aeronaut Skyride, a way to travel across the park. 

We were too many for one carrier

As we walked around, we saw the wolves were out in their pen. 

Brothers in captivity

Toward the end of the day, I finally rode a ride that I rode last time, the Griffon. I only rode it because my daughter wanted to. That first drop from the top, where riders hang over the concrete below, made some extra grey hairs on my head (again).

"Experience the power and speed of the legendary Griffon!"

We decided to go out of the park for dinner and to check into the hotel. We took the Skyride though it didn't really get us closer to the exit (also, it was my second repeat ride).

One last ride across the park

We checked in at the hotel, swam in the pool, and went to dinner. The plan was to go back to the park for more rides and fireworks but storm clouds were brewing. My wife and youngest were tired too, so they opted to stay at the hotel. That left my daughter and I to return to the park for more fun. We wanted to ride the Loch Ness Monster first. On the way, we saw a Clydesdale on display. It was a photo op but we opted out.

Take my picture!

The Loch Ness Monster

Equipment from a previous attempt to find Nessie

It was a fun ride, then we headed back to the Italian section where we finally rode the Pompeii ride. It has a lot of cool thematics at the top with a trip through Pompeii as the volcano is raining down fire. We didn't get too wet on the big drop.

We headed over to The Trade Wind to dry off a bit.

Not so enthusiastic about the winds

We rode Verbolten again in the Germany neighborhood. I was surprised to see a sign for an authentic beer company. Maybe they've been bought by Anheuser-Busch?

German monk beer!

We rode The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge again at night, which was less impressive since they did not have enough lights on the ground decorations. It was still fun.

Worst time to run into a wolf

The promised rain storm started as we walked over to Invadr, a wooden rollercoaster that is an intense, fun experience. On the way, we saw a light shining on the Darkoaster castle.

Hard to see the castle in the dark without more lights

Invadr entrance

Invadr is a fun ride but it was more perilous because of the rain. Since it moved so fast, the rain drops felt like needles jabbing at out faces (and we had to take off our glasses for the ride, so no protection there). 

We went to the bridge between Germany and Italy to watch the fireworks, a popular spot that already had a bunch of people. As time approached and the rain didn't stop (though a lot of rides had been stopped), they announced a delay in the fireworks. We decided to head for the car, figuring the fireworks would not happen. Halfway to the lot, we heard the fireworks going off. We could sort of see them through the trees. By the time we got to the car we had a better view, though it was still raining.

Only decent pic of the eight I took

The park was fun to visit again though I don't think we will go back for the rest of the season.