1h 27min | Comedy, Musical | 20 October 1939
Director: Edward Buzzell
Stars: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Kenny Baker, Eve Arden, Margaret Dumont, Nat Pendleton.
Bobby Connolly ... dance director
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031060/
Kenny Baker makes a good singing juvenile lead for the MB, better than his performance in The Goldwyn Follies ('38).
Nat Pendleton, Sandow in The Great Ziegfeld ('36), plays the circus strongman Goliath here, and is even more muscular here in his performing state of undress.
Highlights:
- Groucho singing Lydia the Tattooed Lady in the club car of the train,
- Groucho trying to find money on Eve Arden (wrestling while seated, walking on a ceiling with suction cup shoes),
- Swingali number, immediately transitions to:
- Harpo playing Blue Moon on harp with a (mostly uncredited) black audience
- Jardinet (Fritz Feld, you know his face) conducting his orchestra on a floating bandstand that's been cut loose from its mooring; I was hoping they were playing The Flying Dutchman, but Soundtracks says it was Lohengrin.
- Margaret Dumont!
- 2 claustrophobic scenes in train cars of a midget (with very low ceiling) and Goliath (with lots of feathers)
Yes, Chico also plays piano. His negotiation with Groucho is about a badge to enter the circus train, and Groucho gets so wet I pity him as an actor, not just his character.
This is a good solid outing for the trio.
MGM, dir. Buzzell; 7
