Monkey Business (1931)

How fitting.

A movie that's a barrel of laughs starts with the Marx Brothers in four barrels. They're stowing away on an ocean liner. Don't let the labeling on said wooden containers fool you. It's no herring to say this is a comedy worth seeing.

Puns and wordplay aplenty are stashed in the screen play of this 1931 film from director Norman McLeod, who also directed Groucho and company in Horse Feathers. That film followed in 1932.

Groucho: "Tell me, has your grandfather's beard got any money?"

Chico: "Money? Why, it's heir to a fortune."

Second Officer: "Who are you?"

AND

Groucho: "I'm the tailor."

Second Officer: "That reminds me. Where are my pants?"

Groucho: "You've got 'em on."

AND

Groucho: "Would you mind getting up off that fly paper and give the flies a chance?"

Chico: "Oh, you're crazy. Flies can't read papers."

Just like The Cocoanuts, reviewed last week on this site, Monkey Business centres its plot on criminal shenanigans. Here, gangster Briggs (Harry Woods) wants to muscle in on the territory of fellow crime king Joe Helton (Rockcliffe Fellover). Each bad guy recruits a pair of Marx Brothers to act as their respective muscle. Good luck with that.

The singing and dance numbers that kept pulling viewers away from the comedy in The Cocoanuts is tempered this time around. There's little rug cutting, save Groucho making some moves on Briggs' dame, but Maxine Castle makes her sole film appearance singing O Sole Mio. Harpo accompanies her on harp.

The laughs slow down a bit when the Marx Brothers arrive on land, but there's still the occasional zinger to keep audiences amused.

Henchman: "Keep out of this loft."

Chico: "Well, it's better to have loft and lost than never to have loft at all."

Keep your ears tuned to the dialogue. You'll likely miss a great laugh if you're distracted.

RATING: 8/10

FUN FACTS: Director Norman McLeod's last credit was for an episode (Once Upon a Time) of The Twilight Zone in 1961.

Billy Barty (Legend, Willow) makes an uncredited appearance in Monkey Business.

Magic store owner Al Flosso is a puppeteer in his second and final film appearance.

The Cocoanuts (1929)

It's hard to go nuts for The Cocoanuts.

But give this comedy starring The Marx Brothers a crack anyways.

Groucho and his siblings spout off lots of great lines. It's hard to get all these zingers in one viewing. There's some fine physical comedy involving a pair of adjoining hotel rooms too.

What's hard to figure out, to audiences in 2013, is what's up with all the musical interludes. Is this a nod to vaudeville - a little musical entertainment to go with the feature film? Making their only big screen appearances, Gamby-Hale Ballet Girls and Allen K. Foster Girls dance for your enjoyment during several numbers including Monkey-Doodle-Doo. This, dear readers, features the oddest wardrobe I've ever seen for a big screen dance number. Even Harpo Marx has a couple of solo numbers. There's also musical entertainment from Oscar Shaw and Mary Eaton singing Irving Berlin's When My Dreams Come True.

Their characters, Bob and Polly, are wild about each other. Bob's an architect working at a hotel to earn some cash. Polly's mother, Mrs. Potter (Margaret Dumont), doesn't think much of the earnest architect who also boasts a fine singing voice. She'd rather see her daughter walk down the aisle with Yates (Cyril Ring), a cad who's planning to steal Mrs. Potter's very valuable necklace. He's in cahoots with Penelope (Kay Francis, in her film debut).

Yates and Penelope plan to make it look like Groucho, Harpo and Chico stole Potter's jewelry.

The picture quality in the DVD copy I watched varied widely. It can also be very hard to make out everything that is said. But, there's still plenty of laughs to be had. But what gives with all the music?

RATING: 7.5/10

FUN FACTS: Margaret Dumont starred in seven films with the Marx Brothers including A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera.

Co-director Robert Florey also helmed Murder in the Rue Morgue, Tarzan and the Mermaids (yes, really) and The Beast with Five Fingers.

Wow. Cyril Ring amassed an impressive 406 screen credits in his career. Internet Movie Database is a wonderful resource.

FUN LINES:

"There's a man outside, wants to see you, with a black a moustache."

Groucho: "Tell him I've got one."

Groucho to Harpo who's threatening to throw a phone: "Don't throw that. It's only for long distance."

Chico has no money to pay for his hotel room.

Groucho: "Oh, you're just an idle roomer."