There will probably never be four brothers as funny as the Marx Brothers.
And they were never funnier than in the classic "Animal Crackers."
Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo go wild in this musical comedy which puts the four smack dab in the middle of another rich society event.
This time Groucho is Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding, a returning explorer from Africa. He has been invited to a party by Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont). His assistant - and constant straight man - is Zeppo. Meanwhile, Harpo and Chico have been hired as the musicians for the party. The two quickly become unwanted party guests, especially when Harpo begins chasing women.
The party goes haywire when a priceless painting is stolen, with Harpo and Chico mixed up in the theft. The plot is corny and seems to be for no other reason than to see this fab four run around amongst the rich, but that doesn't matter.
The writing credits for this masterpiece go to George S. Kaufman. Kaufman penned many of the Marx Brothers' memorable films and instinctively knew how to develop a comedy that would be a smash hit for these four.
Their use of the English language created many of the jokes. Puns, odd references and innuendo abound in the film. Kaufman was the original writer of the play. His version was adapted into this Marx Brother vehicle, much like the previous film "The Cocoanuts." He later wrote the script "A Night at the Opera" to be used on the screen.
Groucho's wit and delivery cuts people down faster than anyone who has come after him. Lines, such as "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, which doesn't say much for you," shoot from his mouth with masterful sarcasm.
And who else takes insults with the amount of grace as Dumont. While she probably would hate the fact that she is best known as the straight woman in seven Marx Brothers' movies, she was perfect as the rich society woman. It's been said that she didn't understand their jokes, which is probably why she was so good as the butt of many Groucho's quips.
But you can't mention one Marx brother without talking about the other three. When Harpo and Chico play cards with Mrs. Rittenhouse, it's pure genius.
Then there is Zeppo, not as forgotten as Gummo, but still not remembered as highly. It's said that during their stage days, Zeppo understudied his brothers and was even better at being Groucho than Groucho was. Still, Zeppo is one of the least recognized, but greatest, straight men.
Even if you find the lulls where Harpo plays the harp boring, "Animal Crackers" is worth the hour and a half it takes to watch it. This is one movie that proves these brothers really were "the maddest comics of them all."
