Only a maniac would call a 1500 word essay the "nutshell" version of anything. So here, finally, is the Marx Brothers story in fewer than 100 words:Groucho, Harpo, Chico = funny
Zeppo = not funny
Gummo = who?
The Monkey's Top Five Marx Brothers movies:
1) Duck Soup
2) A Night At The Opera
3) Animal Crackers
4) Horse Feathers
5) A Day At The Races or Monkey Business or maybe The Cocoanuts. But definitely not Love Happy.
Now go to it.
(The Marx Brothers wallpaper is courtesy of Stephanie Willey.)
"The Monkey's Top Five Marx Brothers movies:
ReplyDelete1) Duck Soup
2) A Night At The Opera
3) Animal Crackers
4) Horse Feathers
5) A Day At The Races or Monkey Business or maybe The Cocoanuts. But definitely not Love Happy."
Ha. I watched LOVE HAPPY for the first time the other day, and was inspired, for some God awful reason, to write notes on it, equalling eighteen pages!
I'm not sure anyone should ever dedicate such time and attention to such a subpar movie...after which, I seriously had to reexamine my entire lifestyle.
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So was this your Top Five as far as how great they are, or the Top Five in reference to your personal favorites?
Oh, and "Zeppo = not funny".
ReplyDeleteAre you sure? What about in HORSE FEATHERS when he says, "Hello, Old Timer!"
That was pretty funny. ;)
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No, I will not leave you alone, Jamison. I have chosen your blog as my playground of the night. ;)
So was this your Top Five as far as how great they are, or the Top Five in reference to your personal favorites?
ReplyDeleteHmm, that's a good question, philosophically speaking. Are our objective observations ever really separate from our subjective feelings?
But I'd say the list reflects my sense of what works. There are two schools of thought about the Brothers: one, they got better as they got more comfortable in front of the camera, peaked with Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera, then faded away. A bell-shaped curve. The other though, says that all the Paramount movies (the first five) are better than all the rest because they are more subversive. In which case, they peaked with Horse Feathers and Duck Soup, then Irving Thalberg neutered them.
I fall into the third camp, which is any Marx Brothers is funnier than just about anything else. And I own them all anyway, so I never have to choose.
No, I will not leave you alone, Jamison. I have chosen your blog as my playground of the night. ;)
ReplyDeleteCome in the back way. No one will see you. If you think of it, bring some cheese.