87% (2)  Duck Soup  68 min,  Not Rated,  [Comedy, Musical, War]  [Leo McCarey]  [17 Nov 1933]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 80%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 94%,   External Reviews
Awards:  2 wins & 2 nominations.
Actors:  Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx Brothers
Writer:  Bert Kalmar (story), Harry Ruby (story), Arthur Sheekman (additional dialogue), Nat Perrin (additional dialogue)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  The country of Freedonia is in the middle of a financial crisis and on the brink of revolution. In order to gain a bail-out from the wealthy Mrs Teasdale, the government appoints Rufus T Firefly as its president. However, Mr Firefly shuns the pomp and pretentiousness of government; along with the prudence and rationality of it too. Meanwhile, the neighbouring country of Sylvania is plotting to overthrow Freedonia and sends Pinky and Chicolini to spy on Firefly. War seems inevitable.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Arguably the Marx Brothers' funniest film, this comedy masterpiece contains several famous scenes, including the hilarious mirror sequence. A wealthy widow offers financial aid to the bankrupt country of Freedonia on condition that Rufus T. Firefly be made leader. But his chaotic, inept regime bumbles into war with neighboring Sylvania.
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86% (2)  Horse Feathers  68 min,  Not Rated,  [Comedy, Musical, Romance, Sport]  [Norman Z. McLeod]  [19 Aug 1932]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 77%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 96%,   External Reviews
Awards:  2 nominations.
Actors:  Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx Brothers
Writer:  Bert Kalmar (by), Harry Ruby (by), S.J. Perelman (by), Will B. Johnstone (by)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff has just been installed as the new president of Huxley College. His cavalier attitude toward education is not reserved for his son Frank, who is seeing the college widow, Connie Bailey. Frank influences Wagstaff to recruit two football players who hang out in a speakeasy, in order to beat rival school Darwin. Unfortunately, Wagstaff mistakenly hires the misfits Baravelli and Pinky. Finding out that Darwin has beaten him to the "real" players, Wagstaff enlists Baravelli and Pinky to kidnap them, which leads to an anarchic football finale.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Horse Feathers is a classic Marx Brothers comedy, featuring all four of the original members of the comedy team. Groucho is the corrupt, scheming president of Huxley College, who plans to make the school's football team into winners by hiring Chico and Harpo to play on the team during the big game against Darwin U.
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86% (2)  Animal Crackers  97 min,  G,  [Comedy, Musical]  [Victor Heerman]  [06 Sep 1930]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 76%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 96%,   External Reviews
Awards:  2 nominations.
Actors:  Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx Brothers
Writer:  George S. Kaufman (based on the musical play by), Morrie Ryskind (based on the musical play by), Bert Kalmar (based on the musical play by), Harry Ruby (based on the musical play by), Morrie Ryskind (screen play), Pierre Collings (continuity)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  Captain Spaulding, the noted explorer, returns from Africa and attends a gala party held by Mrs. Rittenhouse. A painting displayed at that party is stolen, and the Marxes help recover it. Well, maybe 'help' isn't quite the word I was looking for--this is the Marx Brothers, after all...
Rotten Tomatoes:   Animal Crackers, like The Cocoanuts before is an all-but-literal translation to film of a smash-hit Marx Brothers Broadway musical. The aristocratic Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont) holds a weekend party at her Long Island Estate. Her guest of honor is famed (but likely fraudulent) African explorer Geoffrey T. Spaulding (Groucho Marx). Also showing up are renegade musician Signor Emmanuel Ravelli (Chico Marx), the mute, girl-chasing "Professor" (Harpo Marx) and Spaulding's faithful secretary Horatio Jamison (Zeppo Marx). The film, revolving around a stolen painting, finds Groucho lecturing on his most recent safari ("One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know"), Harpo and Chico unabashedly cheating at bridge, Groucho dictating a wildly nonsequitur letter to the firm of Hungerdunger, Hungerdunger, Hungerdunger and McCormick, and Groucho and Chico drawing up plans to build a house.
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85% (2)  Monkey Business  77 min,  Not Rated,  [Comedy, Musical]  [Norman Z. McLeod]  [19 Sep 1931]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 76%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 94%,   External Reviews
Awards:  2 nominations.
Actors:  Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx Brothers
Writer:  S.J. Perelman (by), Will B. Johnstone (by), Arthur Sheekman (additional dialogue)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  While stowing away on a ship to America, the boys get involuntarily pressed into service as toughs for a pair of feuding gangsters while trying desparately to evade the ship's crew. After arriving stateside, one of the gangsters kidnaps the other's daughter - and it's up to our unlikely heroes to save the day.
Rotten Tomatoes:   The first Marx Brothers picture written specifically for film, this outing finds the boys as stowaways on a cruise ship.
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83% (2)  The Cocoanuts  96 min,  Not Rated,  [Comedy, Musical]  [Robert Florey, Joseph Santley]  [03 Aug 1929]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 72%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 95%,   External Reviews
Awards:  2 nominations.
Actors:  Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, The Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx
Writer:  George S. Kaufman (book), Morrie Ryskind (adapted by)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  Mr. Hammer runs a bankrupt Florida hotel. He'll try anything to make money, even make love to rich Mrs. Potter. But his main scheme, selling real estate, is in danger of sabotage from zanies Chico and Harpo, who also reduce the schemes of a pair of jewel thieves to chaos. A subplot involves the star-crossed love of Polly Potter and architect Bob Adams.
Rotten Tomatoes:   A fast-talking Miami hotel manager tries to stay in business during the Florida land rush. Transferring their hit stage show directly to the screen, the Marx Brothers' first feature film is technically crude and utterly hilarious, with a script by George S. Kaufman and music by Irving Berlin.
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