At the Circus (1939)

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Guionista:

Irving Brecher (writer)

Release Date:

20 octubre 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Musical

Frase comercial:

NOT SUITABLE FOR GENERAL EXHIBITION (Australian one-sheet poster)

Plot:

Jeff Wilson, the owner of a small circus, owes his partner Carter $10000. Before Jeff can pay, Carter lets his accomplices steal the money...

Plot Keywords:

Circus | Law | Marx Brothers | Shyster | Stolen Money

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Too Much Music in This Nearing-The-End MB Film

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Attorney Loophole
Chico Marx	...	Antonio
Harpo Marx	...	'Punchy'
Kenny Baker	...	Jeff Wilson
Florence Rice	...	Julie Randall
Eve Arden	...	Peerless Pauline
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Dukesbury
Nat Pendleton	...	Goliath
Fritz Feld	...	Jardinet
James Burke	...	John Carter
Jerry Maren	...	Little Professor Atom (as Jerry Marenghi)
Barnett Parker	...	Whitcomb
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
Byron Foulger	...	Courtroom clerk (scenes deleted) (scenes deleted)

También conocida como:

A Day at the Circus (USA) (working title)
The Marx Brothers at the Circus (USA) (promotional title)
Tarde en el circo, Una (Spain) [es]

Duración:

87 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Clasificación:

USA:Passed | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (certificate #5436)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivialidades:

The Marx Brothers had been out of favor at MGM since the sudden 1936 death of their producer and benefactor Irving Thalberg during the production of A Day at the Races (1937). So in the middle of the production of 'At the Circus,' longtime Thalberg rival Louis B. Mayer removed songwriters Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg from the Marx Brothers film and reassigned them to the 'prestige' MGM production The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jeff first gets on the train, his badge keeps changing position on his coat.

Quotes:

J. Cheever Loophole: I bet your father spent the first year of your life throwing rocks at the stork.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bride of Killer Nerd (1992)

Soundtrack:

Swingali

Too Much Music in This Nearing-The-End MB Film

I love the Marx Brothers, but that doesn't mean all their films are gems. By the end of the 1930s, their best pictures were all behind them. Although still entertaining, they slipped a bit in quality. This is one example, except I would still rate it as "decent" (hence, the '5' rating).

One thing for sure: the comedy was a lot better than the music, although that was usually the case in most of their movies....but more so here. Even though I got my share of laughs, most the gags in this movie come in 5-10-minute "bits" and many of them go on too long. I still Chico provides the best humor among the boys. Except for "Lydia, The Tattooed Lady," the songs in here are weak and there are too many of them.

Silly, but still fun to watch, generally-speaking. I just skip through most of the songs.