smatysia I realize all about this being such early cinema, and all of its (and the Marx Brothers) vaudevillian roots. But the general senses of humor have changed since then. (and changed again, and again, for that matter) So I feel that Animal Crackers has not aged well. It can't decide if it wants to be a musical or not. Of course Chico and Harpo were talented musicians, and it was the vaudeville style to show off whatever abilities one had. Groucho's rapid-fire wisecracks are classic, with the befuddled, but good-natured Margeret Dumont as his foil. But watching yesterday, I scarcely ever cracked a smile, and felt largely bored.

mark.waltz When you've got Groucho cracking wise, Chico destroying the English language, and Harpo chasing the girls, you're not really going to care either about the plot or the stilted, boring romance between Zeppo and Lillian Roth. All you want is a ton of Groucho insulting imperious Margaret Dumont, Harpo playing the leg game and as many malapropisms from Chico as possible. The minor plot concerns the search for an original painting replaced by a fake, but is totally over-shadowed by the vaudeville style gags which influenced many fairly recent comedy film makers. You'll howl as Groucho not only crows about the elephant in his pajamas but a traveling polar bear as well. Harpo manages to steal all of Dumont's silverware and sheds it like raindrops when confronted. Chico confuses Groucho by twisting everything he says, and Dumont keeps her cool even when being insulted. While others in their series, particularly at Paramount, had better plot, this is non- stop laughter, and it is easy to see why this ranks as probably their most famous film, even if "Duck Soup" and "A Night at the Opera" are slightly better.

supernma "Tell me, what do you think of the traffic problem? What do you think of the marriage problem? What do you think of at night when you go to bed, you beast?" While not their best film (which I still insist is "A Night at the Opera"), "Animal Crackers" is still a zany, no-holds-barred slice of laugh-a-second entertainment from the never dull Marx Brothers - a quasi-musical comedy with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from the siblings, featuring some very memorable moments. Here are a few of my favorite: The scene in which Groucho stands between the two women at the bottom of the staircase and diverges and digresses from an inexplicable monologue is outstanding, and one of his shining moments. The payoff is when the group of sexy women parade down the stairs where he declares that he's been waiting for years at the bottom of the steps for such an occasion.Perhaps one of Harpo's best acts is the Bridge scene, where he and Chico sit down with two ladies for a game. His skill with props and his perfect timing has always astounded me ... he was, in my opinion, the hardest working Marx Brother. I also feel he does his best harp playing in this film.Chico's highlight was, of course, his scene on the piano. Although the film does seem to take an awkward break here just to see him play, it's nonetheless a pleasure to enjoy his skill and the obvious delight he takes in showing it off.Like all of their features, by the end of the story everyone around the brothers have been driven mad by their antics and nonsensical behavior, and you leave the film no deeper or enlightened than you were before, but simply with a big smile on your face.

st-shot The second Marx Brothers film shows the brothers Marx on a little surer footing then their early sound debut in The Cocoanuts. The brothers are sharper, the musical numbers peppier and the sound vastly improved as the anarchic quartet (read as trio) take high society and the art world to task with a fusillade of non-sequitor, malaprop and the impish pantomine of Harpo.Guest of honor Captain Spaulding (Groucho) regales guests in song and dance with tales of adventure at a Hamptons soirée. Brothers Harpo and Chico are also on the guest list and after a valuable painting disappears they become suspects. Groucho meanwhile continues to insult his hostess Mrs. Rittenhouse ( Margaret Dumont ) as well as make satiric comment about the stock market and Oneill's Strange Interlude.Grouch leads the way with two signature tunes Hooray for Captain Spaulding and Hello I Must Be Going while Chico murders the English language and tickles the ivories with his unique style. Harpo meanwhile steals silverware and cheats at bridge as well as contribute a harp solo follow-up to Lillian Roth's rendition of Why am I so Romantic. Crowning all the zaniness is the austere presence of dowager Dumont who despite being put through the wringer by the brothers never loses her dignity or sense of propriety.