Customer Reviews

A Day at the Races

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I decided to watch this film again after an absence of probably 30 years when I learned that Dorothy Dandridge had a small part and I wanted to see if I could find her in the crowd. I'm not sure if I identified her or not but unexpectedly, I was absolutely blown away by the cameo of Ivy Anderson in "All God's Chillun Got Rythym". Her timing and delivery couldn't have been better and I strongly disagree with those who find the number too long and offensively stereotypical. I speak as one whose musical tastes are probably 80% classical and I do not often find much in popular music that I am enthusiastic about. Of course, the style and mannerisms of the black actors are dated and even stereotypical in the dance number that follows. But it has energy and enthusiasm and the paticipants at least seem to be having fun. The Marx brothers are not afraid to even poke fun at race issues by smearing grease on their face. In fact there are other ethnic stereotypes in the movie such as Chico's Italian persona and the German doctor that no one seems to object to because it is all in good fun and not malicious. In fact, the black race track workers are depicted sympathetically while the villains are greedy and underhanded whites trying to fix the race and steal the sanitarium. They lose and the race track workers stage a triumphal march at the end. I think for 1937 this is actually a pretty progressive film in terms of how black people were portrayed. I think that white audiences in 1937 had a mind set which limited how sympathically black people could be portrayed and humorous situations were a general rule.

As for the rest of the movie there are some excellent and funny scenes that many have discussed before and I agree that some of the musical numbers with Alan Jones are too long and no longer that musically interesting. But there are lots of funny scenes and as usual, the brothers point their slings and arrows at the pompous and pretentious and malicious. That's why we can still appreciate them. And for those who find the "God's Chillun" number problematic, you're too politically correct. We have gone way beyond the 1930's image. Regretably, current stereotypes while sometimes striving for realism may lose empathy.

"A Day At the Races", the Marx Bros. seventh film, released in 1937, is their last real great film in the sense of its overall humor and comic genous.

Groucho plays a horse doctor, Dr. Hackenbush, who is more interested on betting on horses than treating them.

The plot revolves around a sanatorium which is loosing money. Run by Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan), she is offered five thousand dollars to sell it to a shady character, Morgan (Douglas Dumbrille). He wants the sanitorium for his race track. However, the sanitorium's leading patient, Mrs. UpJohn (Margaret Dumont) comes to the aid of Judy Standish when she offers finicial support - but only if she hires Dr. Hackenbush. Of course nobody knows he is just a horse doctor.

Harpo plays a jockey. Chico (Tony) plays the sanitarium's loyal employee. When he overhears the conversation about Hackensbush, he quickly wires him to come. He also sells ice cream and racing tips on the side. In a later scene, one of the film's highlights, he sells Groucho a library's worth of books which are intended to have the name of the horse and jockey in a particular race.

As is many Marx Bros. films, there is a love interest. This one involves Allan Jones (Gil Stewart) and Judy Standish. He spends his life's savings on a horse, Highhat, in the hopes it will win a race and enough money to bail the sanatorium out of its near bankruptcy.

Over-all, this is a fast paced comedy, expect for the songs which really have no place in the film, and seem to go on forever. However, they may be fast forwarded through.

The film's highlights include a roarous scene with the Marx Bros. and a seductress, Flo Marlowe (Esther Muir). Morgan uses her to seduce Groucho, and have Dumont come in on the act, knowing she would quickly dispense of his services, and the sanatoruim would be his. However, Hapro and Chico, through a series of hilarious events, foil the plan.

Another highlight comes when Sig Ruman, playing Dr. Leopold Steinburg, comes to examine Dumont and prove there is nothing really the matter with her. The Marx Bros. have another of their field days.

The climax comes when Highhat is entered in a race, and Morgan tries everything he can to keep him out of it. The Marx Bros. see to it that Highhat remains in the race, at any cost.

"A Day At the Races" contains enough comic humor and classic Marx Bros. material to be considered a great film, and still stands the test of time as a Marx Bros. classic.

Although A Night At The Opera is the more widely celebrated, I personally find A Day At The Races the better of the two films. The plot is stronger, the romantic subplot is well integrated into the film and not intrusive, and the few musical numbers are entertaining if rather spurious.

Much the success of Marx Brothers' brand of comedy arises from their dissonance when placed in a "high society" setting peopled with formally behaved characters. This is particularly true of A Day At The Races, in which horse-doctor Groucho impersonates a society doctor to treat the formidable Margaret Dumont. Dumont's work, too often overlooked in the wake of Marx Brothers lunacy, is nothing short of brilliant in this film, and provides the perfect foil for the hysteria created by Groucho, Harpo, and Chico. The supporting cast is equally fine.

The film includes two of the funniest bits of work the Marx Brothers ever put on celluloid: the call from Florida scene, in which Groucho runs riot with the switchboard, and the examination scene, in which the brothers take a diagnoistic gander at Dumont, who is "afflicted with nothing in its most violent form."

An equal to the Marx Brothers earlier work at Paramount, A Day at the Races is pure subversive hilarity, as funny today as when it first hit the screen some seventy years ago.

This is definitely my favorite Marx Bros. film; one of the funniest I've seen! Their unique, timeless humor is eminent throughout the entire movie. When the sanitarium is in danger of going bankrupt, Dr. Hackenfuss is called in to save it. After that, it's literally just one hilarious scene after another: Groucho being gulled into buying books on what horse to bet on; Harpo getting a check-up; Groucho's infamous snappy comebacks to everything, etc. It also has some lovely song and dance numbers. This is an undoubtedly wonderful film!

I see a lot of people (not necessarily here, but in other Marx Brothers forums) get down on this movie, but I am inclined to disagree. I believe it's right up there with the Brothers' best, including Duck Soup and Night. "Hack-in-a-bush" is Groucho's self-proclaimed favorite role, and he is more natural in his acting here than I've ever seen. Harpo is hysterical as always and Margaret Dumont is brilliant... but I think the real stand-out in this one is Chico. I have never seen him having more fun. His acting is precise and true, his piano scene blows every other one out of the water and his grin is so adorable you can't help but grin back. Honestly, until I saw this Harpo was far and away my favorite, but after Day at the Races Chico is a very close contender. :)

Don't not get this one because you hear it's inferior! Yes, there are some forgettable scenes, but nobody's perfect, people. I think just the chance to see big-eyed Harpo innocently tooting away on his flute in a mass of jolly black workers yelling "WHO'S THAT MAN?" is worth the money.

One of the funniest films made by the Marx Brothers after the departure of the fourth brother, Zeppo. The scene with Chico and Groucho at the windows where Chico sells Groucho all those books is considered one of the best (if not the best) skits ever done in their films. Also, two of the best musical performances by Chico and Harpo are included here. Although their films were made years ago, their brand of slapstick comedy has always remained entertaining with each passing generation.

This is great.You wont find many better.There are so many funny scenes I cant tell you.Chico has an excellent piano scene.It is Hillarious.You wont be disappointed. This is nothing but fun,fun,fun!

I've laughed as much at scenes in this movie as I have at any Marx Bros. movie. There are really a lot of classic scenes in here. Whether it's Groucho faking the phone call or Grocuho examining Harpo or all three of them examining Margartet Dumont you just cannot go wrong. Also how can anyone not love the scene when Groucho is trying to seduce that woman in his room and Harpo and Chico are trying to stop him. Everytime I see Harpo in that Sherlock Holmes type outfit with those dogs I get a big smile on my face. So the comedy is no problem in this film. There's plenty of it to go around. I guess the only real problem are some of the musical numbers. But they can be easily forwarded through if need be. I personally would have liked them not to be in there but that was the way movies were at that time. It was the depression and studios tried to put lots of big, lavish production numbers in to distract people from their economic situation. The trouble was that they just were not needed in a Marx Bros. movie. Their comedy was more than enought to distract anyone from anything. So despite those songs I still cannot bring myself to give this anything other than five stars.

A DAY AT THE RACES is the second of the Marx/Wood/Thalberg collaborations (Marx Brothers, director Sam Wood and producer Irving Thalberg) movies made at MGM, the first the delightful A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. Irving Thalberg (called "the boy genius" about a hundred times in the DVD extras) died partway through production, bringing this successful combination to an unhappy end. Critical opinion will have you believe that NIGHT is the stronger of the two, but I've always preferred DAY. I'm absolutely tickled to have it now on a fantastic DVD.

First, I think the jokes are just a little sharper and sillier here than in NIGHT (not that they were poor there by any means). Also, the romantic subplot was handled a little better here. It helps, I think, that Allan "Imitation Zeppo" Jones has better chemistry with Maureen O'Sullivan than he did with Kitty Carlisle. The stricter structure that Thalberg imposed on the films is improved. I have an entertaining time cheering on the Brothers' attempting to win a horserace to save a young heroine's sanitarium.

But, of course, the real fun from a Marx Brothers film comes from the one-liners and comedic set pieces that abound, and the gags here rival their best material. As you'll hear loads of times if you peruse the DVD extras, Irving Thalberg encouraged the Brothers to take their material on the road for testing in front of an audience before filming it. Hence, the timing, the punch lines and the individual words themselves are all finely honed. It's this attention to detail that makes them work. You could easily imagine the "Tootsie Frootsie" sequence dragging and dying if the lines hadn't been performed perfectly.

The bad guys in this one are a lot of fun too, and go a long way towards making this such a success. Sig Ruman is welcomed back after OPERA, and it's great to see him eye-popping in shock whenever insulted by Groucho. By the end of his segment, his voice has risen so high in outrage that he sounds like Dr. Strangelove. Similarly, the fake telephone call from Florida wouldn't be as funny as it is without Leonard Ceeley's wonderful over the top frustration.

As a modern movie viewer, I couldn't help but be amused by a scene, which, if DAY had come later, would have been seen as a parody of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. In one of that science fiction epic's more famous sequences, Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube" plays majestically in the background as a space station slowly spins in orbit, ready to engage in docking procedures. Here, the same piece of classical music plays while we see Groucho Marx in a dressing grown, slowly spinning and dancing in front of a mirror, as he eagerly awaits engaging in docking procedures with the beautiful Esther Muir. Well, I was amused anyway.

One more thing I should mention about the film: the song and dance sequence in the poor, black community. Now, compared to other films of that time, this is almost progressive in its attitude towards race (which, admittedly, isn't saying much). But there is one thing that makes me a little uncomfortable. In context, it almost appears to be saying that, yes, the blacks are poor, and yes, they're outcasts from white society, but, well, they've got their singing and dancing, and, gosh, aren't they happy, and doesn't that make it all okay? I can't help but think that's the subtle message, though perhaps it's just me. Still, I shouldn't complain too much, because it is by far the best singing and dancing in the entire film (though I'll grudgingly admit the ballerina was also quite skilled). Imagine, people actually having fun with song and dance! It's certainly a change from the stoic, restrained and boring performances elsewhere.

The DVD comes with several extras, so you really get your money's worth, even if you aren't quite thrilled with all of the offerings. The documentary is based upon the same structure as on the DVD of A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, which means there's valuable trivia and knowledge from the lips of all manner of comedians, co-stars, and writers, and also Dom DeLuise talking about food. I'll bet I'm not the only one surprised and delighted that both the female romantic leads from NIGHT and DAY are still alive and sharp enough to recall details from almost seventy years ago.

The commentary track is relatively good when fan Glenn Mitchell is actually speaking, but there's an unfortunate amount of dead air. At least he's honest though; he recommends viewers take advantage of the chapter-forward button to skip through the interminable ballet sequence since he's decided it's not any good and he has nothing to say until the next scene. Some of the trivia he imparts is interesting, but he has an unfortunate habit of pointing out continuity errors and things that most the audience won't care about. Still, he said some stuff I didn't know (the song "A Message From The Man In The Moon" that Groucho sings a snatch of at the closing was intended to be the movie's big song, but was cut), which is always appreciated.

You can skip over the rest of the DVD extras. Robert Benchley had an Oscar winning short on the NIGHT release, but A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES is rather predictable and dull. Also included are three vintage cartoons, which are quite clearly from a different age. And they're welcome to them.

I'm not sure whether I'd place this film or DUCK SOUP as my all-time favorite Marx Brothers flick. But honestly, who cares which one is the best? This film is available separately or as part of the recent "Marx Brothers Collection" DVD box set. If you're going to buy only one of those films (and why not just buy the set?), then I'd recommend this one above all.

Groucho, Harpo and Chico try their best to cheat on the horses but with limited success. Maureen O'Sullivan, one of the most beautiful and underrated of the MGM stars, gives a lively performance here as Judy Standish. She's appealing, strong-willed, yet with a vulnerable streak that found its ultimate expression in the waifishness of her daughter Mia Farrow. O'Sullivan's blonde beauty seems designed to play off both Allan Jones' clean-cut all American appeal, but also the garish, sexually charged performance of Groucho as Dr. Hackenbush. Was there ever a more suggestive actor in the movies? In the 30s, there was Clark Gable, and there was Groucho for when you wanted to get serious about the body. When a guy taunts him, "Are you a man or a mouse?" Groucho doesn't turn a hair, just snaps out, "Throw a piece of cheese on the floor and you'll find out," exactly the kind of repartee you'd get on a good day at Craig's List.

His grimaces, astonished glances, the quick swivel and point of his chin when challenged (or aroused), his bristling hair and beetle-like spectacles, here combine with the stethoscope of his "medical fantasy" to produce a vision of the id gone wild.

They don't call it a day at "the races" for nothing, for few MGM films had as many black actors working alongside the white ones. True racial harmony. The magical moment here is the only appearance (as far as I know) in a full length film of the incandescent Ellington singer Ivie Anderson, singing "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm." I know, what a title! But it is one of the most dazzling musical numbers ever captured on film. Ivie Anderson (here billed as "Ivy," but it seems she was one who honestly didn't care that much who spelled her name wrong or right) had one of the world's great voices, and she's given her due in this Sam Wood-directed number. Alone it would be worth buying just for this track. (There's also an Ellington short with Anderson singing Arlen's "Stormy Weather," but this is miles better.)