Customer Reviews

Room Service/At the Circus

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

 

 

The Marx Brothers are a comedy taste..part wit/part slapstick. Sometime when you want wit, you get slap stick...sometimes it works and others it fails. In these two features there is an surity in both films

The highlight of Circus is Groucho singing Lydia the Tattoed Lady, one of his classics songs (He saings like George Burns-but it works). After that it seem the normal slapstick treads that have been played before by the Brothers Marx, Chico's Italian wears thin and Harpo is give very little to do. The weight falls to the Grouch man who holds the film lame plot together


Writer Morrie Rysind gave the Marxs free reign in his script for room Service and its works. However it seemed too rehearsed for the comedy to flow. The comedy is overrated, but works. The room service steals scenes which played well in A Night at the Opera. The film service also stars a young Lucille Ball (pre I Love Lucy days)and Ann Miller (pre MGM dance Musicals), watch them in this 1938 classic and see what they became.

In this Marx Double feature, you get both the best (Room Service) and the one of the Worst (At the Circus..the worst in my opinion was Go West).These were not the Duck Soup/Horse Feathers/Day at the Races Marxes, they seem too rehearsed and not as funny Well the movies are part of their mythos, so they are worth an airing

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

This DVD offers us two of The Marx Brothers films entitled Room Service and At The Circus. These are not their best movies because L. B. Mayer, chief of MGM, simply didn't like them. The brothers got lesser quality scripts as a result. Sigh.

Room Service features The Marx Brothers and Lucille Ball in the only film The Marx Brothers made at R-K-O. The plot moves slower than the typical Marx Brothers plot and the classic Marx Brothers one liners aren't there often; but Room Service was based on a play not written for The Marx Brothers. Unfortunately, Room Service winds up being good but nothing special.

The action begins when Gordon Miller (Groucho Marx) is very deep into debt at New York City's Hotel White Way as he struggles to keep himself, the producer of a play, and the cast in a hotel until they can find a backer for the show. Gordon's buddies Harry Binelli (Chico Marx) and Faker Englund (Harpo Marx) try unsuccessfully to help Gordon. When the author of the play, Leo Davis (Frank Albertson), comes to New York to stay with Gordon and the cast it means there's now another person Gordon must harbor. Christine Marlowe (Lucille Ball) plays a cast member of the show who also tries to get the show on the stage.

Unfortunately, their luck is running out. Hotel manager Gregory Wagner (Donald MacBride) is furious that Gordon and his cast have run up a $1,200 bill (a lot in those days) and they can't pay. Wagner is even more enraged when he finds out that Gordon, his buddies and the cast have been allowed to run up a high bill because Gordon's brother-in-law, Joseph Gribble (Cliff Dunstan), runs the hotel.

Just when a wealthy backer finally comes through, things get even more out of control. Expects to see some high jinks and silly scenarios as Gordon, his buddies and the cast all stall for time so that they can put on the show and finally get their profitable hit.

Can they stall the hotel's top management to make the show go on so they can have a hit? What happens when Gordon gets the idea that the playwright must pretend to be ill to stall for time? Do doctors arrive to examine the "patient?" No spoilers here, folks!

Room Service is a must for true Marx Brothers fans; but I can't tell you it's their best movie ever. It's OK; but it's not great. The actors work very hard with the script they were given although the film never quite takes off to make Room Service a true classic.

At The Circus also isn't rated as one of the better Marx Brothers comedies; but I liked it very much. OK, so there's not enough joking around between Groucho Marx and Margaret DuMont; but there are great moments in the script and the plot moves along nicely. The acting is convincing and although the musical numbers could have been cut down they do add something when Chico plays the piano, for example.

The action begins when Jeff Wilson (Kenny Baker) forgets about his wealthy aunt's inheritance to run his circus. Jeff also plans to marry his sweetheart Julie Randall (Florence Rice). However, what Jeff doesn't know is that his partner John Carter (James Burke) is crooked and wants to own the circus independently. Carter wants help so that Jeff Wilson can't repay the $10,000 loan he owes Carter. Look for a great performance by Eve Arden as "Peerless Pauline," Carter's accomplice in crime.

Carter sends Goliath (Nat Pendleton) and his buddy Little Professor Atom (Jerry Maren) to get the money from Jeff. Well, they're successful--they steal it.

The plot can now go anywhere. How will Jeff Wilson get his stolen money back from Carter and his thugs to own the circus and marry his sweetheart Julie? Look to a lawyer named Loophole (Groucho Marx), Goliath's sidekick "Punchy" (Harpo Marx) and circus worker Antonio (Chico Marx) to help Jeff Wilson get the money back.

The scenes with Groucho and Margaret Dumont are good but all too brief; and the musical numbers don't fit in with the film. However, the movie is actually rather funny overall so I can give this movie a four star review.

After all is said and done, this DVD of Room Service and At The Circus is great for fans of The Marx Brothers. This is not geared toward a more casual fan because these movies aren't first rate. Still, the humor is good on an otherwise cloudy day and a Marx Brothers fan won't regret watching these two flicks.

Room Service and At the Circus are Ok Marx Brothers films. After the death of Irving Thalberg, MGM didn't take an interest in the Marx Brothers and left them in a bind doing B level movies. They knew the films weren't as good but felt they couldn't do much about it. Still the films have great Marx Brothers moments. Room Service was actually produced at RKO and At The Circus was at MGM. At The Circus is the better of the two.

You just have to love zany and discombobulation to like this type of movie. If you are a Marx Brothers' lover, you'll probably enjoy. I cannot even explain the zanyness of these to films. They had me going and coming and seem to never get there. Lucille Ball was a highlight though in Room Service. She's always a delight to watch. :)

The Marx Brothers in less-than-stellar form. Based on the hit Broadway play, "Room Service" (1938) was the only film not written specifically for the team. The result is an awkward fit, but there are a few priceless moments within the situation-comedy framework. Regrettably, the harp and piano solos have been jettisoned while Margaret Dumont's presence is sorely missed. "Room Service" should be viewed as a well-intentioned, yet unsuccessful experiment. Sadly, "At the Circus" (1939) ranks as the Marxes' worst film. Groucho, Harpo and Chico are brought down by weak material, an obvious lack of enthusiasm, and Kenny Baker's annoying presence. Strictly for completists.

"Room Service" and "At The Circus," two of the Marx brothers' lesser known films, are combined in this affordable volume, but the quality varies between them.

"Room Service" is, in my opinion, one of the worst Marx Brothers films. There's really no such thing as a bad Marx Brothers film, but this one certainly features the least laughs and, worse yet, is a relatively depressing story all around. Instead of being stuck in some ridiculous scenario including a bad guy who deserves thorough abuse and humiliation, the brothers find themselves holed up in a hotel room, completely out of cash, fending off debtors, fighting their own hunger, and manipulating and stealing from an innocent and naive young protagonist in order to get by. We've seen the brothers as pure maniacal anarchists and as well-meaning comedic side-kicks before, but we've never seen them as desperate con-artists until now. The whole premise is a little too dire (and, perhaps, a little too realistic) to elicit lighthearted laughter.

"At The Circus," on the other hand, is one of my absolute favorite Marx Brothers films (though I seem to be in the minority with this opinion). Some criticize the film for spending too much time on the romantic interests (which is certainly true for the first ten minutes of the film) and for the fact that the Marx brothers seem older and more tired in this film (older yes, but while the team seems a bit tame at first, they hit their prime many times throughout the film). Honestly though, I can't think of a comedic scene in the film that doesn't make me laugh out loud, whether it's Groucho's beloved song about "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady," Chico and Harpo hiding in the Strong Man's mattress while he sleeps on them, the interrogation of the midget in his miniature living room, the Elephants roaring every time Margaret DuMont tries to speak, or the absurd, high energy climax involving DuMont getting shot out of a cannon and suspended from a trapeze sans skirt.

"At The Circus" is a little sillier than previous Marx Brothers films, and Groucho's witty one-liners are fewer and farther between, but they still connect with zest many times throughout the film, and his energy during the aforementioned "Lydia" song and while playing against DuMont in the second half of the film, rival anything he did in his younger, better remembered years.

I should probably mention that the one major drag of "At The Circus" is the Swingali bit, a musical number that seems to come out of nowhere in which a community of African Americans reveres Harpo as some sort of Pagan demigod through song. The number is lousy and, worse yet, quite offensive to modern day sensibilities. It was probably progressive to feature African Americans in their own music number at all in 1939, but their depiction, while not intentionally maligning, depicts them as being generally foolish and credulous. In my opinion, this number feels a lot more uncomfortable than "All God's Chillin' Got Rhythm," the African American number done in A Day at the Races which seemed to treat the African American community with a tinge of respect even while utilizing common stereotypes of the era.

While this volume is certainly a mixed bag, featuring one Marx Brothers film that's almost universally considered to be among their worst and one that is more often overlooked than it is celebrated, the absurdly low price of this collection makes the risk worth taking. However, if you've never seen a Marx Brothers film before, you're probably better off starting with a more universally acclaimed Brothers film like Duck Soup or A Night at the Opera.

Room Service- This is a really funny movie! Groucho is about to be evicted, so a playwriter puts on a play to help them all with money. The problem is, the manager wants them all out that day, which is the day before the play. The Marx Brothers pretend the writer is sick and can't be moved. During the play, the writer pretends to be dying and stall until they make the money. If you love the Marx Brothers, and classic comedy, you'll love ROOM SERVICE!!!


At The Circus- This was a pretty funny movie! It wasn't as good as other Marx Bros. movies, but it's still alright. Jeff Wilson is robbed of $10,000, and Tony Pirelli hires Detective Loophole to solve the case. Loophole, Pirelli, and Punchy use all sorts of wierd, wacky, and unorthodox methods of getting the money back. if you love classic comedy, and the Marx Brothers, you'll love AT THE CIRCUS!!!

Far from the heights, these two Marx Brothers movies are, respectively, at the very bottom and near the middle of their achievements. "Room Service" is painfully flat, utterly devoid of whimsy or humor. Perfunctory appearances by Lucille Ball and Ann Miller do not improve things. "At the Circus" has some grand moments and while it's no "Monkey Business," it's got some nice Dumont/Groucho stuff and the "colored music" scene is not as racist as I'd remembered.

The Marx Bros. try to find a backer for a broadway play . Then they scramble to find a backer for a cirkus . So we put them backer for a backer in this hilarious twofer . In ROM SERVICE co-starring : Ann Mille 1923-2004 , Lucille Ball 1911-1989 , a crash-strapped theatrical trouper reason no one would bounce a sick man from the hotel room . And the dianosis of crazy comedy involving feigned illness , fake suicide , abogus psysician and more Marxist doctorin . The 3-ring circus that is Groucho ,Chico , and Harpo provide big - top bedlam AT THE CIRCUS Grouchy and Chico works a badge skit , Chico and Harpo is sour a strongman's bedrom for evidence , Groucho extols: Lydia the Tattoed Lady and logic , like the orchestra at the film's antic conclusion , is cut of adrift and out to sea. You can learn a lot from Lydia . And you can laugh lot with thse two classic romps. High Quality Transfer .

THIS DVD WAS FOR MY SON WHO IS ENJOYING ITS ENTERTAINMENT IMMENSELY. IT ARRIVED IN GOOD CONDITION AND IN ADEQUATE TIMING.