Product Details

• Actors: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Lucille Ball, Ann Miller
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: July 28, 1998
• Run Time: 78 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000009T77
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,722 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Marxian Change of Pace, November 20, 2007

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Room Service [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Based on the hit Broadway play, "Room Service" (1938) remains the only film not written specifically for the Marx Brothers. Except for a few priceless moments, this hectic farce never gels. Groucho, Harpo and Chico are shackled by William A. Seiter's lethargic direction and an incompatible supporting cast. The reliable presence of Margaret Dumont is sorely missed. "Room Service" should be viewed as a well-intentioned, yet unsuccessful experiment.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Still A Good Marx Bros. Film, November 18, 2001

By 

T. W. Fuller (Wheeling, IL. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Room Service [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Room Service" released in 1938, is the Marx Bros. eighth film. Originally based on a play that had nothing to do with either the Marx Bros., or their brand of comedy, little room was created for the trio to go wild in this film. Absent is much of the Marxist humor we are so accustomed to, and want to see in all their films. Also absent is Margaret Dumont. And while "Room Service" has its enjoyable moments, it marks a turning point, a downward slide for the brothers and their future films. All of the blame cannot be given to the Marx Bros., however. RKO, the film's distributor, which had acquired the rights for the film version for a large sum of money, wanted to keep the movie in as much its original form as possible.

Groucho plays producer Gordon Miller. He is staying in the hotel where his production of "Room Service" is about to be performed. It is the opening night, and rehearsals are still going on, as is the construction of the set. The only problem is the bill he has rung up, which the hotel manager keeps asking him for. As the manager happens to be Groucho's brother in law, he is more leinient with him, than he otherwise would be. Still, he threatens to cancel the play if partial payment is not made.

Chico plays, of all things, the director of the play. Some critics have cited flaw in this, as Chico has never been put in such in important position. Indeed, he is hardly involved with the play, spending most of his time with Groucho in his hotel room. Harpo plays Faker Englund, and for the first time in a Marx Bros. film, he has no real purpose for being there. In the original play, Faker Englund was a minor character, with few lines. Here, those lines are given to Chico, and Harpo is merely allowed to create the mayhem which is his trademark. And indeed, Harpo's scenes do help to move the film along, and give a certain amount of comic relief. He too joins his brothers in the hotel room.

Groucho, confined to his hotel room, is not allowed to leave until he pays his bill. House detectives are always nearby to make sure he doesn't try to leave. And while the hotel manager is still threatening to cancel the opening night of the play, Groucho stalls for time, promising payment as long as the play is allowed to go on. The manager capitulates, for the time being.

The Marx Bros. are as confined to the hotel room as they are to the comedy they can perform. Still, there are good moments, such as Harpo playing dead in order to stall for time, and keep the play running.

For those people eager to watch the Marx Bros. perform their style of comedy, run rampant among society, wise-crack to the arragant elite, and use puns and one-liners to whittle to size the snobs, "Room Service" may be a disappointment. However, for the loyal Marx Bros. fan, this film can still be enjoyable and funny.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars it's a terrible play, but it makes a wonderful rehearsal, August 27, 2007

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Room Service [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Room Service features The Marx Brothers, Lucille Ball and a rather young Ann Miller in the only film The Marx Brothers ever made at R-K-O pictures. 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 so it's somewhat forgivable. Unfortunately, Room Service winds up being good but not great. I felt like I was on an airplane out of town to sunny, beautiful Aruba--but after taxiing down the runway the plane came screeching to an abrupt halt, never taking off. Sigh.

The action begins when Gordon Miller (Groucho Marx) is getting deeper and deeper into debt at New York City's Hotel White Way as he struggles to keep himself, the producer of a play, and the cast sheltered 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 to help Gordon but they aren't too successful. When the author of the play, Leo Davis (Frank Albertson), comes to New York to stay with Gordon and the cast in the hotel it only means that now there's another person Gordon and his pals must harbor. Meanwhile, Christine Marlowe (Lucille Ball) plays a cast member of the show who is also trying to help get the show onto the stage.

Unfortunately, their luck is running out. A hotel top 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 such a high bill because Gordon's brother-in-law, Joseph Gribble (Cliff Dunstan), has been running the hotel.

Just when a wealthy backer finally comes through, things begin to 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 and avoid them all being thrown out? Are the authorities alerted? Do doctors arrive to examine the "patient?" No spoilers here, folks--you'll just have to watch the movie to find out!

Look for some good choreography in scenes where the actors are all running around the hotel room in different directions all at once. The scene where the Marx Brothers and the playwright eat a much needed meal is also well done. The cinematography works well with different camera angles of the same set, too.

Room Service is a must for true Marx Brothers fans; but I can't tell you it's their best movie ever. It's good; but it's not great. The actors work very hard with the script they were given and the plot tries its best to be funny as much as possible, although the film never quite takes off to make Room Service a true classic. Casual fans of The Marx Brothers can wait to see Room Service until they've seen many more of the other Marx Brothers movies first.

Three stars.