Horse Feathers
Poster by Al Hirschfeld
Directed by	Norman Z. McLeod
Produced by	Herman J. Mankiewicz (uncredited)
Written by	S. J. Perelman Bert Kalmar Harry Ruby Will B. Johnstone
Starring	Groucho Marx Harpo Marx Chico Marx Zeppo Marx Thelma Todd Reginald Barlow
Cinematography	Ray June
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	August 10, 1932
Running time	68 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Horse Feathers (1932) was the fourth Marx Brothers film. It stars the four Marx Brothers, Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo, as well as Thelma Todd as Connie Bailey, and was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film. Several of the film's gags were taken from the Marx Brothers' stage comedy from the 1920s, Fun in Hi Skule.^[1] Horsefeathers Poster File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Al Hirschfeld photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist, best known for his simple black and white satirical portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars. ... Norman Z. McLeod (b. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman (February 1, 1904 – October 17, 1979), was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. ... Bert Kalmar (16 February 1884 - 18 September 1947) was a popular United States songwriter, born in New York City. ... Harry Ruby (October 29, 1895 – February 23, 1974) was an American songwriter and screenwriter. ... Groucho redirects here. ... This article is about Harpo Marx, brother of Groucho et al. ... Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers. ... Herbert Marx (February 25, 1901 – November 29, 1979) is best known as Zeppo Marx, the name he used when he performed with his brothers, The Marx Brothers. ... Thelma Todd cigarette card Thelma Todd (July 29, 1905 – December 16, 1935) was a popular American actress of the late 1920s and early 1930s film. ... Reginald Harry Barlow (June 17, 1866 - July 6, 1943) was a veteran stage and screen character actor, and film director. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1931 in film 1932 1933 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events Shirley Temples film career begins Disney released Flowers and Trees their first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film. ... This article is about the comedian siblings. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Groucho redirects here. ... Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers. ... This article is about Harpo Marx, brother of Groucho et al. ... Herbert Marx (February 25, 1901 – November 29, 1979) is best known as Zeppo Marx, the name he used when he performed with his brothers, The Marx Brothers. ... Thelma Todd cigarette card Thelma Todd (July 29, 1905 – December 16, 1935) was a popular American actress of the late 1920s and early 1930s film. ... Bert Kalmar (16 February 1884 - 18 September 1947) was a popular United States songwriter, born in New York City. ... Harry Ruby (October 29, 1895 – February 23, 1974) was an American songwriter and screenwriter. ... Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman (February 1, 1904 – October 17, 1979), was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. ...

Plot

The film revolves around, among other things, college football and a game between the fictional Darwin and Huxley Colleges. (Huxley was a defender of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.) Many of the jokes about the amateur status of collegiate football players and how eligibility rules are stretched by collegiate athletic departments remain remarkably current. ^[2] Groucho plays Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the president of Huxley College, and Zeppo is his son Frank, who convinces his father to recruit professional football players to boost the Huxley team's chance of winning. There are also many references to Prohibition. Baravelli (Chico) is an "iceman", who delivers ice and bootleg liquor from a local speakeasy. Pinky (Harpo, wearing his usual pink-colored "fright wig") is also an "iceman", as well as a part-time dogcatcher. Through a series of misunderstandings, Baravelli and Pinky are recruited to play on Huxley's football team; this requires them to enroll as students at Huxley, which, of course, results in nothing but comic chaos throughout the school. The climax of the movie, often referenced as one of the greatest football-related scenes in movie history ^[3], includes the four protagonists winning the football game by taking the ball into the end zone in a horse-drawn garbage wagon that resembles a chariot and which Pinky rides as such. This article covers college football played in the United States. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... Thomas Henry Huxley PC, FRS (4 May 1825 Ealing – 29 June 1895 Eastbourne, Sussex) was an English biologist, known as Darwins Bulldog for his advocacy of Charles Darwins theory of evolution. ... Thomas Henry Huxley PC, FRS (4 May 1825 Ealing – 29 June 1895 Eastbourne, Sussex) was an English biologist, known as Darwins Bulldog for his advocacy of Charles Darwins theory of evolution. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... For the 1994 film, see Amateur (film). ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Detroit police inspecting equipment found in a clandestine underground brewery during the prohibition era. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Latrell loves him some MIRACLE WHIP!! sho nuff and mashmell The end zone is a term in both Canadian football and American football. ... For other uses, see Chariot (disambiguation). ...

Musical numbers

• "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It"
• "I Always Get My Man"
• "Collegiate"
• "Everyone Says I Love You"
• "Bridal Chorus"
• "Wedding March"
• "I'm Daffy Over You"

Notable scenes

The opening number features Wagstaff and a group of college professors singing and dancing in full academic robes and mortarboard hats. The song sets the tone for Wagstaff's irreverent view of the school:

I don't know what they have to say

It makes no difference anyway;

Whatever it is, I'm against it!

One famous scene features Baravelli guarding the speakeasy, and Wagstaff trying to get in. The password for entry is "Swordfish". This bit was the inspiration for the title of the movie thriller Swordfish. The sketch includes several jokes about fish, with some puns-within-puns: This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Swordvag1na (sometimes referred to as Password: Swordvag1na or Operation: Swordvag1na) is an action/thriller film. ...

Wagstaff: I got it! "Haddock".

Baravelli: 'At's a-funny, I got a "haddock" too.

Wagstaff: What do you take for a "haddock"?

Baravelli: Sometimes I take an aspirin, sometimes I take a calomel.

Wagstaff: I'd walk a mile for a calomel.

Baravelli: You mean chocolate calomel? I like-a that too, but you no guess it.

During this scene, the mute character Pinky wants to come in and is asked the password; he responds by pulling a fish with a small sword stuck down its throat from his coat. At one point Wagstaff and Baravelli are debating the cost of ice. Wagstaff argues that his bill should be much smaller than it is: For other uses, see Haddock (disambiguation). ... A headache (cephalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... This article is about the drug. ... Mercury(I) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula Hg2Cl2. ... Camel is a brand of cigarettes that was introduced by U.S. company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RJR) in 1913. ... Caramel candy For other uses, see Caramel (disambiguation). ...

Baravelli: I make you proposition. You owe us $200, you pay us $2000, and we call it square.

Wagstaff: That's not a bad idea. I tell you ... I'll consult my lawyer. And if he advises me to do it, I'll get a new lawyer.

The joke immediately after that one illustrates that the Hays Office was not in total control of film scripts yet, and hints at Chico's real-life lifestyle. The essence of this joke would be repeated by Chico in Duck Soup: This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Baravelli: Last week, for eighteen dollars, I gotta co-ed with two pair o' pants.

Wagstaff: Since when has a co-ed got two pair of pants?

Baravelli: Since I joined the college.

A notable scene taken from Fun in Hi Skule consists of the brothers disrupting an anatomy class. ^[1] In this scene, the part of the anatomy professor is played by Robert Greig, a character actor who appeared in over 100 films, many in the role of a butler. He appeared with the Marx Brothers as Hives, the butler, in Animal Crackers. After Chico and Harpo "bear him out", Groucho takes over the class and continues the lecture: Robert Greig may refer to: Robert Greig, an American actor who appeared in over 100 movies in the 1930s and 1940s. ... Animal Crackers is a 1930 comedy film, and one of the Marx Brothers most beloved and oft-quoted movies. ...

Wagstaff: Let us follow a corpuscle on its journey... Now then, baboons, what is a "corpuscle"?

Baravelli: That's easy! First is a captain... then a lieutenant... then is a corpuscle!

Wagstaff: That's fine. Why don't you bore a hole in yourself and let the sap run out?

Earlier in the scene, he recited this little poem in response to the professor asking the students to explain the symptoms of cirrhosis, which Baravelli mis-hears as "so roses": Corpuscle is J.J. Thomsons term for a subatomic particle similar to the electron. ... For other uses, see Captain (disambiguation). ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... This article is about the military rank. ... Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrotic scar tissue as well as regenerative nodules, leading to progressive loss of liver function. ...

So roses are red

So violets are blue

So sugar is sweet

So so are you.

A little later, Wagstaff advises Pinky that he "can't burn the candle at both ends". Pinky then reaches into his trenchcoat, and pulls out a candle burning at both ends.

The film prominently features the song "Everyone Says I Love You", by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, which was later the title song of the eponymous 1996 Woody Allen movie Everyone Says I Love You. All four brothers perform the song: Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... Everyone Says I Love You (1996) is a musical film written and directed by Woody Allen. ...

Zeppo leads off with a "straight" verse, befitting his usual non-comical characterization:

Everyone says I love you

The cop on the corner and the burglar too

The preacher in the pulpit and the man in the pew

Says I love you.

Harpo whistles it to his horse, and later plays it on the harp. In keeping with his standard mute characterization, he does not sing it.

Chico sings a comical verse, with his standard fake Italian accent, while playing piano:

Everyone says I love you

The great big mosquito when-a he sting you

The fly when he gets stuck on the flypaper too

Says I love you.

Groucho sings a somewhat sarcastic verse while strumming a guitar, befitting his attitude throughout the film of being suspicious about the college widow's intentions:

Everyone says I love you

But just what they say it for I never knew

It's just inviting trouble for the poor sucker who

Says I love you.

Except when Harpo (the dogcatcher) whistles it to his horse, the song is used to serenade Connie Bailey (played by Thelma Todd). Thelma Todd cigarette card Thelma Todd (July 29, 1905 – December 16, 1935) was a popular American actress of the late 1920s and early 1930s film. ...

Eventually, Pinky and Baravelli are sent to kidnap two of the rival college's star players to prevent them from playing in the big game. The intended victims (who are much larger men than Pinky and Baravelli) manage to kidnap the pair instead, removing their outer clothing and locking them in a room. In order to escape, Pinky and Baravelli saw their way out through the floor. The saws came from a tool bag Pinky carried with them that held their "kidnappers' tools," which included, among other things, rope, chisels, hammers and at one point, a small pig. This is an example of the surreal edge of Marx Brothers humor, which later became a heavy influence on Bugs Bunny cartoons. Max Ernst. ... Bugs Bunny is an animated rabbit/hare who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ...

One direct example of that influence occurs in the speakeasy. Two men are playing cards, and one says to the other, "cut the cards". Pinky happens to walk by at that moment, pulls a large meat cleaver out of his trenchcoat and chops the deck in half. This none-too-subtle gag would be repeated by Curly Howard against Moe Howard in the Three Stooges' 1936 short subject Ants in the Pantry, and by Bugs Bunny against Yosemite Sam in the 1948 cartoon, Bugs Bunny Rides Again. Curly Howard (born Jerome Lester Horwitz) (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), was one of the Three Stooges, along with brothers Moe Howard and Shemp Howard, and their friend Larry Fine, although Curly was more or less the breakout character. ... Moe Howard (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975) was the leader of the Three Stooges. ... The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the mid 20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. ... Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Early American actor William Garwood starred in numerous short films, many of which were only 20 minutes in length Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American film industry in the early period of cinema. ... Ants In The Pantry (1936) is the 12th of Columbia Pictures 190 short subjects starring the comedy team of the Three Stooges. ... Bugs Bunny is an animated rabbit/hare who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... For the shortwave radio station, see Yosemite Sam (shortwave). ... Bugs Bunny Rides Again is a 1947 Warner Bros. ...

A picture of the brothers in the "chariot" at the end of the film made the cover of TIME in 1932.^[4] (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cast

• Groucho Marx as Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff
• Chico Marx as Baravelli the Iceman
• Harpo Marx as Pinky
• Zeppo Marx as Frank Wagstaff
• Thelma Todd as Connie Bailey
• David Landau as Jennings
• James Pierce as Mullen
• Nat Pendleton as McCarty
• Reginald Barlow as The Retiring President
• Robert Greig as The Biology Professor

Groucho redirects here. ... Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers. ... This article is about Harpo Marx, brother of Groucho et al. ... Herbert Marx (February 25, 1901 – November 29, 1979) is best known as Zeppo Marx, the name he used when he performed with his brothers, The Marx Brothers. ... Thelma Todd cigarette card Thelma Todd (July 29, 1905 – December 16, 1935) was a popular American actress of the late 1920s and early 1930s film. ... David Landau (born June 22, 1947), better known as David Lander, is an American actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout. ... James H. Pierce, of Shelbyville, IN, became one of the first actors to portray Tarzan on film. ... Nathaniel Greene Pendleton (August 9, 1895 - October 12, 1967) was an American Olympic wrestler and film actor. ... Reginald Harry Barlow (June 17, 1866 - July 6, 1943) was a veteran stage and screen character actor, and film director. ...

Period references

A term that occurs often in Horse Feathers, but may not be familiar to modern viewers, is "college widow". The term, which is somewhat derogatory, referred to a woman who stays in college after graduation in order to find a husband.^[5] It is used to describe Connie Bailey (Thelma Todd). Such women were stereotypically "easy"; in the film, the character is shown as being involved with each of the Marx brothers and the principal antagonist, Jennings. A modern adaptation of the concept (albeit with a gender reversal) would be Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) from Dazed and Confused who hangs around high schools because "[he] keeps getting older but the girls stay the same". Thelma Todd cigarette card Thelma Todd (July 29, 1905 – December 16, 1935) was a popular American actress of the late 1920s and early 1930s film. ... Matthew David McConaughey (born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. ... Dazed and Confused is a 1993 American film written and directed by Richard Linklater. ...

During the climactic football game, at one point Groucho utters the exclamation, "Jumping anaconda!" This seemingly nonsensical phrase probably is a reference to the notorious stock market performance of Anaconda Copper immediately preceding the Great Depression.^[6] Groucho had delivered other jokes related to the stock market in the Brothers' preceding films (for example, "The stockholder of yesteryear is the stowaway of today" in Monkey Business) and all the Marx Brothers had experienced severe losses in the 1929 crash. A stock market is a market for the trading of company stock, and derivatives of same; both of these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately. ... Anaconda Copper Mining Company (until 1915 known as the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company), one of the largest trusts of the early 20th century which owned all the mines on Butte Hill, Montana, USA. The Anaconda Company was purchased by Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) on January 12, 1977. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... This article contains a trivia section. ... A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market. ...

Missing Sequences

The only existing prints of this film are missing several minutes, due to both censorship and damage. The damage is most noticeable in jump cuts during the scene in which Groucho, Chico and Harpo visit Connie Bailey's apartment. Several sequences were cut from the film, including an extended ending to the aforementioned apartment scene, additional scenes with Harpo as a dogcatcher, and a scene where the brothers play poker as the college burns down. (A description of the latter scene, along with a still image, exists from a pressbook from the year of the film's release, however.)^[5] For other uses, see Censor. ... In film editing, a jump cut is a cut between two similar scenes, so that the objects in them appear to jump from one position to another. ...

See also

• List of United States comedy films

This is a list of United States comedy films. ...

References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Simon Louvish is an Israeli author and film maker. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... Headquartered in the legendary Flatiron Building in New York City, St. ... “TIME” redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Original 1932 Time Magazine review
• Horse Feathers at the Internet Movie Database
• Horse Feathers at the TCM Movie Database
• Marx-Brothers.org