Monkey Business with Harpo, Chico, Groucho and Zeppo Marx.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Norman Z. McLeod
Produced by	Herman J. Mankiewicz (uncredited)
Written by	S. J. Perelman Will B. Johnstone
Starring	Groucho Marx Harpo Marx Chico Marx Zeppo Marx Thelma Todd
Cinematography	Arthur L. Todd
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	September 19, 1931
Running time	77 min
Country	United States
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Monkey Business (1931) is the third of the Marx Brothers' movies and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 470 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (640 × 816 pixel, file size: 100 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: http://www. ... Norman Z. McLeod (b. ... Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (November 7, 1897—March 5, 1953) was a Jewish-American legendary Hollywood screenwriter. ... Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman (February 1, 1904 – October 17, 1979), was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. ... Julius Henry Marx, known as Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... Adolph Arthur Marx, popularly known as Harpo Marx, (November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was one of the Marx Brothers, a group of Vaudeville entertainers who later achieved fame as comedians in the Motion Picture industry. ... 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. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff Ingagi, starring Sir Hubert Winstead Mata Hari, starring Greta Garbo and Lionel Barrymore City Lights starring Charles Chaplin Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. ... Groucho, Gummo, Minnie (mother), Zeppo, Frenchy (father), Chico and Harpo. ... Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ...

The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is directed by Norman Z. McLeod with screenplay by S. J. Perelman and Will B. Johnstone. The story takes place on an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Julius Henry Marx, known as Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers. ... Adolph Arthur Marx, popularly known as Harpo Marx, (November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was one of the Marx Brothers, a group of Vaudeville entertainers who later achieved fame as comedians in the Motion Picture industry. ... 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. ... Norman Z. McLeod (b. ... Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman (February 1, 1904 – October 17, 1979), was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. ...

Plot

While stowing away on a ship to America, the boys get involuntarily pressed into service as toughs for a pair of feuding gangsters while trying desperately to evade the ship's crew. After arriving stateside, one of the gangsters kidnaps the other's daughter - and it's up to our unlikely heroes to save the day.^[1]

Two famous scenes include all four brothers trying to sneak through a passenger checkpoint by pretending to be Maurice Chevalier (Harpo's turn is especially ingenious), and Harpo's outright wonderful attempt to hide from the authorities by posing as a puppet in a "Punch and Judy" children's show.^[2] French singer Maurice Chevalier with stars of Hellzapoppin at Expo 67, in Montreal, Quebec. ... A stained glass illustration of Punch by Professor Ignorant Punch and Judy is a popular puppet show featuring Punch and his wife Judy. ...

Cast

• Groucho Marx: Groucho
  
• Harpo Marx: Harpo
  
• Chico Marx: Chico
  
• Zeppo Marx: Zeppo
  
• Rockliffe Fellowes: J.J. 'Big Joe' Helton
  
• Harry Woods: Alky Briggs
  
• Thelma Todd: Lucille Briggs
  
• Ruth Hall: Mary Helton
  
• Tom Kennedy: First Mate Gibson
  ^[3]

Julius Henry Marx, known as Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... Adolph Arthur Marx, popularly known as Harpo Marx, (November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was one of the Marx Brothers, a group of Vaudeville entertainers who later achieved fame as comedians in the Motion Picture industry. ... 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. ... Harry Woods may refer to: Harry Woods (actor). ... 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. ... Tom Kennedy (born James Narz February 16, 1927, in Louisville, Kentucky) is a television game show host who had his greatest fame in the 1960s and 1970s. ...

Songs

Chico performs two songs, "Pizzicata Polka" by Leo Delibes, which then morphs into the song "When I Take My Sugar to Tea" written by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal and Pierre Norman, in his usual unique piano style. Harpo performs "I'm Daffy Over You." The most famous sequence from this film involves the four brothers attempting to get off the ship using a passport stolen from famous singer Maurice Chevalier. Each brother impersonates Chevalier (complete with straw hat) and sings "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" ("If the nightingales could sing like you ...") in turn. This poses a problem for Harpo, who never talks. Yet his rendition is nearly flawless. He is using a hidden phonograph playing a Chevalier record. When the needle skips and begins playing one line over and over, the ruse is uncovered. (Clément Philibert) Leo Delibes (February 21, 1836 – January 16, 1891) was a French composer of Romantic music. ... Sammy Fain (Samuel Feinberg, June 17, 1902 - December 6, 1989) was an Jewish-American composer of popular music. ... Irving Kahal, [b 5 March 1903 in Houtzdale, d 7 February 1942 in New York] was a popular lyricist active in the 1920s and 30s. ... For other Types of Travel Document, see Travel Document. ... French singer Maurice Chevalier with stars of Hellzapoppin at Expo 67, in Montreal, Quebec. ... You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me is a 1930 popular song. ... Edison cylinder phonograph ca. ... It has been suggested that Childrens gramophone records be merged into this article or section. ...

Musical numbers

• You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
• Pizzicata Polka
• When I Take My Sugar to Tea
• I'm Daffy Over You
• Sweet Adeline
• O Sole Mio

Trivia

• This film was banned in Ireland because censors feared it would encourage anarchic tendencies.

• Upon alighting from the ship, the Marx Brothers' real life father ("Frenchie" Marx) is briefly seen in a cameo sitting on top of luggage on the pier as they wave to him.

• Early in the movie, the Marx Brothers -- playing stowaways concealed in barrels -- harmonize unseen while performing the popular song Sweet Adeline. This marks the only time that Harpo's voice, a clear baritone, was ever heard on film.

• The first Marx Brothers film not to feature Margaret Dumont. It was felt she was not "sexy" enough for the part.

• Except in the credits, the Brothers' characters have no names in this movie. They are referred to only as "the stowaways".^[4]

This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Barbershop harmony is a style of unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture. ... Margaret Dumont (born October 20, 1889; died March 6, 1965) was an American comedic actress. ...

References

1. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0022158/plotsummary
2. ^ http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/m/marxbrothers_ssc.shtml
3. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0022158/
4. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0022158/trivia

See also

• List of United States comedy films

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

External links

• Monkey Business at the Internet Movie Database
• Monkey Business at the TCM Movie Database