Room Service At the Circus

Buy This Item Room Service At the Circus by Warner Home Video  Available from Amazon  $12.99  on 11-15-2008     The Marx Bros. try to find a backer for a Broadway play, then scramble to find a backer for a circus. So we put them backer to backer in this hilarious twofer. In Side A's Room Service (with Lucille Ball and Ann Miller), a cash-strapped theatrical troupe reasons no one would bounce a sick man from a hotel room. And that leads to a diagnosis of crazy comedy full of feigned illness, fake suicides, a bogus physician and more Marxist doctorin.' The 3-ring circus that is Groucho, Chico and Harpo provide big-top bedlam At the Circus (Side B). Groucho and Chico work a badge skit, Chico and Harpo scour a strongman's bedroom for evidence, Groucho extols Lydia the Tattooed Lady and logic, like the orchestra at the film's conclusion, is cut adrift and out to sea. You can learn a lot from Lydia. And laugh a lot with these classic romps. Reader Reviews 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 At the Circus Available from Amazon Price: $12.99 Updated on 11-15-2008.

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