A Day at the Races

A Day at the Races (1937), directed by Sam Wood

Among Marx Brothers aficianados, the two names most commonly bandied about as the greatest films featuring the troupe are Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera. I would like to make a case for A Day at the Races (often seen as the lesser brother of Night) as being as worthy as those other two. It has a typical Marxist plot (Groucho and company must save the young lady's sanitarium from the evil developer), mixed with great scenes right out of their vaudeville acts, and a constant stream of one-liners from Groucho. The two great scenes in this film are the one at the race-track ("Tootsie-Frootsie Ice Cream..."), and when Groucho has a tete-a-tete with the beautiful but dangerous Thelma Todd ("Thank Yew" "Thank Yo"). If you ever wanted to teach someone what the Marx Brothers are about, either of these scenes would serve better than, say, the overpraised Stateroom scene from Night.

Like most Marx Brothers films, there are a few scenes that you can safely fast-forward through: Allan Jones' big song, the ballet, Chico's piano-playing, and Harpo's harp act. On the other hand, resist the initial temptation to fast-forward over the "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" number. It's actually quite good, and features a very young Dorothy Dandridge.

Chico and Harpo aren't really at their best in this film, but Groucho is. He still has his peerless ability to deliver a line, but is also an extraordinary physical comedian. His dancing is pretty spectacular. I can't end this review without mentioning a pair of my favorite lines. "Just a minute, I'm calming these paralytics" (it makes perfect sense when you see it) and (from the race-track scene) "Where can I get a breeder's guide, as though I didn't know." They don't look very funny written down, but delivered as only Groucho can...ah, paradise.

Three stars