A Day at the Races

Call me a feminist but "That's not funny" Not exactly LOL amusing. Maybe its an age thing. The film is after all 63 years old. Sure, I smiled but missed splitting my sides a la Something about Mary or Galaxy Quest. For my money Hellzapoppin was a far brighter film. The dance sequences, particularly with the jolly negroes are spurious. They may have been bold and inclusive when the film was made but they seem stereotypical now. The pizza I ordered to go with the movie was good though.

source: A Day at the Races

Trailer—A Day at the Races

A Day at the Races

Dr Hugo Z Hackenbush is the new chief of staff of Standish Sanitarium, owned by Judy Standish. The Sanitarium has fallen on hard times and a wealthy banker, JD Morgan, is attempting to take it over and turn it into a casino. Judy's boyfriend, Gil Stewart, aims to save the Sanitarium by winning a big race with his horse, Hi-Hat. Another Marx Brothers classic. As always, the highlights are Groucho's one-liners, but Harpo's clowning is a treat too. It's not all good though. The plot drifts, and gets more absurd, in the second half. Also contains a fair amount of padding - the musical numbers were unnecessary (except for Chico's piano solo, which was brilliant, and Harpo's subsequent playing of the piano until it is a harp!). Plus, some of the skits went on beyond their punchline.

The Marx Brothers (Groucho as "Dr. Hackenbush", Chico as "Tony", and Harpo as "Stuffy") and Alan Jones (he's Gil) must help Maureen O'Sullivan (she's Judy) save her financially troubled sanitarium. Their fortunes rest, finally, on the back of race horse "Hi-Hat" - will he win the "Big Race" and save sanitarium Standish? The situation is very, very funny - placing the Marx Brothers in a sanitarium. In one of the funniest scenes, Dr. Hackenbush examines the ailing hypochondriac Margaret Dumont; he was mistakenly hired, however - he's a veterinarian! The Brothers' impeccable comic timing is on good display. Unfortunately the film's routines go on too long, with the musical production numbers a considerable drag. This is the "Marx Brothers" film formula with the weaker elements showing up a noticeable strain. ******* A Day at the Races (1937) Sam Wood ~ Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx

The Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico and Harpo, Zeppo left after "Duck Soup) "A Day at the Races" (1937) surpasses "A Night at the Opera" because of its sheer amount of good scenes. For instance, in this picture you have: The Tutsi Fruitsy Ice Cream skit, Chico and Harpo trying to interrupt Dr. Hugo V. Hackenbush's (Groucho) romancing femme fatale (Esther Muir), Groucho's telephone conversation with Whitmore (Leonard Ceeley) and of course the medical examination of Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) by Groucho. One of the reasons I like this film so much is the way it ends up getting rid of the plot and boils down to a series of extremely funny sketches. Not to be missed.

Superb comedy that puts our heroes in a sanitorium to help out owner O'Sullivan and an ailing Dumont. Groucho is the doctor brought in to help things along and it equals hilarious results. He and Chico share a wonderful sequence at the racetrack with Chico, in need of quick cash, looking for a sucker to con...Groucho just happened to walk by. The telephone scene between Groucho (as numerous voices) and Leonard Ceeley is also priceless. Allan Jones appears as O'Sullivan's love interest and even sings a bit. A bit too much for me, but he still sings lovely. The long dance numbers are uninspired and lose the comic flavor after a few minutes. We get it back in the wooing scene between Groucho and beautiful Esther Muir and in the rollicking good finale. The film, under Wood's direction, is well paced, with exception to the barnyard musical numbers. They drag it down for a bit. A comedy classic nonetheless.

Overall, this is a good Marx Brothers feature that is sometimes a little uneven, but that looks pretty good as long as you don't compare it with their very best pictures. The basic setup is amusing, and it provides some good material for the cast to work with. Groucho, Chico, and Harpo all get their moments, with Margaret Dumont once again joining in the fun. The sanitarium setting and Groucho's attempt to run it are used pretty well. There is a very funny scene when one of the heavies tries to check on Groucho's credentials, and another one when Dr. Hackenbush has to compete with an outside expert (Sig Ruman, who is always fun in this kind of role) for Dumont's confidence. Not all of it works quite that well, and one or two of the musical numbers could have been skipped with no loss at all. But there are plenty of good moments and creative sequences, and a satisfyingly chaotic finale as good as those in any of their films.