A Night in Casablanca

source: A Night in Casablanca

I'm not a connoisseur of the Marx Brothers films, and therefore take delight in reading some of the reviews from other posters for this and other movies of theirs on this site. What I can say is that I enjoy their pictures, and "A Night in Casablanca" is no exception. With such a title, I might have expected more of a connection to the famous Bogart film (my favorite of all time by the way), but then again, that wasn't important. Sure it had scheming Nazis and exotic looking sets reminiscent of Rick's 'Cafe Americain', but the letters of transit intrigue is replaced by the search for a missing Nazi treasure, and even then, it's the antics of Groucho, Chico and Harpo that take center stage. There might be fewer gags and one liners here than in their better hailed classics like "Duck Soup", but things get off to a quick start with Harpo's 'holding up the building ' gag in an opening scene. Groucho, ever with an eye for the ladies, remarks on a rear view of Nazi accomplice Beatice Rheiner (Lisette Verea) - "That reminds me, I must get my watch fixed". Later, appearing the worse for wear following some more commotion - "What happened, I was stood up by a woman and knocked down by a car." I got a kick out of the clever gag using the center leafless table during the packing/unpacking scene, featuring almost everyone in the story. It would have been cool to have a cameo or two by some of the principals from Bogey's "Casablanca" like Sidney Greenstreet or Peter Lorre, but since that wasn't the case, you have decent support from Sig Ruman as undercover Nazi big wig Pfferrman/Stubel and Dan Seymour as Prefect Brizzard. Verea introduces "Who's Sorry Now?" in a singing number, sounding very little (at least to my tin ear) like the hit Connie Francis would make of it. All in all, the film is an entertaining hour and a half, and a pretty good send off for the Marx Brothers.

Goodness. Not quite the stench of death, but the unmistakable aroma of a fatal illness. I'm not sure that performers that depend on freshness owe it to us to quit early, before that freshness fades. If they give us something powerful, as these men have, they deserve our patience, and indeed Groucho at least was able to leverage that and deepen the experience. But its a shame, watching them drift. There was only one comic sequence here that worked for me, and it was obvious that it was one of those they took on the road to test and refine. Its where Harpo does a pantomime that Chico tries to interpret. Groucho is to be killed, you see. This was originally intended to be a spoof of the surprisingly successful Casablanca of the previous year. Whats interesting about this movie to me is how it obviously changed direction, knowing that the original idea wouldn't work. So what we have here is an application of comic genius to change what could have been an embarrassment for us all, into a mere failure. A gentle release of their career. Other than the scene I mentioned which was thoroughly tuned, you can see already the unhappy state of Chico's timing, already suffering from early onset dementia. Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

In their first post World War II film, the Marx Brothers take aim at those films of adventure and intrigue set in far away places and filmed at studio back lots. Such a film was the classic Casablanca and so was A Night In Casablanca. Personally I can't believe Jack Warner wanted to sue the brothers and United Artists over this film. He certainly had deeper pockets than they did, why make such a fuss? In any event the film is about looted Nazi treasure from the late war and it being hidden in a Casablanca hotel. Two of the hotel managers have met violent and sudden death and the third one is already earmarked by Nazi bigwig Sig Ruman on the run from the Nuremberg court. He's stopping in Casablanca to get the treasure on the way to South America. But when his valet Harpo accidentally vacuums his toupee off his head, his plans halt. Ruman can't go out or he'll be instantly recognized without the rug. That hotel manager whom they want to get is none other than Groucho and he gets his usual assistance from self appointed bodyguard Chico. Of course that sets up a lot of typical Marx situations. A Night In Casablanca is not as good as most of their films from the Thirties, still it has its moments. Harpo literally 'holding' up a building is one of them. And the brothers gas lighting Sig Ruman as he's trying to pack is another. Fans of the brothers will enjoy this one. As for those who don't know them, I'd look first at their early films from Paramount to get a true gauge of their surrealistic comedy.

In my opinion, none of the Marx Brothers films is actively bad-they are all at least entertaining. Whie plot was seldom an important thing to most Marx Brothers films, the one here is even less relevent than normal. This has more than its' share of moments. Several points are made sharply: 1) NEVER let Harpo take steps to get a stalled elevator going again! 2) don't let Groucho check in guests as a desk clerk! 3)toupees and vacuum cleaners do not work and play well together! Recommended if you are a Marx Brothers fan. Others might be bored stiff.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, it took a while to find it in the shops but it was worthwhile looking around for. My favourite scene is definitely the one with Harpo minding Chico's peanut stall with the angry neighbouring stall owner. It makes you laugh for ages! Groucho plays the part of the manager of the Hotel Casablanca because all the previous managers were murdered by ex-Nazis looking for Nazi treasure hidden within the hotel prior to the end of the war. Some of the funniest moments in Marx Brother's history are featured in this movie eg. Harpo holding up a wall, Chico and Harpo rearranging a dance floor that keeps getting smaller and a funny suitcase packing routine towards the end. A very humorous movie and I would definitely recommend it.

The last film with all three brothers seen together, this is the first film since Duck Soup that captures the style of the Paramount films. The love interest is minimized. Unlike the MGM films, the sight gags are more surrealistic than slapstick. The puns, insults, non-sequitors, and simply absurdist statements come with the volume and velocity of their earliest films, but Harpo's comedy becomes as dominant as Groucho's and his gags are wonderful. Things from other films are revisited, but not in a way to make the film seem tired. Gags get refined. Like Mr. Hammer in Cocoanuts, Groucho is the hotel manager, but has more (disastrous) interaction with guests. Harpo also eats the inedible again, but takes it to a new level. Like the stateroom in a Night at the Opera, Harpo and Chico manage to take up an entire restaurant floor with tables to get gratuities from customers, yet unlike Opera, the chaos originates from them, not from around them. There are also totally new classic routines. The brothers help the villain unpack (of course, he's trying to pack) in a scene of purely visual comedy almost as good as the mirror scene in Duck Soup. And Harpo gets control of an airplane--need I say more?. The only thing that doesn't fit is the melodramatic final chase with the brothers in the kind of action and real jeopardy that is not a part of the Marx's universe, even in the worst of their MGM films. Yet even there, they can still bend someone else's universe a little. I am one of the few people who doesn't like "Casablanca," so this is my favorite movie taking place in the North African city, worthy as a supplement to the Silver Screen Collection of the five Paramount films. Since the Marxes are older, the comedy is less physical, though more physical than you'd imagine for three men in their late 50's, so this is no reason to feel sad, What is, however, is the final moment where the brothers run off after Lisette Verea to apparently do what they were trying to do to Thelma Todd at the end of Horse Feathers. Not only does it remind us of their earlier glory, but in the Marxian equivalent of Chaplin's tramp trudging down the road with Paulette Goddard at the end of Modern Times, theirs back to the camera, the Marxes, too, exit forever. Yet, it's only sad until you hit the "play movie" button again, which I did. Even though I can't claim this is better than the best of the Paramount comedies, since it's less familiar to Marx fans, it's like a newly discovered treasure.

The most wonderful surprise i have ever had watching the Marx Brothers´ films, took place while watching "A Night in Casablanca". Almost nobody recognizes Kornblow´s client at the middle of the film. Beautiful people; we are talking about the great Marilyn Monroe. Watch it again if you were not aware, following the example of the people that wrote the credits of the film for the IMDB.

Along with ROOM SERVICE, this title, A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA is lame. Groucho comes out of it best, but Harpo and Chico are really showing their age and actually look creepy still slapping about with vaudeville antics. Production values are excellent and the style and look of the film is quite wonderful. But as a comedy, it isn't one, and the sight of the Marx Bros in a punch up is horribly unfunny. Several short scenes are good routines (the trunk and wardrobe being unpacked etc) and occasionally Groucho's one liners are mildly amusing, but the drawn out climax on the plane is hopeless and the overall pantomime is really dated. I love the 1929-35 Marx Bros films. This comes from 1946 and whilst well made, lacks the script and tighter editing. One gag at the very beginning is hilarious where Harpo is asked if he is holding up a building. That's it.

A Night in Casablanca does have a somewhat contrived plot about spies and hidden treasure, and it mayn't quite have the consistent genius of their earlier outings primarily Duck Soup, however it is still thoroughly enjoyable thanks to some of the gags and performances. It does look striking and has a quirky score. And the dialogue is pretty darn hilarious and quotable, and I liked the cheeky comparisons with Casablanca, one of my all-time favourite movies. A Night in Casablanca is salvaged though by the gags, Groucho's attempts to get inside various hotel rooms in order to woo Annette and Chico thwarting him every time is a great gag that does not wear out its welcome, but Harpo has the best gag that happens in the opening minutes. The acting is great, Harpo and Chico are very funny and Lois Collier is a nice surprise too, but once again Groucho elevates this film, being as quick and witty as I've come to know him by and going into one-line overdrive. In conclusion, not outstanding but a lot of fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox