Cinema Sunday: Animal Crackers

"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know."

---Groucho Marx 

as Capt. Spaulding 

from Animal Crackers 

A couple a times we've a done some posts on a movies by the a Marx Brothers. You know a Groucho, a Chico, a Harpo and a Zeppo. 

Why is a Zeppo? We do not a know why is a Zeppo. Zeppo is a there, that is all we a know about a Zeppo.  

Anyway, there is always a problem with the title. 

We wrote a post about a Monkey Business. There was a lot of a business with a couple of mob types but there was no a monkey. How can a you have a movie called a Monkey Business with no a monkey? It makes no a sense and I wonder if we should a sue or a something.

Next up was a Horse Feathers which, hey, had a horse which is a good but no feathers. No feathers, that is a no good. Horse? Yes! Good! Feathers? No! No good! Again I wonder if we a should sue a somebody for a something.

Today's a movie is Animal Crackers. Will there be an animal or a crackers? Or even animal crackers? 

Given a how things have a gone so a far with this a Marx Brothers a movies, I wouldn't a hold out to much a hope for a that.  

Coming up, Dave-El and a Cinema Sunday presents Animal Crackers. 


Speaking of a crackers, I'm a hungry. 

On Long Island, upper class high society maven Mrs. Rittenhouse is holding a lavish party at her lavish home. 

You'd think that Mrs. Rittenhouse would be rich enough to afford a party and home that was completely lav but no. It's just lavish. 

The guest of this party is the renowned explorer, just recently returned from the jungles of Africa, Captain Geoffrey T. Spaulding. 

Also in attendance is Roscoe W. Chandler, a revered art collector. Is he revered for collecting art or does he only collected revered art? What is revered art? Is it just paintings for Paul Revere? 

Here is my painting of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. 

It's just a black square. 

Shows what you know. It's a black rectangle! 

I can't see anything. 

Of course you can't. It's midnight.  






Mr. Chandler is at the Rittenhouse party to present his recently acquired painting, After The Hunt by a famous  artist named Beaugard.

It is this painting that forms the crux of the plot that only tangentially involves the Marx Brothers.  

Plots are made against the painting. 

Mrs. Rittenhouse's daughter Arabella is attending the party with her fiancé John Parker, who is a struggling painter. Arabella devises a scheme to replace the Beaugard with an almost perfect copy of it John painted in art school. If Chandler can see no differences between the two paintings, he will be convinced that John is a great painter and will commission him to paint. 

Grace Carpenter thinks up the same idea with her friend Mrs. Whitehead, as a means of humiliating Mrs. Rittenhouse. They grab Grace's poorly made copy that she painted in art school and swap it out for the Beaugard. 

So we've got two separate schemes to swap out the Beaugard. The deception is uncovered then all three paintings go missing, the original and the two facsimiles. 

Chaos ensues. 

Grouches slouches around, making snarky remarks.  

Harpos races around, chasing after women. 

Chico says a bunch a nonsense stuff that don't a make no a sense. 

GROUCHO:"You know, I'd buy you a parachute if I knew it wouldn't open." 

CHICO:"Ha! HA! You're a crazy, I got a pair of shoes."

Zeppo is.

Seriously, why is Zeppo? 

OK, Animal Crackers does give Zeppo a great funny moment. 

There's a scene where Groucho dictates a letter to his lawyers in rambling pseudo-legalese. When Groucho asks for the letter to be read back, Zeppo replies, "You said a lot of things I didn't think were very important, so I just omitted them!" 

Zeppo has omitted everything between the salutation and the "sincerely yours". In other words, the whole letter.  

It's a rare gotcha from Zeppo at Groucho's expense.  

Yes, Chico gets some extended time at the piano and Harpo gets a harp solo. 

No there are no animals in Animal Crackers except for those in the "After the Hunt" painting and referenced in Groucho's monologues of his exploration of Africa. As for crackers, well, there is a party with snacks with I assume includes crackers.

Animal Crackers includes a couple of musical numbers that would become firmly associated with Groucho Marx over the years: "Hooray For Captain Spaulding" and "Hello, I Must Be Going". 

Since today's post must be going, let's close out with the lyrics to "Hello, I Must Be Going". 

Take care, be safe and remember to be good to one another. 

Hello, I must be going

I cannot stay

I came to say

I must be going

I'm glad I came

But just the same

I must be going, la-la!

I'll stay a week or two

I'll stay the summer through

But I am telling you

I must be -- going

I'll do anything you say

In fact I'll even stay!

But I must be -- going!