At the Circus

Infobox Film | name = At the Circus


caption =
director = Edward Buzzell
producer = Mervyn LeRoy
writer = Irving Brecher
starring =Groucho Marx
Chico Marx
Harpo Marx
music = Harold Arlen
cinematography = Leonard M. Smith
editing = William H. Terhune
distributor = MGM
released = October 20, 1939 U.S. release
runtime = 87 min
language = English
country = USA
budget =
amg_id = 1:3197
imdb_id = 0031060

"At the Circus" is a 1939 Marx Brothers comedy film in which they save a circus from bankruptcy. It is notable for Groucho Marx's classic rendition of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady." and co-stars include Margaret Dumont, Eve Arden, and Kenny Baker.

Plot

The circus strong man (Nat Pendleton, one of the ringer football players in "Horse Feathers"), and the midget (Jerry Marenghi, who also appeared in a few Our Gang shorts), are accomplices of the bad guy Carter (James Burke) who is trying to take over the circus. In the animal car, they knock Baker out and steal his $10,000. Groucho, as lawyer J. Cheever Loophole, arrives to handle the situation. He caves in when he sees Pendleton and makes an absolute fool of himself with Marenghi. (He knocks the furniture over in Marenghi's tiny room and the midget threatens to sue. Groucho, ever ready to solicit business, offers his card, which Marenghi accepts!) In order to help Baker, he first tries to get the money from Carter's moll, Peerless Pauline (Eve Arden), but fails miserably. Then he calls on Mrs. Dukesbury (Margaret Dumont), and cons her into paying $10,000 for the Wilson Circus to entertain the Newport 400, instead of a performance by an orchestra conducted by a Frenchman named Jardinet (Fritz Feld). The "400 of Newport" are delighted with the circus; when Jardinet arrives, Groucho, who also delayed Jardinet by implicating him in a "dope ring," disposes of the Frenchman and his orchestra by having them play on a floating bandstand down at the water's edge. Chico and Harpo cut the mooring rope and the musicians play the Prelude to Act Three of "Lohengrin" by Wagner, serenading the waves. Meanwile, Carter and his cronies try to burn down the circus, but are thwarted by the brothers, along with the only witness to the robbery--the gorilla (Charles Gemora), who also retrieves Baker's ten thousand dollars.

Cast

*Groucho Marx as Detective J. Cheever Loophole
*Harpo Marx as Punchy
*Chico Marx as Antonio 'Tony' Pirelli
*Kenny Baker as Jeff Wilson
*Florence Rice as Julie Randall
*James Burke as John Carter
*Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Suzanna Dukesberry
*Barnett Parker as Whitcomb
*Eve Arden as Peerless Pauline
*Nat Pendleton as Goliath the Strongman
*Jerry Maren as Little Professor Atom
*Fritz Feld as Jardinet
*Charles Gemora as Gibraltar

Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton worked on the film as a gag man. His career was on the downside and he was forced to work for scale. His complex and sometimes belabored gags (recalled in the book "Groucho, Harpo, Chico and sometimes Zeppo") did not work well with the Marx Brothers' brand of humor, and was a source of friction between the comedian and the group.

When Groucho called Keaton on the inappropriateness of his gags for the Marx Brothers, Keaton responded, "I'm only doing what Mr. Mayer asked me to do. "You" guys don't need help." [cite book | last = Mitchell | first = Glenn | title = The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia | publisher = Reynolds & Hearn | date = 2006 | Location = London, UK | pages = 164 | isbn = 1905287119]

Gorilla suit

One of Groucho's stories about the film concerned the fake gorilla skin that an actor wore. During production, the skin was switched from a gorilla to an orangutan, which perplexed some viewers who would ask Groucho about if they happened to meet him.

Musical numbers

*Lydia, the Tattooed Lady
*Two Blind Loves
*Swingali
*Blue Moon
*Beer Barrel Polka

References

External links

*tcmdb title|id=67744|title=At the Circus