The Marx Brothers in the circus

Movie
German title	The Marx Brothers in the circus
Original title	At the circus
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1939
length	83 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6
Rod
Director	Edward Buzzell
script	Irving crusher ; Ben Hecht
production	Mervyn LeRoy
music	Franz Waxman
camera	Leonard Smith
cut	William H. Terhune
occupation
	Groucho Marx : J. Cheever Loophole; Chico Marx : Antonio Pirelli; Harpo Marx : Punchy; Kenny Baker : Jeff Wilson; Florence Rice : Julie Randall; Eve Arden : Peerless Pauline; Margaret Dumont : Mrs. Suzannah Dukesbury; James Burke : John Carter; Nat Pendleton : Goliath; Jerry Maren : Little Professor Atom; Fritz Feld : Jardinet; Barnett Parker : Whitcomb;

The Marx Brothers in the circus (original title: At the Circus ) was the ninth film with the Marx Brothers Groucho, Chico and Harpo. It was shot and published in 1939 .

action

Jeff Wilson's circus is on the verge of bankruptcy because his wealthy aunt Susan Dukesbury, who has supported him so far, has turned off the money. He also owes $ 10,000 to his seedy partner, John Carter. Now, on behalf of Carter, these $ 10,000 are stolen from him by Goliath and the professor. Wilson's associates Antonio Pirelli and Punchy hire lawyer J. Cheever Loophole to look for the money. After his attempts to lure a confession out of Goliath or the professor, he leaves for Mrs. Dukesbury. There he succeeds in stopping the Jardinet who has been invited to a party so that Jeff Wilson can come and perform with his circus at this party. Carter tries everything to prevent the performance, including releasing the gorilla. But finally Jeff manages to reconcile with his aunt and finally to marry his beloved Julie.

Famous scenes

Classic scenes include:

The professor's interrogation: Punchy finds a cigar butt at the crime scene. Now Loophole and Antonio try to persuade the short professor Atom to give them a cigar so that they can prove that he committed the attack. However, Loophole does not know that Antonio has a real store of cigars in his pocket and is happy to give them to him.
The hunt for the gorilla: Carter releases the gorilla when she introduces Mrs. Dukesbury, and everyone panics. Loophole, Antonio and Punchy try to catch him. Finally, the three of them are hanging on the trapeze with Carter and Mrs. Dukesbury and the gorilla turns to Carter to take the money from him.
Groucho's song about "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" with the famous lyrics by EY Harburg .

criticism

The contemporary reviews of The Marx Brothers in the Circus were not as positive as those of the earlier Marx Brothers films. So wrote Frank Nugent in the New York Times that one must sadly report that this film was a rather "discouraged imitation of earlier Marx successes".

The lexicon of international films wrote: "Turbulent comedy with successful musical interludes that, despite the recognizable pretext character of the plot and occasional slowdowns in tempo, offers mostly refreshing and anarchically cheeky entertainment." Cinema judged the film to offer "slapstick, musical acrobatics and puns en masse" and show the "anarcho-clowns in their element".

Web links

At the Circus in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

[1] THE SCREEN; Marxes Well Under Their Top in 'At the Circus' at the Capitol - New Films at Rialto and Palace , New York Times

[2] The Marx Brothers in the circus. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed January 6, 2017 .

[3] The Marx Brothers in the circus at Cinema