"The cocoanuts" based on the play by George S. Kaufman; "Animal crackers" based on the musical play by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. Originally released as motion pictures 1929-1933. Features: three vintage interviews from the "Today show" with Harpo, Groucho, and William Marx featuring rarely seen home movies. The Marx Brothers, also as the Four Marx Brothers (Harpo, Groucho, Zeppo, Chico) ; The cocoanuts: Margaret Dumont, Oscar Shaw ; Animal crackers: Lillian Roth, Margaret Dumont ; Monkey business: Rockliffe Fellowes, Harry Woods ; Horse feathers: Thelma Todd, David Landau ; Duck soup: Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern.
Contents:
The cocoanuts (1929) / adapted by Morrie Ryskind ; directed by Robert Florey, Joseph Santley -- Animal crackers (1930) / screenplay, Morrie Ryskind ; directed by Victor Heerman -- Monkey business (1931) / by S.J. Perelman, Will B. Johnstone ; directed byNorman McLeod -- Horse feathers (1932) / by Bert Kalmar ... [et al.] ; directed by Norman McLeod -- Duck soup (1933) / story by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby ; directed by Leo McCarey.
Summary:
The owner of a failing hotel tries to make money any way he can; chaos ensues when a valuable painting goes missing during a party for African explorer, Captain Spaulding; while stowing away on a ship to America, the brothers unwittingly get involved with feuding gangsters; as president of Huxley College, Professor Wagstaff tries to keep the student body in line and get his son to graduate after twelve years by arranging to have professional football players to play for the school against their rival Darwin University; Mrs. Teasdale creates a chaotic mess when she funds the state of Freedonia and insists on replacing the president with dictatorial Rufus T. Firefly.
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