Background on the Marx Brothers

The Marx Brothers were originally a vaudeville act, but in the mid-1920s began doing Broadway plays. They then moved on to make five feature films at Paramount, the first two of which — The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930) — were adaptations of their Broadway plays. But the last three Paramount films — Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932) and Duck Soup (1933) — were not adaptations, and all three movies ended up on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 funniest American comedies.

After Duck Soup, the Marx Brothers parted company with Paramount, apparently due to financial and artistic differences. They went on to make eight more movies with other studios, including A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937), both of which are on AFI's list of 100 funniest American comedies. These later Marx Brothers' films are more polished and generally have stronger, more satisfying story structures. They are mostly wonderful in their own way, yet many viewers prefer the loose, zany, madcap feeling of the Paramount movies.

Three of the Marx Brothers — Groucho (heavy mustache and stooped walk), Chico (spoke with a fake Italian accent) and Harpo (didn't speak at all, but periodically honked a horn he carried) — were in all 13 movies. There was also a fourth Marx Brother, Zeppo, who appeared in all five Paramount movies, after which he quit acting and focused on being a talent agent. On camera, Zeppo was always a straight man and/or the love interest of a supporting actress.

Marx Brothers Feature Films at Paramount

Duck Soup — In this comic masterpiece, Groucho becomes the leader of the country of Freedonia, which is soon at war with neighboring Sylvania. Famous for the scene where Harpo, disguised as Groucho, pretends to be Groucho's reflection in a mirror. Directed by Leo McCarey. (1 hr. 9 min.)

Horse Feathers — Groucho plays Professor Wagstaff, who becomes head of Huxley College, leading to a goofy football game against archrival Darwin. All four Marx Brothers perform "Everyone Says I Love You," which later became the title song for a Woody Allen movie. (1 hr. 7 min.)

Monkey Business — The four Marx Brothers stow away on a transatlantic ocean liner and get involved with feuding gangsters. Famous for the scene where each of the brothers dons a straw hat and impersonates Maurice Chevalier singing "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me." (1 hr. 18 min.)

Animal Crackers — Basically a series of sketches and gags which occur at a party honoring an African explorer (Groucho). Contains a number of famous lines, including Groucho saying, "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know." (1 hr. 37 min.)

The Cocoanuts — Set in a Florida resort hotel, this is an early talkie that's not nearly as good as the above four movies. Still, there are hilarious moments, as when the guests, dressed in Spanish attire, sing operatically about a lost shirt to the tunes of arias from Carmen.  (1 hr. 34 min.)

Marx Brothers Paramount Films on DVD

Universal Studios Home Entertainment handles the Marx Brothers Paramount films on DVD, and back in 2004 they released "The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection," a six-disc package that contained all five films, plus 17 minutes of interviews and a handsome booklet. But on June 7, 2011, USHE released single-disc DVD versions of each of the five films. Other than trailers, the single-disc versions provide no extras.

A pre-release review copy of the DVD was provided by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.