Marx Brothers Films

Marx Brothers Film List (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo)

The Marx Brothers films – A listing of the various Marx Brothers movies, both as a team and with various individual roles.

Too Many Kisses (1925) … Harpo as The Village Peter Pan

The only film where Harpo has a speaking part – €ironically, it is a silent film, so even though Harpo speaks, the audience can – „¢t hear it.   Although a funny film, Harpo plays only a minor role in the movie.

Humor Risk (1926) … Groucho as Villain, Harpo as Watson, Chico, Zeppo

The first Marx Brothers movie.   Supposedly, the brothers were so unhappy with the movie that they destroyed every known copy – none are known to exist today.

The Cocoanuts  (1929) … Groucho as Hammer, Harpo as Harpo, Chico as Chico, Zeppo as Jamison

The Marx Brothers first movie and one of their funniest, essentially a filmed version of their stage show.   The plot consists of Groucho trying to con everyone else in a land swindle, but the plot – „¢s secondary to the verbal and physical humor of the Marx Brothers.

Animal Crackers  (1930) … Groucho as Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding, Harpo as The Professor, Chico as Signor Emanuel Ravelli, Zeppo as Horatio Jamison

Animal Crackers, the Marx Brothers’ second film. A gem, containing some of Groucho’s funniest lines, Harpo and Chico’s finest bits, and Zeppo shines as well

Monkey Business  (1931) … Groucho as Groucho, Harpo as Harpo, Chico as Chico, Zeppo as Zeppo

The Marx Brothers stow away on board a ship to America, get mixed up with gansters, and crash a high-society party. Co-starring Thelma Todd, The first Marx Brothers film written especially for the screen, as opposed to adapting their stage shows.

The House That Shadows Built (1931) … Groucho as Caesar’s Ghost, Harpo as The Merchant of Wieners, Chico as Tomalio, Zeppo as Sammy Brown

A cross between a documentary and an infomercial, with a bevy of film stars, including a short segment with the Marx Brothers. The Marx Brothers perform a five-minute sketch from their 1924 Broadway revue “I’ll Say She Is!” The sketch was specially filmed and included here to advertise their (then) latest comedy,  Monkey Business, although the scene itself does not appear in that film or in any other Marx Brothers movie.

Horse Feathers  (1932) … Groucho as Prof. Quincy Adams Wagstaff, Harpo as Pinky, Chico as Baravelli, Zeppo as Frank Wagstaff

The Marx Brothers attend college. with Groucho as the president of the college, Zeppo as his son, and Harpo and Chico as the newest additions to the college football team — recruited by mistake, of course. The beautiful Thelma Todd tries to weasel the team’s football signals from Zeppo and Groucho and the big football game, with the Marx Brothers on field, pulling out all the stops to defeat the other side.

Duck Soup  (1933) … Groucho as Rufus T. Firefly, Harpo as Pinky, Chico as Chicolini, Zeppo as Lt. Bob Roland

Duck Soup is the Marx Brothers most famous film, a satire on war, politics, and many other things. Utterly hilarious, and it has to be seen to be appreciated.

A Night at the Opera  (1935) … Groucho as Otis B. Driftwood, Harpo as Tomasso, Chico as Fiorello

A Night at the Opera is another one of the best of the Marx Brothers movies, with Groucho trying to fleece Margaret Dumont, rich opera lover, while Chico and Harpo try to help their friend to become an opera singer, win the girl and defeat the pompous opera tenor. The ending alone is one of the funniest things ever filmed.

A Day at the Races  (1937) … Groucho as Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush, Harpo as Stuffy, Chico as Tony

A Day at the Races is one of the Marx Brothers best pictures, a sequel of sorts to  A Night at the Opera. The story finds Groucho, Chico, and Harpo helping out at a sanatorium, where Margaret Dumont, is the leading patient. The film has some of the trio’s funniest and most memorable bits and a dazzling horserace at the climax.

Room Service  (1938) … Groucho as Gordon Miller, Harpo as Faker, Chico as Harry Binelli

Groucho plays a theatrical producer holed up in a hotel room; he doesn’t have a cent but he does have a sure-fire Broadway hit if only he can put the funds together to get it on stage. To do so, he’s willing to try anything–including convincing the naive playwright that he’s got a contagious disease in order to quarantine him and keep the hotel manager at bay. The cast includes Ann Miller and a young Lucille Ball.

At the Circus  (1939) … Groucho as J. Cheever Loophole, Harpo as Punchy, Chico as Antonio Pirelli … aka The Marx Brothers at the Circus

At the Circus is perhaps the Marx Brothers’ most underrated comedy. It’s quite funny, with a very zany ending, complete with Harpo’s athletic working on the high wires, reminiscent of the ending of A Night at the Opera.

Go West  (1940) … Groucho as S. Quentin Quale, Harpo as Rusty Panello, Chico as Joseph Panello … aka Marx Brothers Go West (1940) (UK)

The Big Store  (1941) … Groucho as Wolf J. Flywheel, Harpo as Wacky, Chico as Ravelli

Margaret Dumont hires Groucho, shyster lawyer Wolf J. Flywheel, to protect her nephew from a villainous co-owner of her store who’s trying to prevent its’ sale and uncover his financial shenanigans. One of the Marx Brothers’ lesser films, although the ending is quite funny.

A Night in Casablanca  (1946) … Groucho as Ronald Kornblow, Harpo as Rusty, Chico as Corbaccio

The last of the Marx Brothers comedies – and a very funny comedy in its’ own right, as the Marx Brothers foil a plot by escaped Nazis

Copacabana  (1947) … Groucho as Lionel Q. Deveraux

Groucho’s first movie apart from his brothers.  He co-stars with Carmen Miranda in a musical comedy, where she has to play double roles.

Love Happy  (1950) … Groucho as Sam Grunion, Harpo as Harpo, Chico as Faustino the Great … aka Kleptomaniacs (1950) (USA)

“You Bet Your Life“ (1950-1961) TV Series … Groucho as himself … aka “The Groucho Show” (1961) (USA: last season title)

Double Dynamite (1951) … Groucho as Emile J. Keck … aka It’s Only Money (1951)

Groucho as the interfering best friend, Frank Sinatra as the shy bank clerk, and Jane Russell as the love interest.  No, Frank’s actually innocent of bank fraud, honest!

A Girl in Every Port (1952) … Groucho as Benjamin Franklin ‘Benny’ Linn

Showdown at Ulcer Gulch (1956) … Groucho in cameo appearance as Stage conductor, Chico in cameo appearance as piano player

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) (uncredited) …. Groucho as George Schmidlap … aka Oh! For a Man! (1957) (UK)

The Story of Mankind (1957) … Groucho as Peter Minuit, Harpo as Sir Isaac Newton, Chico as Monk

The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians (1970) (TV) (voice of Groucho)

Skidoo (1968) … Groucho as ‘God’ the mob boss

Tell It to Groucho (1962) TV Series … Groucho as himself

The Mikado (1960) (TV) … Groucho as Ko-Ko … aka Town of Titipu, The (1960) (TV) (UK: subtitle)