A Day at the Races

"Three Great Laff Stars ! . . . more gags and gals . . . more songs and dances !"

1937 1h 49m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🔥

95%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 241🍅95%Rotten Tomatoes★7.5IMDB · 14,821

ComedyMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's sanitarium by winning a big race with a finicky horse owned by Judy's boyfriend Gil. There are a few problems. Hackenbush, who was recently put in charge of the sanitarium, isn't really a doctor, he's a veterinarian.

“Three Great Laff Stars ! . . . more gags and gals . . . more songs and dances !”

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Cast

Groucho Marx
Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush
Chico Marx
Tony
Harpo Marx
Stuffy
Allan Jones
Gil Stewart
Maureen O'Sullivan
Judy Standish
Margaret Dumont
Emily Upjohn
Sig Ruman
Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg
Leonard Ceeley
Whitmore

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sam Wood
Writers: Robert Pirosh, George Seaton, George Oppenheimer
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

89 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sam Wood, shot by Joseph Ruttenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frank E. Hull shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Groucho Marx and Chico Marx and Harpo Marx carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Three Great Laff Stars ! . . . more gags and gals . . . more songs and dances !".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028772 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sam Wood directs. Joseph Ruttenberg behind the camera. Franz Waxman scores. Frank E. Hull cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
289 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Sam Wood, shot by Joseph Ruttenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Frank E. Hull shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Groucho Marx and Chico Marx and Harpo Marx carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Three Great Laff Stars ! . . . more gags and gals . . . more songs and dances !".
8IMDB entry: tt0028772 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Original score: Franz Waxman
Editing: Frank E. Hull
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Status: Released
Budget: $2,016,000
Box office: $2,305,000
Return: 114% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: A Day at the Races (1937)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 14,821 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 nomination total

Also by

Sam Wood

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-03
★ 10/10
One of the greatest comedies of all time, period--and the finest comedic group at their peak, though I slightly prefer Duck Soup. Still, you won't find any better than this. Their hilarity and zaniness of the core trio is spellbinding, and their consistent comedic inventiveness is remarkable. The pacing, utilizing the occasional charming musical passages of both Chico and Harpo, are to provide a necessary counterpoint to the set-pieces, otherwise it would be too much for a cinephile to take in at one sitting.

Production companies