Monkey Business

"Laughing days are here again!"

1931 1h 17m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 226

Comedy

Synopsis

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Four stowaways get mixed up with gangsters while running riot on an ocean liner.

“Laughing days are here again!”

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Cast

Groucho Marx
Groucho
Harpo Marx
Harpo
Chico Marx
Chico
Zeppo Marx
Zeppo
Rockliffe Fellowes
J.J. 'Big Joe' Helton
Harry Woods
Alky Briggs
Thelma Todd
Lucille Briggs
Ruth Hall
Mary Helton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Writers: S.J. Perelman, Will B. Johnstone
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 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

95 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod, shot by Arthur L. Todd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Laughing days are here again!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0022158 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Norman Z. McLeod directs. Arthur L. Todd behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
295 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Norman Z. McLeod, shot by Arthur L. Todd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Groucho Marx and Harpo Marx and Chico Marx carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Laughing days are here again!".
7IMDB entry: tt0022158 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur L. Todd
Runtime: 77 min · 1h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Monkey Business (1931)

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Norman Z. McLeod

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-13
★ 6/10
The four Marx brothers smuggle themselves aboard an ocean liner in barrels and proceed to cause a modicum of havoc on the ship before cleverly avoiding immigration officials in New York and ending up embroiled in a turf war between rival gangsters that sees one of their number's daughter kidnapped - and our hapless comics seem the most likely to save the day, and the gal! Now I'm not really a fan of this kind of humour, I just don't find it funny - but one has to admire the sheer precision of their performance. The quickly paced, expertly choreographed "spontaneity" of it all is precise and impressive. The four brothers (perhaps Zeppo, not so much) each have an unique sort of characterisation to bring to the mix, and Harpo manages a turn on the harp with some skill too. It's the very precision of it all that renders it sterile for me; it could be a comedic ballet with everything so meticulously planned and executed. The humour - which misses just as often as it hits - just seems incidental to their expertise in purveying it - and that didn't work for me either. Zany? Maybe... Funny? Not really...

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