April 29, 2005

Pauline Kael: 5001 movies

Next up?

Animal Crackers 1930

The Marx Brothers in their pre-Hollywood period; like The Cocoanuts of the year before, it was a Broadway musical comedy, slightly adapted, and filmed in Astoria -- and it looks stagey. But the film is too joyous for cavilling. Groucho is the fearless African explorer Captain Spaulding, who deigns to attend a party at Rittenhouse Manor on Long Island; Margaret Dumont is Mrs. Rittenhouse and Lillian Roth is her daughter Arabella. Arguably the best line: "Signor Ravelli's first selection will be 'Somewhere My Love Lies Sleeping' with a male chorus."
Posted by sheila