Movie review – Marx #12 - “A Night in Casablanca” (1946) ***1/2

The Marx Brothers had retired from movie making for a number of years until enticed back to make this efforts (mostly due to Chico’s debts, I understand) – and the result was the best of their later movies. There are some strong gags, solid story, and a great setting for the Marx Brothers – Casablanca after the war (setting it during the war perhaps would have been too serious), full of ex-Nazis, treacherous singers, dodgy French, Arabs. Like the sappiest MGM films, the brothers are helping a romantic duo, but this story is interesting (the male romantic lead is a French officer – played by the very American Charles Drake) – and the brothers have their own plot line (an omission which hurt many of the MGM films) – to wit, Groucho is managing a café which contains stolen treasure.

Harpo has one of his best roles in ages, getting to wreck some decent havoc instead of hanging around in kids, and Groucho is strong. There’s no Margaret Dumont but Sig Ruman from Night at the Opera plays a Nazi and there’s a femme fetale to seduce Groucho. Dan Seymour, the poor man’s Sydney Greenstreet (but for all that an effective performer) is also on hand. A fun movie.