Originally devised as a vehicle for Harpo Marx, which then had the other brothers shoved in. Chico at least gets to play some parts with his brother, but Groucho’s scenes operate as a sort of framing device: narration, opening the film, etc – indicating a troubled production. He’s not in the film very long, but he’s the best thing about it. For one thing Groucho seemed to age better than the others – a dirty young man simply became a dirty old man. (The others were still funny even when older, just less funny, whereas Groucho wasn’t, if that makes sense). Also Groucho gets the best scene – leering as a young Marilyn Monroe. You couldn’t say from seeing this that she was going to be one of the all time great stars, she walks self-consciously, but she looks a million bucks. Illona Massey is fun too as the villainess.Most of the action centers around Harpo. A film centered around the old manic Harpo might have worked. But the later, cute Harpo doesn’t. Actually, just thinking about it, that’s not fair – maybe it could have worked, if done with the right touch. But this vehicle – which involves Harpo helping out a struggling theatre show, and getting involved with gangsters and stolen diamonds - is bland. Harpo is in love for the first time in this movie, with Vera Ellen… who of course loves someone else. Chaplin’s disease strikes again! At least there’s no orphans.
The theatre plot isn’t particularly engaging, either; I did like Vera Ellen, who is pretty and an excellent dancer, but they have this bland ballet dancer romantic lead for her (he can really dance, don’t get me wrong, but his character is a bit of a nong). Is this why the plot disappears in the last half hour? A film really only for completists of the Marx Bros, Marilyn Monroe, or Frank Tashlin (who worked on the script).
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