Unfinished: The Marx Brothers appearances ranked worst to best
The approximate best-to-worst list of Marx Brothers appearances according to IMDB. As always, TV appearances seem to get rated much higher than films.
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- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe gang meets Harpo Marx and Lucy does the famous 'mirror' routine with him.
- 1951–19711hTV-GTV Episode8.7 (19)DirectorSeymour BernsStarsRed SkeltonHarpo MarxVirginia Grey
- DirectorArthur HillerStarsHarpo MarxErnest TruexBert FreedA deaf-mute witnesses a murder but is unable to tell the police what he knows. Meanwhile the killer and his accomplice seek to find the deaf-mute in order to eliminate him.
- DirectorRichard SmithStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxHarpo played the hero, a detective named Watson who "made his entrance in a high hat, sliding down a coal chute into the basement". Groucho played an "old movie" villain, who "sported a long mustache and was clad in black", while Chico was probably his "chuckling [Italian] henchman". Zeppo portrayed a playboy who was the owner of a nightclub in which most of the action took place, including "a cabaret, [which allowed] the inclusion of a dance number". The final shot showed Groucho "in ball and chain, trudging slowly off into the gloaming". Harpo, in a rare moment of romantic glory, gets the girl in the end.
- DirectorRalph LevyStarsJack BennyGroucho MarxEddie 'Rochester' AndersonWhen Jack learns that the jackpot on Groucho Marx's television quiz show "You Bet Your Life" has risen to a whopping $3,000, he sneaks onto the show as a contestant, by wearing a disguise.
- DirectorDavid SwiftStarsWilliam LundiganBetsy PalmerJane GreerAn airliner flying nonstop at night from Miami to New York fails to check in, then disappears from radar. We see how its disappearance affects people on the ground.
- DirectorOscar RudolphStarsFess ParkerSandra WarnerStan IrwinSenator Smith mistakes Harpo for a famous French pianist and invites him to play at the White House.
- DirectorVictor HeermanStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxMayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxThe Marx BrothersOn a transatlantic crossing, The Marx Brothers get up to their usual antics and manage to annoy just about everyone on board the ship.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodStarsGroucho MarxChico MarxHarpo MarxQuincy Adams Wagstaff, Huxley University's new president, accidentally hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help his school win the big football game against their rival, Darwin University.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxRufus T. Firefly is named the dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of his wealthy backer Mrs. Teasdale, contending with two inept spies who can't seem to keep straight which side they're on.
- DirectorsSam WoodEdmund GouldingStarsGroucho MarxChico MarxHarpo MarxA sly business manager and the wacky friends of two opera singers in Italy help them achieve success in America while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGroucho MarxChico MarxHarpo MarxA veterinarian posing as a doctor teams with a singer and his friends as they struggle to save an upstate New York sanitarium with the help of a misfit racehorse.
- DirectorShamus CulhaneStarsOrson BeanSalome JensGroucho Marx
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsTony RandallJayne MansfieldBetsy DrakeTo save his career, a writer for television advertising wants a famous actress to endorse a lipstick. In return, he has to pretend to be her new lover.
- DirectorsNorman CampbellMartyn GreenStarsMartyn GreenGroucho MarxRobert RounsevilleIn a mythical Japan, Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor, has been appointed Lord High Executioner and must find someone to execute before the arrival of the ruling Mikado. He lights upon Nanki-Poo, a strolling minstrel who loves the beautiful Yum-Yum. But Yum-Yum is also loved by Ko-Ko, and Nanki-Poo, seeing no hope for his love, considers suicide. Ko-Ko offers to solve both their problems by executing Nanki-Poo, and an agreement is reached whereby Ko-Ko will allow Nanki-Poo to marry Yum-Yum for one month, at the end of which Nanki-Poo will be executed, in time for the arrival of the Mikado. But what Ko-Ko doesn't know is that Nanki-Poo is the son of the Mikado and has run away to avoid a betrothal to an old harridan named Katisha. The arrival of the Mikado brings all the threads of the tale together.
- DirectorCharles F. HaasStarsRonald ReaganGroucho MarxDennis HopperWhen his daughter Margie announces her intention to marry young Fred Judson, John Graham is disturbed. He believes the couple is too young for marriage and, more importantly, unprepared for the independence he believes marriage requires. Margie and Fred seem content to live on hand-outs from their parents, but John seems the only parent to think that's a bad idea. No matter what he says, the two insist on marrying, even if John won't attend the wedding. Eventually, it's what John doesn't say that affects their decision.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsRobert RedfordPeter BoyleMelvyn DouglasBill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
- DirectorFelix E. FeistStarsCarey WilsonJane BarnesMaureen O'SullivanJane Barnes is a young girl out to win fame and fortune as an actress. She secures a studio contract (the first step), then becomes an extra, does fashion shoots and is brought in as a stand-in for Maureen O'Sullivan in a Tarzan film.
- DirectorPaul SloaneStarsRichard DixFrank CurrierAlbert TavernierRichard Gaylord, Jr. is a modern Lothario who has so many sweethearts that his father does not know what to do with him. Tired of paying to get his son out of one romantic entanglement after another, the elder Gaylord sends his son to the Basque region of France, believing that the women there will accept attentions only from their own people. Almost immediately, a local girl, Yvonne Hurja becomes infatuated with Richard, whom she sees as being able to help her break free from the unwanted attention of local guardsman Julio. A rivalry grows between Richard and Julio.
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsCheryl WalkerWilliam TerryJudith AndersonA young soldier arrives in NYC and, before heading overseas to WWII, visits Stage Door Canteen, where famous actresses and entertainers volunteer to entertain soldiers.
- DirectorsRobert FloreyJoseph SantleyStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxDuring the Florida land boom, The Marx Brothers run a hotel, auction off some land, thwart a jewel robbery, and generally act like themselves.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsGeorge RaftDolores CostelloIda LupinoCasino operator Johnny Lamb hires down-on-her-luck socialite Lucille Sutton as his casino hostess, in order to help her and to improve casino income. But Lamb's pals fear that he could follow Lucille onto the straight-and-narrow path, which would not be good for business. So they hire Gert Malloy and Dictionary McKinney, a pair of con-artists, to manipulate Johnny back off the path of righteousness.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxA penniless theatrical producer must outwit the hotel efficiency expert trying to evict him from his room, while securing a backer for his new play.
- DirectorEdward BuzzellStarsGroucho MarxChico MarxHarpo MarxThe Marx Brothers try to help the owner of a circus recover some stolen funds before he finds himself out of a job.