This was the third Marx Brothers film but it was the first one written directly for the big screen and also the first one shot in Hollywood. It was actually banned in some countries because it was thought to encourage anarchy! Can you imagine - the Marx Brothers encouraging anarchy?
If you follow the picture from start to finish there's not much of a plot or story here, but you do get a look at some of the amazing talent each of the Marx Brothers brought to the table. Groucho in particular is a whirling dervish of rapid fire banter that's always a pace or two ahead of the viewer, and I had to do a rewind when he offered that rather risqué line to a newspaper photographer - "Pictures? Here's a little sex stuff for your front page." Who would have imagined that for 1931?
Chico managed to impress with his piano playing and Harpo somehow got a frog to jump into his hat not once but twice during the story, and it made me stop and wonder how many takes that might have taken. If there's any hint of normalcy to be derived from this band of brothers, I guess it would have to be Zeppo who despite the odd name, appeared to be of normal character and temperament.
Put them all together though and you have some rather frenetic activity, what with rival gangsters stirring up trouble aboard ship and Harpo chasing after every gal who happens to come his way. The only thing missing as Groucho so astutely observed - "Where's all those farmer's daughters I've been hearing about for years?"
If you follow the picture from start to finish there's not much of a plot or story here, but you do get a look at some of the amazing talent each of the Marx Brothers brought to the table. Groucho in particular is a whirling dervish of rapid fire banter that's always a pace or two ahead of the viewer, and I had to do a rewind when he offered that rather risqué line to a newspaper photographer - "Pictures? Here's a little sex stuff for your front page." Who would have imagined that for 1931?
Chico managed to impress with his piano playing and Harpo somehow got a frog to jump into his hat not once but twice during the story, and it made me stop and wonder how many takes that might have taken. If there's any hint of normalcy to be derived from this band of brothers, I guess it would have to be Zeppo who despite the odd name, appeared to be of normal character and temperament.
Put them all together though and you have some rather frenetic activity, what with rival gangsters stirring up trouble aboard ship and Harpo chasing after every gal who happens to come his way. The only thing missing as Groucho so astutely observed - "Where's all those farmer's daughters I've been hearing about for years?"