Cinema Revisited: Horse Feathers (1932)

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Starring Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Zeppo Marx, Thelma Todd, David Landau, Nat Pendelton, James Pierce, Theresa Harris. Released August 10, 1932. Running time: 70 minutes.

During their tenure at Paramount, fresh from the Broadway stage, the wild, anarchic spirit of The Marx Brothers remained intact. After two film versions of their stage successes "Coconuts" and "Animal Crackers," the Brother made original films with writers like S.J. Perlman, Will B. Johnstone, and Arthur Sheekman among the screenwriters, while Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby composed the songs. The Marx Brothers played comedy like no other act. There was barely a linear narrative structure to their films from this period, just a basic conflict from which they could build their comic episodes. Each brother had a distinctive style and ample screen time to exhibit it. Arguably, their movies from this period in their career are their best.

"Horse Feathers" features Groucho as an unlikely Professor at Huxley college where Zeppo is romancing pretty Thelma Todd, which Chico and Harpo are equally unlikely students. Groucho recruits them in a speakeasy when he mistaken believes that they are the ringer football players he wants to stick on his losing team. That's the extent of the plot. From this, The Marx Brothers are able to create some of their funniest comedy of all their films.

Groucho is out on a boat with Thelma Todd, and when she falls overboard and desperately calls for a lifesaver, he tosses her a mint from a role of lifesavers. He and Chico go through the ordeal of a password -- swordfish -- to get into a speakeasy. When Chico hints, "It's the name of a fish," Groucho answers, "Mary." Chico indicates that isn't a fish. Groucho responds, "she drinks like one." During a climactic football game, Groucho runs from the sidelines and tackles an opposing team's player who is carrying the ball to the goal posts. As he teaches a class, he responds to unruly student Harpo by telling a pretty coed to stay after school. When she protests that she hasn't done anything wrong, Groucho indicates that it'd be more fun to keep her after school. Groucho's opening speech to the student body includes a song called "Whatever it is, I'm against it," calling attention to his anarchy with the opening song.

Harpo, the non-speaking member of the act, offers surreal pantomime as he hands a passing tramp a cup of steaming coffee from inside his large coat, reveals to an officer showing his badge that there are dozens of badges pinned to the inside of his coat, on the football field he runs for a touchdown while tossing banana peels on the field, causing his opponents to slip and fall as they're chasing him. His harp playing is enchanting.

Chico's character is usually teamed with Harpo or opposing Groucho. Just like Larry of The Three Stooges, Chico is the man in the middle who maintains the structure of the comedy by alternating between his brothers. He makes amusing rhyming calls on the football field, he teams with Harpo in an attempt to kidnap two behemoth football stars from the opposing team. And when his fractured Italian accent hands Harpo a rope to help them escape their own capture, he instructs his brother to "tie on-a the bed, throw rope out-a the window." Rather than fasten the rope to the bed and drop it from the window for them to climb down, Harpo responds literally by placing his necktie on the bed and throwing the entire rope away. And, of course, Chico's piano playing is a delight.

Finally, Zeppo, the handsome "normal" member of the act who is often dismissed by fans for not being one of the funny ones, is actually quite excellent. He perfectly plays the fresh-faced 1930s-era juvenile, with a smooth singing voice and a just as smooth of a manner about him. His scenes with the great Thelma Todd are as much highlights as any of the big comic turns.

The main song among the Kalmar-Ruby compositions is "Everyone Says I Love You," which is performed at different times by each brother in their own inimitable way (the nonspeaking Harpo whistles the song).

"Horse Feathers" is a relentless comic delight, a film that is so spirited it can brighten the darkest mood. It features a magnificent comedy team at the height of its powers. And in nearly 90 years, this 1932 pre-code classic has lost none of its power. This writer first saw the film as far back as 1970 and, despite many many screenings over those nearly 50 years, the comedy is still funny, the music is still enjoyable, and the film remains a personal favorite.

There are certain movies everyone should see. "Horse Feathers" is one of these.