When it comes to classic comedy, the Marx Brothers have always been a little…different from the rest of the pack. Those of us who are a bit long in the tooth are surely familiar with the slapstick antics of the Three Stooges, the inane silliness of Laurel and Hardy, the oddball pairing of Abbot and Costello.

All of these groups, however, have a certain homogeneity to them. And that’s something that the Marx Brothers lack-which is what makes them so unique. Groucho, of course, is the wisecracking know it all who marches around with his trademark bent-over posture, cigar, thick bushy mustache and glasses. Harpo, the silent partner so to speak, can say more with a dour or elated expression than many of us can with a gaggle of sentences. And of course there’s Chico, with his faux Italian accent, ever-present hat, and straight faced lunacy. Their incongruity was part of their appeal, and, unlike other comedy teams, their characters were often strangers to one another.

Such is the case with 1937’s A Day at thee Races. Directed by Sam Wood and produced by Irving Thalberg (who died before the film was completed), the brothers play three oddball characters who come together to save a sanitarium about to be taken over by the bank for default.

As the film opens, Tony (Chico Marx) is in the employ of Judy Standish (Maureen O’Sullivan) at a failing sanitarium. Judy’s boyfriend, Gil (Allan Jones) has concocted a plan to save the day by spending his last dime buying a race horse, in hopes that his newly acquired dark horse will win the day and enough money to pay off the bank.

More practical in her outlook, Judy, with Tony’s advice, is counting on the continued support of wealthy patient Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont). There’s just one problem-Emily is about to leave, unless Judy can arrange for famed Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho) to join the staff.

There is, as you might expect, a small problem: Hackenbush is a horse doctor, though Emily is unaware. With much finagling, Judy arranges for the good doctor to come onboard, and the fun truly begins. As members of the staff try to uncover Hackenbush as a fraud, Tony (who refers to him as “hack-in-the-puss”) and his pal Stuffy (Harpo) try to save him, and by extension the sanitarium from bankruptcy.

That is the simple plot of A Day at the Races, though everyone knows it’s not the plot that counts in a Marx Brothers movie: it’s the zany comedy that just sort of happens along the way. And we do get some of that here, though not as much as in earlier films.

To be sure, you’ll be treated to Grouch’s biting wit, Chico’s ever-present silliness, and Harpo’s quiet insanity. But even the humor seems to lag at times, and there are stretches in this almost two hour film that seem truly overlong. Most notable of these are the musical interludes, which are generously peppered throughout the film.

That said, a mediocre Marx Brothers film is still light years ahead of much of today’s fluff, and well worth checking out. Here, a classic scene between Groucho and Chico involving tips on a horse at the race track is pure unadulterated fun. A delightful piano performance by Harpo followed by Chico’s attempt to emulate (in which the piano is soundly trashed) is just as much fun. And there are some classic moments between Groucho and Margaret Dumont as well.

While not recommended as a first taste of the Marx brothers for the uninitiated, this film is still required curriculum for advanced students. Three and a half stars as a Marx Brothers film, but there is enough classic hilarity here to warrant four for Epinions purposes. After all, an average Day at the Races is better than a good day at work anytime.



Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day