The Cocoanuts
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| The Cocoanuts | |
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 Theatrical release poster. |
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| Directed by | Robert Florey Joseph Santley |
| Produced by | Monta Bell Walter Wanger (uncr.) |
| Written by | George S. Kaufman (play) Morrie Ryskind |
| Starring | Groucho Marx Harpo Marx Chico Marx Zeppo Marx |
| Music by | Irving Berlin Victor Herbert (uncr.) Frank Tours (uncr.) Georges Bizet (uncr.) |
| Cinematography | George J. Folsey |
| Editing by | Barney Rogan (uncr.) |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 3, 1929 |
| Running time | 96 min |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000 (estimated) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Cocoanuts (1929) was the first feature-length Marx Brothers film, produced by Paramount Pictures. The musical comedy stars the four Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton and Margaret Dumont. Produced by Walter Wanger and directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley, it was adapted to the screen by Morrie Ryskind from the George S. Kaufman Broadway play. As one of the earliest examples of a transfer of a stage musical to the new medium, The Cocoanuts highlights the imperfect production methods of early sound films.
Five of the movie's tunes were scored by Irving Berlin including "When My Dreams Come True", sung by Oscar Shaw and Mary Eaton.
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[edit] Plot
The plot of The Cocoanuts is set in a resort hotel during the big Florida development boom of the 1920s. Groucho runs the place, assisted by "straight man" Zeppo (who in reality would rather sleep at the front desk than actually help him run it). Chico and Harpo arrive with empty luggage, which they plan to fill by robbing and conning the guests. Margaret Dumont, in the first of her many appearances as a stuffy dowager wooed and tormented by Groucho, is a guest, one of the few paying customers. Her daughter is in love with a struggling young architect, who is working to support himself as a clerk at the hotel, but who has plans for the development of the entire area. Dumont's character wants her daughter to marry a man she believes to be of higher social standing. This man is actually a con man out to steal the dowager's diamond necklace with the help of his conniving partner, played by Kay Francis. As viewers who are familiar with Marx Brothers movies, particularly the early ones, are aware, the plot is rather beside the point. The story and setting are little more than an excuse for the brothers to run rampant in their trademark style. The film is also notable for a very early usage of "production numbers" similar to those used in the 1930s by Busby Berkeley, including techniques which were soon to become standard, such as overhead shots of dancing girls imitating the patterns of a kaleidoscope. It is also notable that all musical sequences in this early “talkie” were recorded “live” on the soundstage as they were shot (not pre-recorded), using an off-camera orchestra. (The main titles are superimposed over a negative image of the "Monkey-Doodle-Do" number, but photographed from an angle that does not appear in the body of the film.)
One of the more famous (or infamous) gags in the film has Groucho giving directions to Chico, who keeps misunderstanding "viaduct" as "why-a-duck", and a lengthy surreal dialogue plays out.
In another sequence, Groucho is the auctioneer for some land of possibly questionable value ("You can even get stucco! Oh, can you get stuck-oh!") He has hired Chico to artificially "bid up" during the auction. Misunderstanding the concept, Chico keeps out-bidding everyone (even himself), much to Groucho's exasperation.
Also of note is a scene in which Groucho (and later the necklace thief) perform a speech at a wedding ceremony, and the end result has Harpo, bored, walking off several times with a grim look on his face, instead preferring to fill up on fruit punch (which one might believe has been spiked with alcohol).
[edit] Production
When the Marx Brothers were shown the final cut of the film, they were so appalled they tried to buy the negative back and prevent its release. Paramount wisely resisted — the movie turned out to be a big hit and earned close to two million dollars.
Every piece of paper in the movie is soaking wet, to keep crackling paper sounds from overloading the primitive recording equipment of the time. In fact, this did not occur to the director until twenty-seven takes had been made (of the "Viaduct" scene) and disposed of because of the noise made by the paper. The director finally got the idea to soak the paper in water; the 28th take of the "Viaduct" scene used soaked paper, and this take was quiet and kept. (Source: The Marx Brothers at the Movies, by Paul D. Zimmerman and Burt Goldblatt.)
[edit] Cast
- Groucho Marx as Mr. Hammer
- Harpo Marx as Harpo
- Chico Marx as Chico
- Zeppo Marx as Jamison
- Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Potter
- Oscar Shaw as Robert 'Bob' Adams
- Cyril Ring as Harvey Yates
- Kay Francis as Penelope
- Mary Eaton as Polly Potter
- Basil Ruysdael as Detective Hennessey
[edit] Songs
- "When My Dreams Come True"
- "The Bell-Hops"
- "Monkey-Doodle-Doo"
- "Ballet Music"
- "Tale of the Shirt"
- "Gypsy Love Song"
This film is noted as one of the few Irving Berlin vehicles that did not yield any particularly memorable songs. Berlin had actually written one of his eventual greatest hits, Always, for this film. But George S. Kaufman, convinced that it would never be a hit, convinced him to cut it. Reportedly, Kaufman (or Groucho) remarked, "No one will believe a lyric like 'I'll be loving you, always.' How about changing it to, 'I'll be loving you Thursday'?" (The song "Always" was eventually used in a movie--Pride of the Yankees (1942). Several songs from the stage play were omitted from the film. "Lucky Boy" was sung by the chorus to congratulate the Bob on his engagement to Polly. "A Little Bungalow" was a love duet sung by Bob and Polly, and was replaced with "When My Dreams Come True" in the film.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Cocoanuts at the Internet Movie Database
- The Cocoanuts at the TCM Movie Database
- Culture Vulture review of the film
- Review of The Cocoanuts
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