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A Day at the Races

A Day at the Races

List Price: $19.97
Your Price: $17.97
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Finest
Review: This is great.You wont find many better.There are so many funny scenes I cant tell you.Chico has an excellent piano scene.It is Hillarious.You wont be disappointed. This is nothing but fun,fun,fun!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HILARIOUS MARX MADNESS
Review: When Tony (Chico), an employee at the financially troubled Standish sanitariam, discovers that Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan) is in danger of losing the institution to a banker named Morgan (Douglas Dumbrille), he decides to seek a large donation from wealthy patient Mrs. Upjohn (Margaret Dumont, natch). Fashions in Marxism change, but this top quality production, though lacking their zaniest inspirations, does contain several of their funniest routines and a spectacularly well integrated racehorse climax. The musical and romantic asides are a matter of taste but are delightfully typical of their time. Among the performers in this delightfully off-beat film is Duke Ellington's wonderful vocalist Ivie Anderson, famous for her rendition of I GOT IT BAD (AND THAT AIN'T GOOD), and a very young Dorothy Dandridge made her debut here. It has been noted that over 5,OOO black performers auditioned for parts in the black musical sequences. An amusing trivia note: the character Groucho plays, Dr. Hackenbush was to be originally named Quakenbush. Reason for the change? Thirty-seven REAL-life doctors with that very name threatened to sue the studio(!).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Marx Brothers Movie
Review: While not one of their absolute best, "A Day at the Races" is still a very good, very funny Marx Brothers movie. Most of Groucho's one-liners ("If I marry you, I'll never look at another horse again") are good, and the short routines (particularly the 'tootsie frootsie ice cream' scam) are excellent as well. The only problem is the dreadful romantic subplot with Allan Jones and Maureen O'Sullivan, as well as some terrible musical numbers (like the dated "All God's Chillun Got Lovin').

The DVD is in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and it looks fine. Glenn Mitchell, author of the superb "Marx Brothers Encyclopedia," offers a commentary. There are way too many long gaps (especially towards the end), but it does offer a lot of interesting information. A radio ad and an outtake from the long-lost song "Message From the Man on the Moon" will be appreciated by scholars, and the inclusion of shorts and cartoons (include Robert Bencheley's "A Night at the Movies") makes for good entertainment.
Like its companion disc, "A Night at the Opera," the only serious flaw is in the documentary. "On you Marx, Get Set, Go!" has several interviewees offering a limited amount of interesting insight into the film and the brothers (particularly the affordable comedian Dom DeLuise, who does some miserable jokes about food during his segments).


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