<<<HORSING AROUND!!!   •A DAY AT THE RACES (1937) •WRONG AGAIN (1929) <<<HORSING AROUND!!!

 

 

Hey! It's Splodge's 7th Birthday programme, and because we have become SOOOOOOOO successful, important and busy over this period of time, this edition of the SplodgeNotes is regrettably somewhat "abbreviated", but we hope to be back to our unsuccessful, unimportant, indolent and verbose selves in time for the December edition! In the meanstwhile, we are sure you will get the gist of it all, being a Cup Eve screening.

 

 

 

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             SPLODGE! NOTES: 1st. Mon. NOVEMBER  (01/11/04)

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                           4th. Quartile

 

                              OCTOBER

                              AD 2004

 

                           Monday, 04th.

 

             Registration:    7.30    -      8.00 pm

             Screening: >>>>> 8.00  (*EIGHT*!!!!)  pm <<<<<

 

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                        HORSING AROUND!!!

 

•WRONG AGAIN (1929),

 

 

In this comedy with a surrealistic edge, stable-hands Stan and Ollie hear of the famous "Blue Boy" having been stolen, and presume this refers to the horse of that name which is in their stable. Eager to claim the award, they set out to visit the millionaire owner to return the valuable property. When they call at his house, they receive a message to leave "Blue Boy" on the piano. At some stage, the real "Blue Boy" (a painting) is returned, and then destroyed by our duo. Prod Co: Hal Roach Studios. Dir: LEO McCAREY. Phot: GEORGE STEVENS.  Starring: STAN LAUREL, OLIVER HARDY.  20 mins. NFVLS

                              and featuring:

 

•A DAY AT THE RACES (1937),

 

Academy Award nomination for Best Dance Direction

 

Groucho and Chico are working in a sanatorium. We are asked to believe that the Brothers are more interested in saving the sanatorium from bankruptcy than in the racetrack next door.

Groucho, in reality a horse doctor, is hypochondriac Margaret Dumont's personal physician ('Marry me and I'll never look at another horse'). Chico is a loyal employee and his friend Harpo is a jockey.

A highlight is an encounter in which Chico systematically fleeces Groucho.

 

The Marx Brothers take their special brand of lunacy to the track in an effort to help  this struggling sanitarium, run by Judy (Maureen O'Sullivan), and stay afloat.

The usual antics ensue including: Groucho pretending to be a famous psychiatrist in order to keep Mrs. Upjohn (Dumont), the hospital’s wealthiest client, happy; Chico scheming to raise money any way he can; and Harpo helping Gil (Jones), Judy’s fiancé, maintain possession of a race horse they’re sure will solve their money woes, if they can just keep the horse away from the local sheriff long enough to enter it in the next big race. While not my favorite of their films, the brothers still manage to put on a fairly entertaining show. A DAY AT THE RACES is at its’ best when they are onscreen together, losing energy and pace when the story focuses on the supporting cast.

 

Clearly these films need a greater purpose driving the brothers’ actions, but frankly I find it just gums up the comedy. O'Sullivan and Jones are attractive and competent, just not what I want to watch. While the bulk of the jokes aren’t as fresh and crisp as in their earlier efforts, the physical comedy is to die for. There are several sequences, the best being the boys “examination” of Margaret Dumont, that are so outrageous you’ll find yourself rolling with laughter. As in all their movies, they finagle out of several tight spots to help their new friends beat the system, find love and gain financial success. They also showoff their musical prowess – Chico on the piano, Harpo on the harp – which is always impressive, but more out of place in this film than some of their others. All in all a solid effort. Not as fun as my favorite, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, but certainly one that will tickle most viewers, especially if you have the ability to fast forward through the slow, i.e. story, parts.  Prod Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Dir: Sam Wood. Script: Pirosh, George Seaton, George Oppenheimer. Phot: Joseph Ruttenberg. Mus: FRANZ WAXMAN. Ed: Frank E. Hull.  Starring: GROUCHO MARX, CHICO MARX, HARPO MARX, Alan Jones, Maureen O'Sullivan, MARGRET DUMONT. 109 mins. NFVLS

 

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          Minor programme changes may occur due to unforseen

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        Feature runs last; shorts order may vary from listing.

 

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