MARX BROTHERS-DAY AT THE RACES (DVD/P&S/ENG-FR-SP-SUB) DVD

A Day at the Races
A Day at the Races was the Marx Brothers' follow-up to their incomparable A Night at the Opera. Groucho Marx is cast as Hugo Z. Hackenbush, a veterinarian who passes himself off as a human doctor when summoned by wealthy hypochondriac Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) to take over the financially strapped Standish Sanitarium. Chico Marx plays the sanitarium's general factotum, who works without pay because he has a soft spot for its owner, lovely Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan). Harpo Marx portrays a jockey at the local racetrack, constantly bullied by the evil Morgan (Douglass Dumbrille), who will take over the sanitarium if Judy can't pay its debts. After several side-splitting routines--Chico selling Groucho tips on the races, Chico and Harpo rescuing Groucho from the clutches of femme fatale Esther Muir, all three Marxes conducting a lunatic "examination" of Margaret Dumont--the fate of the sanitarium rests on a Big Race involving Hi-Hat, a horse belonging to the film's nominal hero, Allan Jones. Virtually everything that worked in "Opera" is trotted out again for "Races", including a hectic slapstick finale wherein the Marxes lay waste to a public event. What is missing here is inspiration; perhaps this is due to the fact that MGM producer Irving Thalberg, whose input was so essential to the success of "Opera", died during the filming of "Races". Even so, Day at the Races made more money than any other previous Marx Brothers film--the result being that MGM, in the spirit of "they loved it once", would continue recycling Races' best bits for the studio's next three Marx vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Marx Brothers as themselves (Groucho,Chico, Harpo) Groucho Marx as Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush Chico Marx as Tony Harpo Marx as Stuffy Allan Jones as Gil Stewart Leonard Ceeley as Whitmore Maureen O'Sullivan as Judy Standish Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Emily Upjohn Douglas Dumbrille as Morgan Esther Muir as Flo Marlowe Sig Rumann as Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg Robert Middlemass as The Sheriff Vivien Fay as Solo Dancer

Crew Stanley Rogers - Art Director Cedric Gibbons - Art Director Edwin B. Willis - Art Director Max Siegel - Associate Producer David Gould - Choreography Dolly Tree - Costume Designer Sam Wood - Director Frank E. Hull - Editor Gus Kahn - Composer (Music Score) Bronislau Kaper - Composer (Music Score) George Bassman - Composer (Music Score) Walter Jurmann - Composer (Music Score) Franz Waxman - Composer (Music Score) Franz Waxman - Musical Direction/Supervision Joseph Ruttenberg - Cinematographer Lawrence Weingarten - Producer Sam Wood - Producer Irving G. Thalberg - Producer George Oppenheimer - Screenwriter Robert Pirosh - Screenwriter George Seaton - Screenwriter

A Day at the Races
The follow-up to A Night at the Opera (arguably the Marx Brothers's best film), A Day at the Races falls a little short of the mark in comparison with Opera, but is still lunatic fun of a high order. The boys are in fine form here, performing difficult routines with such skill that they come across as effortless (and are all the more enjoyable therefore). Several classic routines -- including "tutsi-fruitis," in which Chico keeps conning Groucho into buying racing tip books, a riotous medical exam, and a wallpapering sequence -- make the film memorable, as does the extended race finale, which manages to be both terribly funny and moderately tense. Aside from the routines, the strength of the script lies in its cohesiveness and coherence, qualities often lacking in other Marx efforts. As indicated, the brothers are their usual hilarious selves. What's surprising is how animated Margaret Dumont gets to be in this film. Although the score's big ballad is no great shakes, its two production numbers -- one of which features an outrageous art deco set incorporating lily pad tables and fountains and an impressive Vivian Fay dance routine - are memorable. The other is simpler, but packs an even greater wallop: Ivie Anderson and the Crinoline Choir performing "All God's Children Got Rhythm," a number which occasionally veers close to racial insensitivity, but which is saved by Anderson's radiant vocalizing and the gospel wails of the choir, as well as some snappy jitterbugging. Races would be the last of the Marx Brothers' classic films; while follow-ups like Room Service have some wonderful moments, they lack the sparkle found in the boys' best work. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
 

Dave Gould: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Dance Direction (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc Commentary by the Marx Brothers Encyclopedia author Glen Mitchell All-new documentary "On Your Marx, Get Set, Go!" Four vintage shorts: Robert Benchley's Oscar-nominated "A Night at the Movies" and the cartoons "Gallopin' Gals," "Mama's New Hat," and "Old Smokey" Audio-only treasures: Musical outtake "A Message From the Man in the Moon" and "Leo Is on the air" radio promo Theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 109 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Credits [1:23] 2. Sanitarium Blues [4:25] 3. Calling Dr. Hackenbush [4:05] 4. Peculiar Talents [4:21] 5. Pocketing Cash [3:28] 6. Tootsie-Frootsie Sucker [7:48] 7. Phone Phony [5:11] 8. The Doctor Is In [2:26] 9. Caught in in the Act [5:47] 10. Horsenappers [1:44] 11. Blue Venetian Waters [6:49] 12. Dancing Spree [4:12] 13. Piano Specialty [4:03] 14. Harp Specialty [2:55] 15. Frame Job [2:07] 16. Troubled Tryst [5:40] 17. Coverup [2:42] 18. Man or Mouse? [3:25] 19. Examining Mrs. Upjohn [6:10] 20. Tomorrow Is Another Day [4:46] 21. Gabriel Blow That Horn [3:04] 22. All God's Chillun' Got Rhythm [4:32] 23. Barnstormers [1:57] 24. Racehorsing Around [6:04] 25. Off and Running [5:07] 26. Mudslung Winner [3:16] 27. Finale and Cast List [1:33]