The Cocoanuts (1929)

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1. 

   Siskoid

   The Marx Brothers' first film, The Cocoanuts, is a very early talky (1929!) based on their Broadway show, and it has some of the finest Marx shtick put to film. And that's as true of the physical comedy (the adjoining room bit) as Groucho's joke-a-minute speeches (most famously, he and Chico in "Why a duck?"). I could do without the dancing girls or, Irving Berlin or not, any song the Brothers aren't involved in (so pretty much all of them except "Tale of the Shirt"), but I get that this is much closer to what they did on stage, a real variety show, than some of their later films. It's in fact pretty interesting to see the first film, despite its sound and picture problems (it's pretty old), because it's the template for almost everything that's to come. In 1929, the theatricality all makes sense. The Brothers never really leave this format, which evolves into a very specific "showcase" style. Well here it all is for the first time - Chico on piano, Harpo on harp, Groucho on Margaret Dumont - in a pretty tight comedy with no so tight love affairs and jewel heists thrown in (the latter is only memorable for Kay Francis, in my opinion). 4 years 7 months ago
2. 

   Matt Addis

   "Well, my mother and father talked it over and they finally moved to New York, a little house in the Bronx. And it was in that little house that Abraham Lincoln was born, much to my father's surprise. And that, boys and girls, was the beginning of the Lincoln Highway" 2 years 6 months ago
3. 

   chunkylefunga

   Nowhere near as good as their later work. 11 years 8 months ago

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