A Night at the Opera (1935)

A Night at the Opera
Directed by Sam Wood
1935/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Repeat viewing
#90 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] Otis B. Driftwood: I saw Mrs. Claypool first. Of course, her mother really saw her first but there’s no point in bringing the Civil War into this.[/box]

Let’s see, is there a plot?  Well, Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont) has hired Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) to get her into high society, an unlikely proposition if ever there was one.  His brilliant idea is for her to invest in the New York Opera.  In the meantime, Fiorello (Chico Marx) and Tomasino (Harpo Marx) are promoting a tenor (Allan Jones) who is in love with a soprano played by Kitty Carlisle.  They all end up on a ship at some point and hilarity ensues.

This is the one with the “sanity clause” contract bit and the stateroom scene.  There are a lot of laughs but perhaps a little too much singing.  As usual, my favorite part of any Marx Brothers movie is when Chico plays the piano.  Here he does a rendition of “All I Do Is Dream of You” to a group of enthralled children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUS-FnxUJb8

Re-release trailer