A Night at the Opera (1935) watch along
Added 2024-11-29 17:00:10 +0000 UTCSitting at #85 on the AFI list is A Night at the Opera (1935). We are motoring through this list!
When this movie started, I wasn’t sure where it was headed—but then, MOVIE MAGIC happened✨ I couldn’t help but imagine what it must’ve been like to sit in the theatre in 1935 watching this. What an experience that must have been! It must have been roaring!
It’s such a clever and witty film, packed with smart comedy. I feel like the comedy still works today. Sure, there were a few moments I could’ve done without, but overall, I keep getting a new appreciation for these classics. This was my first introduction to the Marx Bro's, wow, they are pretty special!!
I don’t want to spoil my favourite moments here! I'll save it for the reaction!
Let me know your thoughts below! As always I love to hear them!
Have a wonderful Friday!!!
xx
ames
Comments
Once when talking to a lady on You Bet Your Live, turns out she had 15 kids. Groucho said, "I like my cigar, but I take it out of my mouth every once in a while!"
Greg in East TN
2025-02-09 20:51:08 +0000 UTCHer name was pronounced Kitty Car Lyle (Carlisle). You can see more of her on old 60s TV show "To Tell The Truth". She was actually an opera student at Julliard, so her singing was real. My favorite scenes were the "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and the contract negotiation scene. He said "There ain't no sanity clause" he was referring to Santa Clause. All the Marx Bros. movies were great. Chico was a great pianist and Harpo was a great harp player in real life. I guess you can see where Harpo got his name. The harp is a very difficult instrument to play. As to his top hat, he reminds me of Leon Russell. Harpo could also play piano, too. Here's a short clip of Chico and Harpo doing a duet on the same piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJkL_4niC4w
Greg in East TN
2025-01-18 21:46:09 +0000 UTCWhen the brothers started doing their stage act, Groucho was too young to grow a moustache, so he painted one on with shoe polish. In the early films he still painted it on, but later grew a real one Chico was a notorious womanizer and gambler, although apparently endlessly charming. He reportedly fled through many a bedroom window ahead of a husband arriving home early. Some of the later films were only done to help him pay his gambling debts. All of the Marx brothers were talented musicians. Groucho (Julius) played the violin - but never in a film. In the 1950's and 60's he had a TV quiz show called "You Bet Your Life", which further showcased his lightning comedy wit (sometimes in barely concealed off-color asides). When dressed alike it was difficult to tell them apart, so similar were their features.
Kinokind
2024-12-03 06:09:28 +0000 UTCSorry to hear about your friend. Good info about Thalberg and MGM (although I still prefer Duck Soup).
JM63
2024-12-02 14:42:37 +0000 UTCHarpo taught himself how to play the harp. He was a lovely man. He and his wife adopted many children and he once said he wanted to have as many children as he had windows in his house so he could see all those faces waving to him in the morning as he went to work. Groucho’s son, Arthur, said he only saw his dad cry twice. Once, after his mother announced she wanted a divorce. The second, the day Harpo died.
Sweetish_Jeff_25
2024-12-01 15:39:46 +0000 UTCGreat movie. Love it.
Sweetish_Jeff_25
2024-12-01 15:36:11 +0000 UTCMy friend, Travis, introduced me to The Marx Brothers in high school. He and his friend, Bruce, who subsequently became my friend. I loved their sense of humor and their movies. It started with “Animal Crackers” (1930). Travis and Bruce wrote a play called “Parker’s Place” which was a blatant ripoff of The Marx Brothers, but I helped them write it and during pep rallies we would skip them to perform the play onstage in the cafeteria. We were such bad boys! Anyways, Travis and Bruce entered the play into a writing contest and didn’t win to no one’s surprise. We stayed in touch after high school, but over time we lost touch. The usual stuff that happens when we get older and have our own lives. A few years ago, I tried to find Travis. Bruce was on social media, but we had a falling out many years ago. I was saddened to learn that Travis had passed away in 2016 from a stroke. Evidently, he had many health issues since the mid-1990s and was not on social media. Travis was a good dude. He was a year older than me and a Southern gentleman. Shy, modest, but brilliant. He could play piano and could imitate Chico Marx’s piano playing perfectly. He even taught me some chords. He also dabbled in filmmaking and did a couple of short films on video camera. One was a comic spoof of the Clint Eastwood westerns. I miss Travis and every time I see a Marx Brothers film or listen to the Bee Gees whom he loved, I think of Travis. As for the film, this was the first Marx Brothers movie produced by MGM. All of their earlier movies were produced by Paramount. “The Coconuts” (1929) and “Animal Crackers” (1930) were hits on Broadway and did well at the box-office. The next three films, “Monkey Business” (1931), “Horse Feathers” (1932) and “Duck Soup” (1933) were all flops. They were all released during The Great Depression which was a factor, but Irving Thalberg at MGM told The Marx Brothers they weren’t that good which offended them. Thalberg was trying to say that their movies were mostly silliness and their characters were running around chasing women or causing chaos. I didn’t care. I love those movies. But Thalberg’s point was that those films turned off a lot of women at the time and they would be better if they cut out half the laughs and added a story. He came up with the idea of a couple who The Marx Brothers would be trying to help against a villain. Groucho Marx was initially skeptical, but after the success of this film he said he never doubted Thalberg again. The next movie they did was “A Day At The Races” (1936) and another success. Sadly, Thalberg died of pneumonia at the age of 37. I know it sounds crazy, but I believe that the late Brandon Tartikoff was the reincarnation of Irving Thalberg. The parallels are eerie. Anyways, I am so glad you enjoyed this film. Ames. ❤️🙏
Sweetish_Jeff_25
2024-12-01 15:34:56 +0000 UTCI’d also recommend watching A funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.
Mario Serra
2024-12-01 04:52:18 +0000 UTCIf you liked this movie, watch Brain Donors. It’s a 90s take on this and it’s fricken hilarious.
Mario Serra
2024-12-01 04:30:15 +0000 UTCI'm so glad you took time during your wrap up to put some perspective on viewing older films. The advantage of being a child in the 60s was that all these wonderful films were broadcast on my local tv stations on the weekends. So I was entertained while inadvertently receiving a film history course at a time when my mind was completely open. As for A Night at the Opera, all I can say is it still makes me laugh. Just seeing that goofy greasepaint mustache on Groucho gives me an endorphin rush. One anecdote for the road. This film was overseen by Irving Thalberg. Thalberg was notorious for keeping people waiting for extended periods of time while he was tending films to which he was attached. When Thalberg kept the Marx brothers waiting too long for a meeting they reacted by stripping naked in his office and roasting potatoes in his fireplace. When Thalberg finally arrived and discovered them he allegedly called the studio commissary and ordered butter. Don't know if its true but I hope it is. Thanks for a very pleasant video nightcap.
James Rogers
2024-11-30 07:55:41 +0000 UTCI don’t know what I said but yes bond is coming to the channel…. ❤️
Amalia Wolf
2024-11-30 07:27:33 +0000 UTCYes Chico and Harpo were accomplished musicians and played all their instruments.
RicoRay317
2024-11-30 01:36:30 +0000 UTCAlways a fun time watching the Marx Brothers. I like Duck Soup and Monkey Business more because of the chaos, but this one definitely entertains. Especially the crowded ship room, which is brilliantly staged. Also pleased to hear your tease about Goldfinger….or James Bond movies in general, couldn’t tell which you meant. Love Bond.
Catchermag
2024-11-30 01:27:14 +0000 UTCThis movie is available for free on Tubi (non-US members should be able to use VPN to watch): https://tubitv.com/movies/100012521/a-night-at-the-opera Not too many ad breaks, and the picture quality is excellent.
JM63
2024-11-29 20:13:45 +0000 UTCI am really enjoying Ames journey through the classics, especially this ride through the AFI list. I love seeing her being exposed to this long ago world of Hollywood. More treasures await. The Marx Bros were wacky and zany and just execute timeless comedy. Kitty Carlisle (Carl- isle, rhyme with aisle, like in a grocery store) was a staple of 1960's day time game shows, that's how I know her. I was just a kid, but I remember her from The Match Game. Groucho's drawn on mustache and eyebrows was just his "look", probably leftover from the stage shows, and kept for the movies. Harpo of course was the silent harp player, Chico the one with the Italian accent. And you'll see the fourth brother, Zeppo, in DUCK SOUP.
MikeLL
2024-11-29 19:23:29 +0000 UTC
