The Marx Brothers followed up Room Service by helping out At the Circus where the trio strive to keep Wilson’s Wonder Circus from being stolen from its owner. The plot is reminiscent of A Day at the Races, and while it doesn’t match their best films, the comic and musical sequences with the brothers are entertaining.
Buy At the CircusThe plot is a bit confusing as it’s not clear what circus manager John Carter (James Burke) wants. He demands the $10,000 he loaned owner Jeff Wilson (Kenny Baker) or he is going to take over the circus. Supposedly, if he gets paid off, he’s through, but no explanation what that means. There’s no indication Jeff was going to fire him as manager and a fella could do pretty well for himself in 1939 with $10,000. As Jeff retrieves the money, he is attacked by circus workers Goliath the strongman (Nat Pendleton) and the diminutive Little Professor Atom (Jerry Maren), who steal the money for Carter. Presumably, Carter wants control of the circus by keeping Jeff from paying him back, but if so, why try to destroy the circus?
Jeff’s aunt, Mrs. Suzanna Dukesbury (Margaret Dumont) has disinherited him. He doesn’t care because the circus is making a profit, and he finally gets his gal Julie (Florence Rice), who performs a singing/horse act in the circus, to agree to marriage. Unfortunately, this romantic pair never conjures a spark together.
Antonio (Chico Marx) calls upon lawyer J. Cheever Loophole (Groucho Marx) to help Jeff but when he arrives, Antonio won’t let him on the train because he doesn’t have a badge in a funny sequence whose humor is both verbal and physical. They are joined by Punchy (Harpo Marx), Goliath’s assistant, in their investigation.
The detective work is very funny, from Antonio and Punchy as they “re-destruct the crime” to the trio interrogating Professor Atom in his room, which has been downsized along with his furniture, leading to them repeatedly bumping their heads on the ceiling. There’s also a wonderfully chaotic scene in Goliath’s room as Antonio and Punchy search for the missing money while he sleeps.
About an hour into the movie, Mrs. Dukesbury finally appears. Loophole poses as Monseiur La Fontaine of the concert bureau, the handler for conductor Jardinet and his orchestra, the planned entertainment for her party. Instead, Jeff’s circus performs. A great gag sees the orchestra play on a floating bandstand that is cut adrift. Carter tries one last time to foil the payoff by releasing a gorilla.
For the musical sequences fans have come to expect in Marx Brothers movies, the standout is Groucho’s singing “Lydia the Tattooed Lady.” Chico plays “Beer Barrel Polka” on piano, and Harpo takes part in a number, “Swingali,” with an African American singers and dancers who are only seen in this sequence.
Sourced from a 4K scan of the best-surviving elements, the video has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. Blacks are inky and a wide spectrum of gray shades are apparent. The image has a pleasing natural film grain throughout. Depth and fine texture details seen in the costumes and other objects. The picture is free from dirt and defect.
The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Dialogue is clear. The music and vocals are mostly balanced well in the mix but becomes too loud during the “Swingali” sequence. There’s a faint hiss on the track.
The Special Features are:
- “Dog Daze” – an Our Gang short where Spanky, Alfalfa, et al. rescue dogs they have stolen to earn a reward in order to pay off a loan from Butch.
- “Jitterbug Follies” – one of two cartoons based on Milt Gross’ Count Screwloose from Tooloose comic strip.
- Leo is On the Air radio promo (audio only)
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Although the story is puzzling and the romance falls flat, the Marx Brothers are delightful whenever they are on screen. The high-definition video on Warner Archive’s Blu-ray looks very good. There are a few fun extras, but I wish there was something that delved into the making of the film and about the Brothers.
