Animal Crackers

By VARIETY STAFF

Paramount. Director Victor Heerman; Producer [uncredited]; Writer Morrie Ryskind; Camera George Folsey Editor [uncredited]; Music [uncredited] Art [uncredited]
 
Groucho Marx
Harpo Marx
Chico Marx
Zeppo Marx
Lillian Roth
Margaret Dumont
 

First give Paramount extreme credit for reproducing Animal Crackers intact from the stage [musical written by George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar], without too much of the songs and musical numbers.

Among the Marx boys there is no preference. Groucho shines; Harpo remains a pantomimic clown who ranks with the highest; Chico adds an unusual comedy sense to his dialog as well as business and piano playing; and Zeppo, if in on a split, is lucky.

Lillian Roth may have been cast here to work out a contract. She can't hurt because the Marxes are there, but if Roth is in for any other reason it doesn't appear. She sings one song in the ingenue role. That song is useless. Opposite is Hal Thompson, a juve who doesn't prove it here.

(B&W) Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1930. Running time: 97 MIN.