I agree with this. The Marx Brothers were in a great position as screen comics. Unlike, say, Chaplin or W.C. Fields, they could put themselves at the mercy of a director and writers without having to worry about them cramping their style (until they got to MGM, that is). At the same time, they were unique enough that they didn't do the same old vaudeville-style comedy that alot of the other teams were doing.
In other words, they could have very well worked with a Mamoulian or a Lubitsch (both directors with a strong personal style), and still came out with an excellent, perfectly-suited Marx Bros. film.
That being said, I can hardly imagine the Marx Bros.-Paramount films being any better than they already are. THE COCOANUTS is the one that could have benefitted, but as far as I'm concerned, the other four are perfect comedies.
Important to remember, too, that COCOANUTS and ANIMAL CRACKERS were shot in New York City at the Kaufman-Astoria studio in Queens, which limited the amount of movement that they might have gone for at Paramount sound stages in Hollywood. Also, COCOANUTS was shot on a tight schedule while the Brothers performed in ANIMAL CRACKERS on Broadway.
Norman McLeod was in many ways an ideal director for the Bros., because he understood comedy very well (just check out his credits sometime), and also understood that the director on a comedian comedy should never try to infringe on the work of the comedian.
The one time that the Marxes worked with a really top-flight director was on DUCK SOUP, directed by Leo McCarey, which is as close to being a perfect comedy as any I've seen.
I just finished reading "Laughter in Paradise", the bio. on Ernst Lubitsch, and am convinced he could have done a great Marx Bros. picture as well. Imagine the Marxes in a musical comedy set in Paris, with Groucho and Zeppo involved in some scheme or another, and meeting up with Harpo and Chico. It could have been a lot of fun.
Matt
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lubin-freddy
10 years ago
Great that these threads last for so long.
Yes, the idea of Lubitsch is interesting, but I'm wondering about a conflict of styles, with Lutitsch's comic minimalism, and the Marx's..... Marxism.
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul
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EdgarST
8 years ago
It is true what you say about Rouben Mamoulian and sound, and about the Marx Brothers not being directed by great directors (except Leo McCarey), but on the other hand I believe that the Marx Brothers' humor was more American and populist, than those comedies among the European royalty that Lubitsch and Mamoulian handled well (that I find a bit boring, to tell the truth). The problem were the scripts: none of the Marx movies has a real good screenplay. But McCarey did a good work with "Duck Soup", which is among the best comedies of all times from any corner of the world.
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