Captain Spaulding

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This entry is on the Groucho Marx character. For other meanings, go to Captain Spaulding (disambiguation).

Captain Spaulding is the signature character created by actor Groucho Marx. The character of Captain Jeffrey (or Geoffrey, the name appears both ways in the film) T. Spaulding (the "T" stood for "Edgar") first appeared in the Broadway play Animal Crackers and later in the 1930 film of the same name. Spaulding is a famous explorer on return from a trek across Africa to be the guest of honor at a high-society party. Although despite his hosts' frequent claims that he is one of the most courageous travelers in the world, his own accounts of his safari reveal his cowardice. He eventually gets caught up in the mystery of a stolen painting.

The character's theme song, "Hooray for Captain Spaulding", became forever associated with Groucho in the public mind. A jazzy instrumental version of the song was later the theme for his quiz show, You Bet Your Life. At Groucho's Carnegie Hall concert in the early 1970s, accompanist Marvin Hamlisch played the song as part of the medley preceding Groucho's entrance onstage.

The song's most famous line is "Hooray for Captain Spaulding / The African explorer / 'Did someone call me schnorrer?' / Hooray Hooray Hooray!"

One line, Groucho's aside referencing Margaret Dumont's character, "I think I'll try and make her", as in "seduce her", was chopped from all known prints of the film, presumably because it was considered too risque for 1930 audiences.

The dialogue prior to the song and the lyrics of the song itself can be found here: [link]

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