The Cocoanuts
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The Cocoanuts (1929) was the first Marx Brothers film, produced by Paramount Pictures. The musical comedy stars the four Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton and the person sometimes referred to as the "fifth brother", Margaret Dumont. Produced by Walter Wanger and directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley, it was adapted to the screen by Morrie Ryskind from the George S. Kaufman Broadway play. The motion picture is marred by the deficient production methods of the early sound films.
Five of the movie's tunes were scored by Irving Berlin (by then a famous composer), including "When My Dreams Come True", sung by Oscar Shaw and Mary Eaton.
Plot
The plot of The Cocoanuts takes place at a resort hotel, during the big Florida development boom of the 1920s. Groucho runs the place, assisted by "straight man" Zeppo (who has very little to do in the film). Chico and Harpo arrive with empty luggage, which they plan to fill by robbing the guests blind. Margaret Dumont, in the first of her many appearances as a stuffy dowager wooed and tormented by Groucho, is a guest. Her daughter is in love with a young architect, but Dumont wants her to marry a man she believes to be of higher social standing. He's actually a con man out to steal the dowager's diamond necklace with the help of his conniving partner, played by Kay Francis. But as anyone who has ever seen a Marx Brothers movie, particularly the early ones, knows, the plot is rather beside the point. The story and setting are little more than an excuse for the brothers to run rampant in their trademark style.Trivia
When the Marx Brothers were shown the final cut of The Cocoanuts (1929), their first film, they were so appalled they tried to buy the negative back and prevent its release. The producing studio, Paramount, wisely resisted — the movie turned out to be a big hit and earned close to two million dollars profit.Musical Numbers
- "When My Dreams Come True"
- "The Bell-Hops"
- "Monkey-Doodle-Doo"
- "Ballet Music"
- "Tale of the Shirt"
- "Gypsy Love Song"
See also
External links
| The Marx Brothers |
|---|
| Chico Marx | Harpo Marx | Groucho Marx | Gummo Marx | Zeppo Marx |
| Films with Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Zeppo |
|
Humor Risk (1926) •
The Cocoanuts (1929) •
Animal Crackers (1930) • The House That Shadows Built (1931) • Monkey Business (1931) • Horse Feathers (1932) • Duck Soup (1933) |
| Films with Chico, Harpo, and Groucho |
|
A Night at the Opera (1935) •
A Day at the Races (1937) •
Room Service (1938) •
At the Circus (1939) • Go West (1940) • The Big Store (1941) • A Night in Casablanca (1946) • Love Happy (1949) The Story of Mankind (1957) |
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