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Monkey Business

Four stowaways cross paths with gangsters and unleash mayhem aboard an ocean liner.

Director(s)

Norman Z. McLeod

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Fandango At Home

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Cast & Crew

Harry Woods

Harry Woods

Alky Briggs

William H. O'Brien

William H. O'Brien

Waiter

Norman Z. McLeod

Norman Z. McLeod

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Billy Bletcher

Billy Bletcher

Man in Deck Chair

Cyril Ring

Cyril Ring

Party Guest

Bess Flowers

Bess Flowers

Indian's Wife at Party

Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx

Groucho

Harpo Marx

Harpo Marx

Harpo

Chico Marx

Chico Marx

Chico

Zeppo Marx

Zeppo Marx

Zeppo

Maurice Chevalier

Maurice Chevalier

Himself (voice)

Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd

Lucille Briggs

Tom Kennedy

Tom Kennedy

Gibson

Ben Taggart

Ben Taggart

Capt. Corcoran (uncredited)

Rockliffe Fellowes

Rockliffe Fellowes

J.J. 'Big Joe' Helton

Ruth Hall

Ruth Hall

Mary Helton

Details

GenresComedy
Runtime1h 17 mins
Released on19 Sep 1931
LanguageEnglish
Age RatingNR
Produced InUnited States of America
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Reviews

CinemaSerf

6/10

The four Marx brothers smuggle themselves aboard an ocean liner in barrels and proceed to cause a modicum of havoc on the ship before cleverly avoiding immigration officials in New York and ending up embroiled in a turf war between rival gangsters that sees one of their number's daughter kidnapped - and our hapless comics seem the most likely to save the day, and the gal! Now I'm not really a fan of this kind of humour, I just don't find it funny - but one has to admire the sheer precision of their performance. The quickly paced, expertly choreographed "spontaneity" of it all is precise and impressive. The four brothers (perhaps Zeppo, not so much) each have an unique sort of characterisation to bring to the mix, and Harpo manages a turn on the harp with some skill too. It's the very precision of it all that renders it sterile for me; it could be a comedic ballet with everything so meticulously planned and executed. The humour - which misses just as often as it hits - just seems incidental to their expertise in purveying it - and that didn't work for me either. Zany? Maybe... Funny? Not really...

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Monkey Business (1931) Trailer

Monkey Business FAQs

Norman Z. McLeod is the director of Monkey Business.

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