Return of Movies I have Seen: Animal Crackers

It had occurred to me that I had never viewed The Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers all the way through in one sitting as an adult. I had seen it in a Cambridge, MA theater (Was it the Orson Welles?) as a boy of ten or 11, just after it had been rereleased after being out of circulation for decades. It was the height of the Marxes' revival (Stars Wars would soon come along and kill all nostalgia), and the house was packed.

I was bored.

Ugh, I thought. It's a stage play, like the Cocoanuts. Worse, it seemed to have no plot, save for some stuff about a stolen painting. At least the Cocoanuts had something like a conventional film comedy, with a climax and all.

Then I saw it in 1979, when CBS aired it in prime time, even if it was in summer. I was still too young for it, but I thought, this may be the last time a TV network ever shows a film this old. I think I was right.

I also think I caught some of it when visiting my sister one time, but it was Christmas or Thanksgiving, and I didn't pay it much heed.

So, I popped in the DVD and hit play.

At first, it was just something playing on the TV. Much as I love the Marxes, I was watching it with a detached air of interest, as a historical curio. The stagy production, crackling soundtrack, and old film print didn't help. I love old movies, but early talkies were always my kryptonite.

Then, about ten minutes in, I fell asleep.

I shook myself awake about 20 minutes later. I found I'd perked up enough so I might be able to sit through it.

Then, I found it wasn't so hard to follow.

Then I found myself being entertained.

Then I started laughing.

I got it. I was finally able to see though the production and just watch the Marxes. It really does show them in their prime, and though I disagree with the Onion A.V. Club "Gateway to Geekery" article that recommends it as the first Marx film you should see, it ranks high in their short list of movies, and maybe the best example of the pre-Hollywood Marx Brothers.

I think I'd rank it fifth or so, because I still think movies are better when they're movies, but it has a special status as the best example of what the Marxes were like in the medium that made esteem famous, the stage.

I heard that anyone who saw them on stage said that their best film work is just a shadow of their stage work. I can't help feeling that they're right.

Oh, and that 20 minutes I slept though? I watched them the next day before returning the disc. I laughed a lot.