IMDb > Animal Crackers (1930)
Animal Crackers
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Animal Crackers (1930) More at IMDbPro »

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Animal Crackers (1930) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Animal Crackers (1930) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   5,160 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Victor Heerman
Writers:
George S. Kaufman (play) &
Morrie Ryskind (play) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Animal Crackers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 August 1930 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Musical more
Tagline:
The maddest comics of them all!
Plot:
Mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
AFI's 100 Years ...100 Movie Quotes
 (From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)

Goodman Theatre Announces Full Creative Team For Animal Crackers
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 28 July 2009, 5:35 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Hooray for Animal Crackers! more (62 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
97 min | Argentina:98 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of the few Marx Brothers movies in which the fact that Chico Marx is not truly Italian is referenced. When Chico is questioning Avis the fish-man (alias Roscoe W. Chandler) about his new identity, Chandler suddenly replies "Say, how did you get to be Italian?" more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the opening scenes Hives turns to speak to Mrs. Rittenhouse after his opening song, and his waistcoat is different. It continues to swap from one style to another throughout the movie. more
Quotes:
Capt. Spaulding: You left out a Hoongadoonga. The most important one, too. more
Soundtrack:
Gypsy Chorus more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
Hooray for Animal Crackers!, 13 November 2004
9/10
Author: director1616 from Los Angeles, California, USA

Animal Crackers is one of the best films ever done by the 4 Marx Brothers. For a start, the comedy completely works on screen, especially considering that the film was adapted from the musical stage play. And although Zeppo's comedy has always been underrated and underplayed in the five films that the 4 Marx Brothers did for Paramount Pictures, he proves in this film, as well as the four other movies he appeared with Groucho, Chico, and Harpo, that the 4 Marx Brothers made better films when the four of them worked together; as opposed to when it was just Groucho, Chico and Harpo. All the Marx Brothers films which included Zeppo were zanier films and, to me, the best of their work. Verbally, Groucho is at his razor-sharp best in Animal Crackers, with almost every one-liner dripping with comedic insults and sarcasm. Chico and Harpo perfectly add to the mayhem. The direction by Victor Heerman showed the type of skill needed to professionally control the 4 Marx Brothers to make Animal Crackers the tremendous success that it was. Though the Great Depression was taking hold on the American psyche in 1930, Animal Crackers was the perfect comedy which allowed ordinary Americans to enjoy the spoofing of America's 'Hoi Polloi'.

Though the 4 Marx Brothers' succeeding films (Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup) were even more of the Hollywood film-style comedy successes which crystalized their zaniness and on-screen craziness, one should not underestimate the cinematography of George Folsey, Sr., who made the film look like a movie written especially for the screen. The look of the film (specifically the sets) makes one feel like he or she wished they had been invited to Mrs. Rittenhouse's party in honor of Captain Spaulding. Lillian Roth never looked better, and the best song in the film is her musical number with Hal Thompson, "Why Am I So Romantic?" - which was the theme music for the entire movie. Animal Crackers is one of my favorite films that the 4 Marx Brothers did for Paramount Pictures - although all five films made at Paramount are absolute gems. I strongly suggest getting the Marx Brothers' Silver Screen Collection, which is now on DVD. They are a must for your film library!

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Animal Crackers back on Broadway (?) lenmchast
Their second best Teir_Monthap
Living Cast Members ?? timbrwn
Groucho gave me nightmares as a kid gj3123
Remake? memo77
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