Animal Crackers (1930)

Director:

Victor Heerman

Writers:

George S. Kaufman (play) &
Morrie Ryskind (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 August 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

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.

Plot Keywords:

Party | Explorer | Painting | Marx Brothers | Police

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding
Harpo Marx	...	The Professor
Chico Marx	...	Signor Emanuel Ravelli
Zeppo Marx	...	Horatio Jamison
Lillian Roth	...	Arabella Rittenhouse
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Rittenhouse
Louis Sorin	...	Roscoe Chandler
Hal Thompson	...	John Parker
Margaret Irving	...	Mrs. Whitehead
Kathryn Reece	...	Grace Carpenter
Robert Greig	...	Hives
Edward Metcalf	...	Hennessey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Allen	...	House Party Guest (uncredited)
Donald MacBride	...	House Party Guest (uncredited)
Ann Roth	...	House Party Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Heerman

Writing credits
George S. Kaufman		(play) &
Morrie Ryskind		(play) &
Bert Kalmar		(play) &
Harry Ruby		(play)
Morrie Ryskind		(writer)

Original Music by
Max Reese		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
George J. Folsey		(as George Folsey)

Art Direction by
Ernst Fegté		(uncredited)

Sound Department
Ernest Zatorsky	....	sound (uncredited)

Other crew
Pierre Collings	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1930) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (Spain) (2003) (Spain) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Western Electric  sound system

Runtime:

97 min | Argentina:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Spain:T | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U | USA:G (1974 re-release)

Filming Locations:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Chico Marx plays his trademark song "I'm Daffy Over You" for the first time in this film.

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.

Quotes:

Capt. Spaulding: How much would you charge to run into an open manhole?
Ravelli: Just the cover charge.
Capt. Spaulding: Well, drop in sometime.
Ravelli: Sewer.
Capt. Spaulding: Well, we cleaned that up pretty well.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in At the Circus (1939)

Soundtrack:

Hooray for Captain Spaulding

Hooray for Captain Spalding!

This is one of my favorite Marx Brothers movies. Just sit back and watch the mayhem come at you, and everyone else in their way. Filled with some of their reliable stock players and plots, there's nothing new about this at all- except for their astounding wit and polish and amazing routines. George Kaufman wrote the script, which is one of their strongest, and it's just sublime silliness from the first word. Watch it when you're sick, it'll lift up your spirits.