A Day at the Races (1937)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Robert Pirosh (story) &
George Seaton (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 June 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Three Great Laff Stars ! . . . more gags and gals . . . more songs and dances !

Plot:

A vet posing as a doctor, a race horse owner and his friends struggle to help keep a sanitarium open with the help of a misfit racehorse.

Plot Keywords:

Sanitarium | Horse | Hypochondriac | Jockey | Singer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush
Chico Marx	...	Tony
Harpo Marx	...	Stuffy
Allan Jones	...	Gil Stewart
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Judy Standish
Margaret Dumont	...	Emily Upjohn
Leonard Ceeley	...	Whitmore
Douglass Dumbrille	...	J.D. Morgan
Esther Muir	...	Flo Marlowe
Sig Ruman	...	Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg (as Sig Rumann)
Robert Middlemass	...	Sheriff
Vivien Fay	...	Speciality Dancer (as Vivian Fay & Her Ballet)
Ivie Anderson	...	Specialty Singer
The Crinoline Choir	...	Musical Ensemble
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hooper Atchley	...	Race judge (uncredited)
King Baggot	...	Race Track Official Starter (uncredited)
Kenny Baker	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Vivian Barry	...	Telephone girl (uncredited)
Barbara Bedford	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Edna Bennett	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Troy Brown Jr.	...	Black singer (uncredited)
Ben Carter	...	Black singer (uncredited)
Jacqueline Clancy	...	Child (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Man Boarding Bus (uncredited)
DeForest Covan	...	Black singer (uncredited)
George Cowl	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Jack Daley	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Dorothy Dandridge	...	Black singer (uncredited)
Vivian Dandridge	...	Black singer (uncredited)
Frankie Darro	...	Morgan's jockey (uncredited)
Frank Dawson	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Dudley Dickerson	...	Wheelchair attendant (uncredited)
Billy Dooley	...	Race Track Bugler (uncredited)
Edward Earle	...	Race judge (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	...	Jockey (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Detective with sheriff (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Ray Flynn	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Jack George	...	Musician (uncredited)
John Hiestand	...	Radio announcer (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Policeman at Racetrack (uncredited)
Arthur Stuart Hull	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
John Hyams	...	Judge (uncredited)
Si Jenks	...	Messenger (uncredited)
Jack W. Johnston	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Darby Jones	...	Black singer (uncredited)
Etta Jones	...	Black singer (uncredited)
Jack Kenny	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Edith Kingdon	...	Old woman (uncredited)
Carole Landis	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Harry Lash	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Edward LeSaint	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Max Lucke	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Race judge (uncredited)
Mary MacLaren	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Alex Melesh	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Henry Mowbray	...	Man for Hat Business (uncredited)
Field Norton	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Jack Norton	...	Drunk (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Racetrack Guard (uncredited)
Victor Potel	...	Horn blower (uncredited)
Russ Powell	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
James Quinn	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Gus Robinson	...	Black singer (uncredited)
Phillips Smalley	...	Racing Spectator with Wrong Hat (uncredited)
Charles Trowbridge	...	Dr. Wilmerding (uncredited)
Elizabeth Williams	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Detective with sheriff (uncredited)
Buck Woods	...	Black singer (uncredited)

Directed by
Sam Wood

Writing credits
Robert Pirosh		(story) &
George Seaton		(story)
Robert Pirosh		(screenplay) &
George Seaton		(screenplay) &
George Oppenheimer		(screenplay)

Produced by
Max Siegel	....	associate producer
Sam Wood	....	producer
Irving Thalberg	....	producer (uncredited)
Lawrence Weingarten	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Walter Jurmann
Bronislau Kaper
Franz Waxman		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg

Film Editing by
Frank E. Hull

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Art Department
Stan Rogers	....	associate art director
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Stunts
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Ted Wurtenberg	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dolly Tree	....	wardrober

Music Department
Leo Arnaud	....	music arranger: choral and orchestral
George Bassman	....	orchestrator
Roger Edens	....	music arranger
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator
Merrill Pye	....	musical presentation
Franz Waxman	....	musical director
Wayne Allen	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Bassman	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Roger Edens	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Dave Gould	....	choreographer
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	script clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (video)
• Warner Home Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• David Chudnow Inc.  casting by (uncredited)

Runtime:

111 min | Germany:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Black and White (Sepiatone) | Black and White (blue tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Sweden:Btl | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Santa Anita Park - 285 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Irving Thalberg protested the scene in which Harpo Marx frantically mimes to Chico Marx that Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) is in danger. It changed Harpo, said Thalberg, from a character who DIDN'T talk into a character who couldn't talk. Either way, the gag was used again in A Night in Casablanca (1946) and Love Happy (1949).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Groucho is officially hired, he removes his hat twice.

Quotes:

Dr. Hackenbush: It's the old, old story. Boy meets girl - Romeo and Juliet - Minneapolis and St. Paul!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "No 73: Demolition (#7.45)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

All God's Chillun Got Rhythm

Longest Of The Marx Brothers Features

Well, here's one more zany uniquely-Marx Brothers film, one noted for being the longest feature movie they made at 111 minutes.

Even with the longer running time, it's still not the story but all the gags and musical talent of the Marx Brothers that is on parade here and is the selling point of the film. That was normal procedure for them. In this edition, the gag scenes were longer and the amount of music was much greater.

The major skits involve a race track tout (Chico conning Groucho) , a physical exam (Margaret Dumont, who else?), a delay of the big horse race and a bunch of other crazy skits. Some are good, some go on too long.

Maureen O'Sullivan, of Tarzan fame among other films, gives the film some beauty and Dumont is treated with more respect here than in the other Marx Brothers films. Groucho takes it easy on her because her character has the money that will save the day, so to speak.

This MB film has a ton of music, from Chico on piano, to Harpo with harp and flute solos plus a flute number with a group of black folks. Then there is Allan Jones crooning away to O'Sullivan with several ballads. Also, there are several group numbers featuring the aforementioned group of blacks . I liked their rousing gospel numbers best of all the music.

The ending of this movie reminded me of Horse Feathers, in which the most outrageous football game was ever filmed. Here, it was a horse race, unlike any you would ever see. It is so ridiculous, you just laugh out loud....and that's the idea of the movie.