The Big Store (1941)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Charles Reisner

Writers:

Nat Perrin (story)
Sid Kuller (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 June 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Howl . . . And Farewell ! Their Last Picture . . . And Their Best !

Plot:

A detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department store, from the store's crooked manager.

Plot Keywords:

Department Store | Musical Number | Italian American | Piano | Private Detective

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Wolf J. Flywheel
Chico Marx	...	Ravelli
Harpo Marx	...	Wacky
Tony Martin	...	Tommy Rogers
Virginia Grey	...	Joan Sutton
Margaret Dumont	...	Martha Phelps
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Mr. Grover
William Tannen	...	Fred 'Chris' Sutton
Marion Martin	...	Peggy Arden
Virginia O'Brien	...	Kitty
Henry Armetta	...	Guiseppi
Anna Demetrio	...	Maria
Paul Stanton	...	Arthur Hastings
Russell Hicks	...	George Hastings
Bradley Page	...	Duke
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Six Hits and a Miss	...	Singing Group
King Baggot	...	Store Employee (uncredited)
Enid Bennett	...	Clerk (uncredited)
Clara Blandick	...	Customer seeking record (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Freddie Chapman	...	Billy (uncredited)
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers	...	Singing Group (uncredited)
Corleen Clemons	...	Indian Mother (uncredited)
Herbert Clifton	...	Scotsman (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Department Store Doorman (uncredited)
Harry Depp	...	Timid Man (uncredited)
Kay Deslys	...	Swedish Mother (uncredited)
Jan Duggan	...	Henry's Wife (uncredited)
The Four Dreamers	...	Singing Group (uncredited)
Lew Harvey	...	Detective (uncredited)
Richard Haydel	...	Butch (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	The Snapper, Gangster (uncredited)
Charles Holland	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Press photographer (uncredited)
Lee Kohlmar	...	Mr. David (uncredited)
Faith Kruger	...	Singer (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw	...	Piano Mover (uncredited)
Charles Lane	...	Finance Company Man (uncredited)
Eddie Lee	...	Chinese Father (uncredited)
Hal Le Sueur	...	Chauffeur (uncredited)
Mitchell Lewis	...	Indian Father (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Judy Matson	...	Singer (uncredited)
Edward McWade	...	Mr. Andrews (uncredited)
Adrian Morris	...	Piano mover (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Press photographer (uncredited)
Ted Oliver	...	Detective (uncredited)
George Pauncefort	...	Mr. Pasey (uncredited)
Bob Perry	...	Department Store Detective (uncredited)
Victor Potel	...	Swedish Father of Blond Children (uncredited)
Dewey Robinson	...	Detective (uncredited)
Harold Schlickenmayer	...	Tough Man (uncredited)
Pierre Watkin	...	Bedding department manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Reisner		(as Charles Riesner)

Writing credits
Nat Perrin		(story)
Sid Kuller		(writer) and
Hal Fimberg		(writer) and
Ray Golden		(writer)

Produced by
Louis K. Sidney	....	producer

Cinematography by
Charles Lawton Jr.		(as Charles Lawton)

Film Editing by
Conrad A. Nervig

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Art Department
Stan Rogers	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Music Department
Leo Arnaud	....	music arranger: vocals
Leo Arnaud	....	orchestrator
George Bassman	....	music arranger: vocals
George Bassman	....	orchestrator
Earl K. Brent	....	music adaptor (as Earl Brent)
George Stoll	....	musical director (as Georgie Stoll)
Herbert Taylor	....	music arranger: vocals (as Herb Taylor)
Herbert Taylor	....	orchestrator (as Herb Taylor)
Robert Van Eps	....	music arranger: vocals
Robert Van Eps	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Arthur Appell	....	dance director
Al Gallagher	....	stand-in: Harpo Marx (uncredited)
Jack King	....	stand-in: Chico Marx (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Reserva Especial (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (certificate #7345)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

There are a number of links with the 1932-1933 radio series "Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel", which starred Groucho Marx and Chico Marx (for obvious reasons, Harpo Marx didn't participate in the radio show). In the series Groucho played Waldorf T. Flywheel, a lawyer; in this film he plays Wolf J. Flywheel, a private detective. On radio, Chico played Emmanuel Ravelli, Flywheel's assistant; in the film, he is simply known as Ravelli, and teams up with Flywheel midway through the story to help solve the case. Nat Perrin, who receives story credit for the film, was also the co-writer of the radio series. One episode of the radio series took place in a large department store, although beyond this basic premise there is little similarity between the two narratives.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious doubles for the Marx Brothers during the finale chase sequence (except for close-ups).

Quotes:

Mr. Grover: If Ms. Phelps were not my fiancée, I would turn in my resignation and walk out of this store for good!
Martha Phelps: Oh no, no...
Wolf J. Flywheel: Fiancée?
Martha Phelps: Yes.
Wolf J. Flywheel: You mean a woman of your culture and money and beauty and money and wealth and money would, would marry that imposter?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Soundtrack:

Mamãe Eu Quero

This "Store" Was Only Open For Business The Last 15 Minutes

The final 15 minutes saved this VHS from being traded in for something else, as most of the film is not up to the Marx Brothers lofty status. I guess by the 1940s, the boys were in a decline, for various reasons. One of them is the writing. There were always a ton of jokes and sight gags in the MB films and most of them were dated and corny......but still funny, even 70 years later. However, the jokes in here - and the songs - are so dated and not much to start with that they simply aren't funny. That, and the songs are likewise, not really appealing.

As mentioned, the only thing I personally enjoyed here was the hectic last 15 minutes with a chase through a department store. That was classic slapstick material and it still works. Unfortunately, the rest of it did not work. For much of this film, the store was "closed" for (Marx Brothhers) business.