The Big Store (1941)

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 | Conservatory | Elevator | Wild Chase | Murder Plot

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

Original Music by
Daniele Amfitheatrof		(uncredited)
George Bassman		(uncredited)
Lennie Hayton		(uncredited)
George Stoll		(uncredited)

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

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:

Continuity: When Flywheel is getting down into the car, we can see him standing up to get down, in the next shot he is sitting and is standing again to get down.

Quotes:

Ravelli: I take-a your picture. Hey! Look at me and laugh.
Wolf J. Flywheel: I've been doing that for 20 years.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No. 15 in C major, K. 545 (Sonata semplice)

"Flywheel's in Command."

After Zeppo Marx refused to move on with his brothers to MGM from Paramount, the Marxs usually secured the services of another player, usually a singer to function in Zeppo's nondescript place. Usually that person had a lot more personality than Zeppo did. It was Allan Jones in two films, Kenny Baker in one and in The Big Store it was Tony Martin.

The still very much alive, but retired Tony Martin, had one of the great voices of the last century. He never made the screen impact that other singers did, though he was in some very good films. His main media outlets were records, radio, and as one of the premier nightclub attractions, especially when he appeared with his second wife Cyd Charisse. Martin had two songs to sing in The Big Store, the much maligned Tenement Symphony and a really nice ballad, If It's You.

Martin is the heir to one half of Phelps Department store. The other half is owned by his aunt Margaret Dumont. The Hastings Brothers, who own a chain of department stores, are looking to buy this one.

Manager Douglass Dumbrille has been doing a little embezzling on the side and he's afraid that if Martin sells his half, he's taking a stretch up the river. After Martin becomes the victim of an attempted murder, Dumont hires who else, detective Wolf J. Flywheel who is of course Groucho Marx.

By a happy coincidence, Groucho has Harpo as a sidekick and Harpo's brother in the film Chico is a friend of Martin's. So now we have all the Marx Brothers working at the store.

The Big Store is usually dismissed as one of the Marx Brothers lesser films, but it's always been a favorite of mine. Another reviewer said there were too many musical numbers. I don't think there were any more or less than in other films of their's. The running time is a bit short so it might seem like there's more.

The highlight for me is always the final chase seen through the store, especially since Douglass Dumbrille joins in the fun. Dumbrille on screen usually plays some serious villains, probably his best known part is that of Mr. Cedar the lawyer who is milking the estate that Gary Cooper is inheriting in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.

Dumbrille is just as successful dealing with the Marx Brothers over embezzlement as he is with Gary Cooper. But here this very serious and obviously classically trained actor joins right in the slapstick fun. Dumbrille looks like he's having a ball. Later on he would really cut loose in a couple of Abbott and Costello films.

A question to all movie fans. Who do you think had the most inventive screen character names, W.C. Fields or Groucho Marx?