A Night in Casablanca (1946)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Joseph Fields (writer)
Roland Kibbee (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

10 May 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The Marx Brothers spend...

Plot:

The Marx Brothers are employed at a hotel in postwar Casablanca, where a ring of Nazis is trying to recover a cache of stolen treasure.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Nazi | Marx Brothers | North Africa | Post WWII

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Ronald Kornblow
Harpo Marx	...	Rusty
Chico Marx	...	Corbaccio
Charles Drake	...	Lt. Pierre Delmar
Lois Collier	...	Annette
Sig Ruman	...	Count Pfferman / Heinrich Stubel
Lisette Verea	...	Beatrice Rheiner
Lewis L. Russell	...	Governor Galoux (as Lewis Russell)
Dan Seymour	...	Prefect of Police Capt. Brizzard
Frederick Giermann	...	Kurt
Harro Mellor	...	Emile
David Hoffman	...	Spy
Paul Harvey	...	Mr. Smythe
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mary Dees	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Ruth Roman	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Hotel Chef (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Military man in restaurant (uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)

Directed by
Archie Mayo		(as Archie L. Mayo)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Joseph Fields		writer
Roland Kibbee		writer
Frank Tashlin		uncredited

Produced by
David L. Loew	....	producer

Original Music by
Werner Janssen

Cinematography by
James Van Trees

Film Editing by
Gregg C. Tallas

Production Design by
Duncan Cramer

Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle		(as Edward Boyle)

Makeup Department
Otis Malcolm	....	makeup artist
Scotty Rackin	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Joe C. Gilpin	....	executive production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Sullivan	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Frank Webster	....	sound

Special Effects by
Harry Redmond Jr.	....	special effects (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Grace Baughman	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Werner Janssen	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Loma Vista Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Castle Hill Productions
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Hungary:14 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Loma Vista Productions

Trivia:

The Marx Brothers put up their own money to produce the movie and, as they did with A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races, did a tour in which some of the comedy scenes were performed live to be "tested" for laughs.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the police prefect gives the order to "Round up all likely suspects," his lips clearly say, "Round up the usual suspects."

Quotes:

Ronald Kornblow: [as the new hotel manager, Groucho has asked what happened to a previous manager]
Governor Galoux: Monsieur! We caught him stealing money! We were forced to discharge him!
Ronald Kornblow: I see. You want a manager that doesn't steal money. Good day, gentlemen.
Ronald Kornblow: [tries to leave]
Prefect of Police Capt. Brizzard: [holds Kornblow back] Please Monsieur Kornblow do not take offense. You are making a mountain out of a molehill.
Ronald Kornblow: Well, that's quite a trick. You try that sometime.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Due soldi di speranza (1952)

Soundtrack:

An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314

They were and are the greatest comedy team.

The Marx Brothers are the greatest comedy team of all time. Even in their later films, including this one, which weren't among their best efforts, they still manage to make you laugh. They filled their films with social commentary, sexual innuendo, and slapstick, all with effortless ease, and without being offending. The scenes of Groucho going from one hotel room to another, trying to get Annette alone, with brother Chico as his bodyguard thwarting his every attempt, are gems. I introduced the Marx Brothers to my son while he was very young, and he loves them. Now, more then ten years later he still pulls out the old videotapes occasionally. Then for the next week all we hear in the house is, ‘I once shot an elephant in my pajamas. How they got in my pajamas I'll never know.' Nothing compares to the Marx Brothers, before or since.