jotix100
This film marked the finale for the Marx Brothers glorious career in movies. Of course, "Love Happy" does not compare with their classic work which was much wittier than what comes out here. It almost appears the movie was a vehicle for Harpo Marx more than a collaboration of the trio that made us laugh.The plot is paper thin, but there are moments that work, like the chase sequence at the end and the "Kleptomaniacs" performance by Harpo as the film begins. Groucho is only seen as an afterthought. Chico Marx has nothing to do in the film. The lovely Ilona Massey adds a sinister tone to the comedy, with her Madame Egilichi, who is after the Romanoff diamond necklace that has been smuggled in a can of sardines.As directed by David Miller, with an uncredited help by Leo McCarey. The production shows it might have had problems, which probably means that Mr. McCarey came to make the film more appealing to audiences. The same can be said about the screenplay by Frank Tashlin and Marc Bedoff, as an uncredited Ben Hecht was brought in to help with the project.The cast shows two surprises. Raymond Burr is seen in one of the many heavy types he played at the start of his days in Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe is ravishingly fresh and fun as an aspiring actress. Vera Ellen, Eric Blore, Marion Hutton, Melville Cooper and Paul Valentine have featured roles.In spite of all its flaws, "Love Happy" is a must see for all Marx Brothers fans.
leonvander
i'm a big marx bros fan and love most of their films, especially the early paramounts and a day at the races and most of the others so thats pretty much all of them i guess. Room service is the weakest of their output as far as i can tell..If I was mainly a Groucho fan, which most of the reviewers of Marx Brothers films seem to be, I'd be giving this movie between 1 & 3 stars. His part is minimal, not very funny and is mainly famous for the scene with Marilyn Monroe in one of her first speaking roles (which lasts a few seconds)...I've just read a review for this film calling it unfunny. Maybe they were watching a different movie? I am completely fed up with reading the nonsense that's been written about this film by people who probably haven't even watched it...I'm a Harpo fan.........I really think he's a true screen genius, the greatest one of his kind. When he's on screen for me its pure magic.This film has a special place in my heart.. The screenplay is based on a Harpo story and he is the main star (originally the film was to be a solo vehicle for him). Chico's and Groucho's appearance was an afterthought..Chico performs well and the scenes when he's with Harpo are great and are the equal to any other marx movie. Harpo doesn't disappoint with so many great hilarious scenes that were mainly devised and performed by himself (he did most of his own stunts)...quite amazing considering he was in his early 60's at the time....The story revolves around a theatre production called 'love happy' and a missing diamond necklace in a sardine tin. The other cast members perform well and the songs are not too cheesy. Chico does a great piano duet with a violinist and harpo plays the harp as beautifully as ever..If I was hoping to see and hear Groucho in his element, i'd be very disappointed with Love Happy. But, on every other level its a classic. So please, give it a chance - its worth it............
ingemar-4
Although this movie is not one of the real Marx Brothers classics, it is a must-see for the fans of the biggest humor icons of all time.Harpo is the main character, and he is also the most amusing brother. There are plenty of good Harpo gags, and the chase at the end is quite good.Groucho appears without make-up, which may seem strange, but that is a natural choice since he had become a superstar in TV. Face it, Groucho was at the very top of his career here, and had mostly left the movies behind him. We see so little of him that it is quite obvious that he was a "guest star". "The odds were a thousand to one that I wouldn't make it, but here I was, back on the trail" - isn't that Groucho commenting his own participation?The only brother that really disappointed me was Chico. Either I didn't get his jokes or there weren't any. Pity, since Chico's "foreign man" character was always very funny. His acting is quite OK, he does his character, but he isn't funny... until he does his obligatory piano act (this time with a fiddler landlord).The plot is simple, and is carried pretty well by some quite slimy bad guys - especially the leading bad woman (Ilona Massey). Perfectly fine for a comedy plot.The total impression is somewhat lowered by a confused and even badly cut ending. Well, at least Groucho got the last word, but I guess his participation was an afterthought, so they wrote him into the ending too quickly.It doesn't stand out as one of the better Marx movies, definitely not the one to see first (as one writer had), but it is not without fun moments. While Chico is weak and Groucho too brief, Harpo is just great. Low-budget, but a must see at least for us who have seen all the classics, and anyone who likes Harpo.
theowinthrop
Because I like the Marx Brothers I am willing to give this film a 5. If it had starred Wheeler and Woolsey or the Ritz Brothers, I might have given it a 2.After ROOM SERVICE, only A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA had any real merit among the final Marx Brother films. In the case of these two films, the former was based on a successful Broadway farce (which is still produced occasionally), and the latter had some planning involved in it as well (a novelization of the complete screenplay - certain parts were edited out of the final film - was published). The other four are mediocre at best. And LOVE HAPPY is the weakest.Yeah, Harpo gets some nice moments, like him riding the neon lit "Pegasus" on a rooftop sign. He and Chico have one or two good sequences together (one of those patented "Chico-verbally-interpreting-Harpo's-mimed-message" sequences is good). Chico also has a wonderful moment when he tries to be romantic to Ilona Massey, promising to cover her in sardines. But these are so few and far between that the weaknesses in the film are shown.Yeah, Groucho is an afterthought. He has that one famous moment with Marilyn Monroe, but that's it. It looks like much of Groucho's material ended up on a cutting room floor. His "Watson" figure is Eric Blore (an interesting combination of comic talents there), but Blore too is only briefly seen. One wishes to know what more there was to that sequence.But even if we discount shortchanging Groucho, what is left is nothing to shout about. It is a disappointing film, especially as it was the last real Marx Brother feature film. The following movie the brothers were all in was THE STORY OF MANKIND, and each was in a separate segment. There were three television shows they were in together (though one was with other Hollywood comics like Ernie Kovacs), but none of these had the strengths of their best nine movies.
AD
