ksf-2 One of Lucy's early, credited roles. She had been in hollyood for five years, but mostly in uncredited or deleted roles. It's a fun, typical Marx Brothers film... lots of antics, an act trying to stay in a hotel, with the hotel manager always after them for not paying the bills. The awesome, clever Marx brothers had been making about one film a year, and this time they brought in Ann Miller (who appears to be only 15, if you do the math!), Lucy, and Frank Albertson. And of course Donald MacBride, as the gullible hotel manager. They must pretend there's a major illness, so the hotel can't possibly evict them, but maybe they will anyway. The usual silliness and shenanigans. It's pretty good. a required viewing for Marx Brothers fans. and of couse, an early Lucy film. Its Fun! not their best, but its good old fashioned comedy from the vaudefille days. and who can pass up watching the Marx Brothers run around in circles, playing with clever word phrases ? It IS on dvd, but it shows on Turner Classics now and then.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by William Seiter, with a screenplay by Morrie Ryskind, this slightly above average Marx Brothers comedy also features Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, Frank Albertson, and Donald MacBride (among others). Though the film lacks a lot of the staples of their earlier films (music, Zeppo, and memorable quotes besides "jumping butterballs"), it's still an entertaining 80 minutes.Groucho plays the would-be producer of a play, Chico's his assistant, and Harpo is Harpo; all three are destitute (that is to say, their money has run out). They've been holed up in a New York hotel with 20 members of their cast (Ball is one of its leads) while rehearsing it, running up a bill of $1,200, over several months before its manager, Groucho's brother-in-law (Cliff Dunstan), is caught by one of the hotel's would-be vice presidents (MacBride), who insists that they pay their bill or get out!The play's small town author (Albertson) from Oswego shows up in time to get mixed up in the mess; he's corrupted by "the boys" and also falls in love with one of the hotel's employees (Miller, who doesn't dance in this film). She would like him to find a role for one of the hotel's ham waiters (Alexander Asro).In the nick of time, they find a would-be backer, a famous wealthy financier whose representative (Philip Wood) informs them that his boss, who would like his mistress to have a role in their play, wishes to remain anonymous for fear of scandal.Philip Loeb plays a collector who wants to repossess the penniless author's typewriter; Charles Halton plays the hotel's doctor, who's called into verify that the author is indeed sick and thus can't be evicted.The first two thirds of the film takes place in one room in the hotel, and most of the last third was shot in another (a suite). Later remade as the musical Step Lively (1944) with Frank Sinatra, who plays the author.

LeonLouisRicci Groucho and Chico Seem Off Their Game a Bit in this Mediocre Entry in the Marx Bros. Output of Always Entertaining Comedies. Harpo Comes Across Better but Still, its Not His A-Game. The Sight Gags are Amusing, but what is Lacking is the Intensity and Energy Usually Found when the Boys are Found in a Situation that They can Eviscerate Verbally as They are Demolishing Polite Society All Around Them.The Marxes Appear to be Running at Half Speed, there are Pregnant Pauses and Groucho is Absent or Half-Hearted with His Famous Retorts. Although this was a Very Successful Play that Ran for 500 Nights on Broadway, Most Marx Brothers Fans Wish it would have Stayed There.Still Worth a Watch, as are All Marx Bros. Movies, but this One is in the Bottom Tier. The Film Also Wastes Lucille Ball and Ann Miller who Contribute Very Little. Don't Know if it was an In-Joke or Not, but when Someone Says..."Excuse me while I go get washed up...Chico Replies..."Go ahead, we're already washed up.". But In Fact, They Might have Felt that Way in 1938, there were Still More Movies and Laughs to Come in Their Long Career.

ingemar-4 I watched two movies pretty much in parallel, Room Service and Stuck On You. While Room Service is certainly lacking much of the Marx' brothers usual tempo and gags, I was surprised to find that this was the one of the two that gave the most laughs by far, while the other mostly bored me. I had expected the opposite.Almost the whole movie takes place in a hotel room, which is certainly due to being a stage play, and that comes for a cost. There is more talking and less action than other Marx movies. The first half or so drags considerably, but the brothers do manage to use their characters in good ways. In particular, Harpo does a good job on bringing in some visual gags.Mr Wagner (Donald MacBride) is rather tiresome, but from the moment the backer is clear to him, he gets a well deserved break from being the sourpuss of the movie. And that's right where I start liking the movie. It takes quicker turns, scenes are getting increasingly hilarious (Harpo's death scene is great), and ends pretty much as expected but just right.I certainly wouldn't advice anyone new to Marx to start here, but once you are fond of the Marx brothers and like their characters, this is a nice bonus, which is better than I thought it would be.