Avis des utilisateurs

30 years ago today, Groucho Marx died at 86, three days after Elvis Presley. For the occasion, I'd thought I'd view some of his movies of which Room Service is one of them. Unlike the others he made with his brothers, this one wasn't especially tailored to their talents since it was originally a Broadway play starring other people. So the action is mostly confined to the hotel and the pace slows down a little bit. Nevertheless, there's still some witty lines and visual humor concerning Harpo that makes this one of the more enjoyable latter day-Marx Brothers films. And there's a wonderful supporting cast with Frank Albertson as the playwright and, especially, Donald MacBride as the hotel manager who keeps exclaiming, "Jumping Butterballs!" Also of note is the fact that a couple of young players named Ann Miller and Lucille Ball appear here long before their established personas. So while not the classic of their five Paramount and first two MGM pictures, this RKO production was nothing the Marx Brothers should be ashamed of.

didn't think this was one of the Marx Brothes better films, but it wasn't their worst, either. One thing different: no harp playing from Harpo and no singing from Groucho. That's okay with me, anyway, since I watch these movies for the comedy, not the music. The only musical number was "Swing Long, Sweet Chariot" near the end of the movie.

There are some funny scenes in here, but not enough of them. Too much of the film takes place in one room. This is like a play and it begins to drag after an hour. Donald McBride, with his constant gruff voice and shouting, grates on you after awhile, too.

Lucille Ball is in here, and I always didn't recognize her. She looked very young (which she was!).

Overall, the film has entertainment value but, personally, I would rather watch the boys' others films.

Many criticize "Room Service" as the worst Marx Brothers film. This is both misleading and ridiculous. While "Duck Soup" now receives the most critical acclaim, one need only compare that film to Room Serivce to see a dramatic improvement in the directing and delivery. Room Service wasn't written explicitly for the Marx Brothers, so it doesn't have catchy lines. Still, the film flows much better than predecessors and is still pretty damn funny. The Marx Brothers made many great movies, and yes, this is one of those great ones!

I consider this the last Marx Brothers film worth seeing, though it is inferior to all their previous films. While you'll get a few laughs in their efforts following ROOM SERVICE, they are definitely a step below their earlier efforts.

The film was an adaptation of a stage production and it's obvious because most all the action takes place in one hotel room. As a result, there's a definite feeling of claustrophobia in the picture and it also prevents the film from rising to a higher level of entertainment.

About the only real WONDERFUL moment in the film is the very end, where one of the characters appears to come back to life--it's well worth seeing.

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.

As was pointed out by another reviewer, the Marx Brothers were languishing at the MGM studio under Louis B. Mayer because they had been brought there by his rival, Irving Thalberg. There last film had been A Day At the Races and they were idle for over a year when RKO requested their services for Room Service. Which L.B. Mayer gave them I'm sure for a good price.

Room Service is a fast moving slapstick farce which the Marx Brothers adapted easily to. There's even a Zeppo part which in this case is filled by Frank Albertson as the naive kid from Oswego who wrote the play that Groucho is trying by hook or crook to get produced. Emphasis on the latter.

Room Service ran for 500 performances on Broadway in the 1937-1938 season and the great George Abbott directed it. Here he was the supervising producer and I'm sure credited director William Seiter served under some real strict supervision. Frank Albertson's role was played by Eddie Albert and the three Marx Brothers parts were played by Sam Levene, Phillip Loeb, and Teddy Hart. Loeb who had Chico's role in the Broadway show played the bill collector trying to get $42.00 on Albertson's typewriter. Well money stretched a lot farther in 1938.

Repeating their Broadway roles were Alexander Asro as the waiter with ambitions to be an actor and Cliff Dunstan as Gribble the hotel manager who is Groucho's brother-in-law. And of course Donald MacBride who had the slowest burn in film next to Edgar Kennedy and could get exasperated faster than anyone else on screen is Dunstan's boss. MacBride usually gets as many laughs as stars do in their films and Room Service is no exception. JUMPING BUTTERBALLS.

The key to the whole plot is the fact that a big backer of Groucho's show pulled out and stopped payment on a $15,000.00 check. But the bank is in California and it took five days for the stop payment to go through. That was interesting to me because in the film Catch Me If You Can, forger/confidence man Frank Abegnale played by Leonardo DiCaprio used that exact same gimmick in the sixties to get a whole lot of money by memorizing codes for routing on checks. Was Abegnale inspired by Room Service?

Favorite scene, the Marx Brothers and Albertson chasing a turkey through their room that Harpo finagled. Favorite line belongs to Frank Albertson which is ironic with Groucho Marx in the same film. When they decide to fake the fact that Albertson is dying, Albertson says that, "I'll give the best performance you'll ever see in a hotel room."

How did that one get by Mr. Breen?

The Marx Brothers and Frank Albertson must avoid being thrown out of their hotel suite. They have no money to pay their bill, so they invent a series of ailments for Mr. Albertson to act out in order to distract hotel management. The four hope an upcoming production of a play will reverse their fortunes.

"Room Service" finds the Brothers slightly of the mark. Groucho and Chico appear uninterested, especially when watching the other performers. Harpo is more lively, but is still not quite Harpo; his "Say Ahhhh…" goes on too long. Oddly, enough, the fourth member of their team, Mr. Albertson, turns in the more consistent performance. Donald MacBride is also very good. Lucille Ball acts like the Marx Brothers - standing around until her next line. Ann Miller is more interested, as Albertson's squeeze. A flying turkey steals the show!

****** Room Service (9/21/38) William A. Seiter ~ Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Frank Albertson

Though not one of the Marx Brothers' better known films, "Room Service" is well worth seeing nonetheless. Originally a stage play, it has the distinction of being the only Marx Brothers' film that wasn't originally written by or for the Brothers. However, the film adaptation is seamlessly tailored for the Marxes' stock characters: Groucho, the glib con-man; Chico, the deceptively simple Italian caricature; and Harpo, their anarchic collaborator. The film is very well written, with lots of hilarious gags and pratfalls. Especially memorable is the scene in which the brothers put on multiple layers of clothes as they prepare to decamp their hotel room without paying the bill. Even funnier is the scene in which the brothers, not having eaten for days, frenetically polish off a meal they had arranged to be diverted to their room. Watch Harpo as he madly harpoons peas with his fork and devours them one by one, like a ravenous automaton! In an earlier scene, the boys chase a flying turkey around the hotel room, hoping to make a meal of it. Alas, it flies out the window, whereupon Groucho says, "Never mind, we didn't have any cranberry sauce anyway!"

Unfortunately, the film lacks the usual piano and harp numbers by Chico and Harpo. Regrettable too is the absence of Margaret Dumont, Groucho's legendary "straight woman." Even so, the film is great fun--pure escapism!

OK, but not great, Marx Brothers movie.

Started off well enough. Set up was good, some good one-liners from Groucho and was quite coherent. Middle section had some great sight gags (anything involving the turkey, and Harpo being diagnosed by the doctor, especially).

However, from a point it lost coherence and just got silly. Not ridiculously, unwatchably silly, but just mundane and not too funny.

Overall, the jokes were weaker than their best, and even Groucho's famous wisecracks seemed weaker and fewer-and-further-between.

Performances, given the material, are OK though. Lucille Ball is great in a supporting role, and not just for her acting... Good support too from Ann Miller and Frank Albertson.

Certainly not in the same league as A Night At The Opera, but reasonably entertaining nevertheless.

This film is likely to be a real letdown unless you understand the circumstances under which it was made. The Marxes were chosen to be cast in the film version of a play that was not originally written for them. They are sort of force-fitted into the roles. Ironically it might have been funnier if it had used different actors who did not have such high expectations placed upon them. Instead, it has been forever enshrined as part of a canon to which it really doesn't deserve to belong.

The movie manages a few chuckles, but is not prime material for Marx Bros. fans. One reason is that there's too much conventional logic in what the boys do, unlike their usual wacky comedic logic. Thus, there's little of the usual anarchic assault on well-ordered society that provides larger point to their madcap style.

Here the boys are trying to beat the hotel out of a big bill in order to get their stage play produced, and what they do makes perfectly good sense, though done in zany style. I get the feeling that, unlike other Marx movies, any number of good comedic actors could have replaced them to decent effect. Also, journeyman director Seiter fails to bring the zaniness to the kind of madcap boil that marks their best features. For example, the comedy mix tends to keep the boys apart instead of effectively combining them.

Nonetheless, the movie has its moments and some good gag lines, along with lively humorous support— MacBride as the dyspeptic hotel manager, Wood as the string bean agent, and Albertson as the boyish playwrite. Unfortunately, Lucille Ball's expert comedic talent goes untapped, but thankfully not her good looks.

Looks like the boys miss their home at MGM where their best movies were made. But even second-rate Marx Bros. at RKO still manages some good laughs.

The blessing of civilization is structure. "A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place"; now there's a neat old proverb for you! We don't know who originally coined that phrase, but they really knew the importance of brevity. And one thing about these classic old sampler proverbial sayings is; that like most things under the Sun, they always have exceptions.

Let's consider the cinema and its relation to the saying. Even more particularly, we'll zero in on the most anti-order film 'commodity' that we know. That would be the Marxes.

The Marx Brothers act was one of rapid fire lunacy. They need to have room to operate; that is, the material that they use must be constructed to give the appearance of Ad Lib. It also must be loose enough to allow for the occasional real Ad Lib to fit in, when it does manage to come down the pike. This is all clearly evident in their 5 Paramount Pictures features. The art was perfected with their arrival on the lot over at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Mr. Irving Thalberg's desire to make even better Marx Brothers vehicles.

The Thalberg prescription called for a road trip by the now 3 Marx Brothers in a sojourn into some live stage appearances. The object was not to make for a Las Vegas type Act in some exclusive engagement; but rather to take some proposed material and try it out before a live theatre audience. The most obvious example of this method would be the State Room Scene in A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (MGM, 1935).

Up to the point of ROOM SERVICE (RKO Radio Pictures, 1938), all of the Marx Brothers' movies had been films written just for them. Their Movies' genesis either one of two categories. Either they were filmed versions of their highly successful Broadway Farces, THE COCONUTS, ANIMAL CRACKERS or MONKEY BUSINESS (which contained much of the material from their 1923 Broadway Show, "I'll Say She Is!" The rest were all original screenplays written for the screen' They had expressed interest in doing a film using a play that was already written; so that when they had the offer to go on loan to RKO to do ROOM SERVICE, they jumped at it. ROOM SERVICE being a story of a conniving Producer, Gordon Miller (to be played by Groucho) and his conning his way into getting his Play produced. They had the time and the extra spending money would come in handy; particularly for eldest brother Chico, who gambled for a hobby.

So, with some tiny little changes (like changing the name of the Director from Binion to Binelli, so that Chico could apply his pseudo-Italian to the part.) And as for Harpo, well there was no part for him to do. He was just sort of an 'ad-on person'; though to his credit, he managed to be Harpo long enough and to be the main player in the finale's show stopping gag.

The cast was filled up with enough top talent though. Whatever the parts called for, they delivered. We had. Veteran Director William A. Seiter, who had done quite a few types of films and had done Comedies with Laurel & Hardy (SONS OF THE DESSERT, Hal Roach/MGM, 1933) and Wheeler & Wolsey (GIRL CRAZY, RKO Radio, 1932). Others in the comedy line that he had worked with were: the Ritz Brothers and Abbot & Costello. He had done just about all, and would continue working into the days of Television 1n the '50's and up to 1960.

A lot of the action is like so many of those Stage Plays, with a lot of people running around, like Turkeys with their heads cut off. ("Turkeys" instead of "Chickens" 'cause it's only 2 days to Thanksgiving as this is being written.). There would be a lot of door slamming, hollering, laughing and loss of temper.

Others filling out the cast were lovely young ladies Ann Miller & Lucielle Ball (double Woo, woo, woo, woo!!), Frank Albertson, Chris Dunstan, Donald McBride, Phillip Loeb, Phillip Wood, Alexander Asro and Charles Halton.

Well, the Brothers had done what they had wanted to try. And we may be thankful for it; for without it, we'd be forever wondering just what it would have been. Imagination being what it is, who knows just what our minds would have cooked-up?* Lively and amusing, yes; but is it a real, dyed in the wool Marx Brothers movie? Sorry Charlie, I no think so!

NOTE: * The folks at RKO went and re-made ROOM SERVICE in 1944, but this time as a musical. STEP LIVELY RKO Radio, 1944) starred Frank Sinatra, George Murphy, Gloria DeHaven, Adolph Menjou, Walter Slezak, Anne Jeffreys and Grant Mitchell. Oddly it also featured on of the Movie Comedy Teams of the day. It was Wally Brown & Alan Carney; who were known as "RKO's answer to Abbot & Costello".

Groucho is as priceless as usual as Gordon Miller, the leader of a theatrical troupe who currently occupy a ritzy hotel. Alas, they're in desperate need of money, but may soon have a backer to help them out in the production of a play by earnest young Leo Davis (Frank Albertson).

Naturally, things often go very, very wrong in the tradition of farce. While there may be no real comedy fireworks with "Room Service", the Marx brothers are still in fine form, and the material is performed to breathless perfection by a solid and talented cast. Among other complications, characters will have to feign illness, Harpo will run around trying to catch a runaway turkey (who actually FLIES out a window, ha ha), and Groucho, Harpo, and Chico will try to avoid the presence of a new efficiency expert at the hotel, played as the ultimate flustered (and loud) straight man by character actor Donald MacBride.

The film does betray its stage origins, as director William A. Seiter and company never do try to make it particularly cinematic. One of the best moments involves the brothers greedily devouring a meal after they have gone hungry for a while. There are some great lines here and there, and supporting players like MacBride, Cliff Dunstan, Albertson, Philip Loeb, and Philip Wood do their able best to counter some Marx brothers wackiness with their frustrated reactions. Unfortunately, the script gives the major female players (Lucille Ball as the boys' friend Christine, Ann Miller as hotel employee Hilda) with precious little to do; neither of them get to do much to help move the story forward.

All the same, "Room Service" is a welcome alternative to blander contemporary comedies. Even if it's not peak Marx Brothers stuff, it shows you a pretty good time for a well-paced 79 minutes.

Jumping butterballs! Hail and farewell!

Seven out of 10.

Room Service marked for the first and last time in their careers the Marx Brothers would work with material not written specifically for them. Based on the successful stage play the brothers make you quickly forget it is anything but a Marx romp.

Gordon Miller (Groucho) desperately attempts to stave off eviction from his hotel room until he can get a backer for his play. Enlisting Harpo and Chico and a series of arch ruses the boys put up a spirited and inane struggle to hold the room and get the play financed.

Room Service is the usual Marx Brothers versus the establishment and polite society vehicle they excelled at in their first half dozen films. By the time they did Day at the Races it was evident they were slowing down and Room Service expands on it. Veteran Marx collaborator Maury Ryskind tailors some of the play to the brothers strengths but they only serve as reminders of when they were sharper and in better productions.

Room Service is far from the worst and further from their best work. It has flashes of their famed anarchic style but remains incapable of sustaining the zany outrageous pace found in the earlier films and as some close ups glaringly revealed, they were not getting any younger.

The Paramount era was the best creatively for the Marx Brothers. Afterwards, there was a concentration on plot, which didn't lend to their insane, improvisational style. However, there is plenty to love about their post-Paramount career. Some consider A Night at the Opera to be their best film. I disagree, myself, but love A Day at the Races. But Room Service might be my favorite post-Paramount Marx Brothers. Why? Well, I usually dislike the plots of their later movies, but this one has a particularly great script. It also has spectacular supporting characters and no music. Besides the brothers, only Margaret Dumont could get laughs in their earlier films. Here, almost all of the supporting cast is hilarious. I wouldn't want to ruin a single joke. They may not be as frequent as the earlier films, but the slower pacing is excellent in the film. You really must see it. 10/10.

Quite a letdown from the first two films the brothers did for MGM. Don't know why Zeppo negotiated this film with RKO. They would return to MGM for the remainder of their films. This is the only one of their films that was not designed specifically for their talents, being adapted from a Broadway play. Humor is much below par, although it gets better as the film progresses. The two main female characters, played by Lucille Ball and a precocious 15 year old Anne Miller, are barely in the film. For those who prefer their Marx films with a minimum of musical interruptions, this fills the bill. Even Chico doesn't play the piano nor does Harpo play the Harp. However, Harpo does accompany the singing of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" with harmonica.

The Marx brothers stopped by RKO for Room Service in 1938, based on the Broadway hit.

Groucho plays a producer with no backer who is living on credit, along with 22 cast members and assorted friends in the White Way Hotel. Their bill at present is $1200 (about $26,850 today) with nothing to pawn and no way to pay it. They manage to get food by promising a bellboy a part in the show.

When the play's author (Frank Albertson) shows up, they steal his typewriter. When the collection company shows up, they say he's been committed and took the typewriter with him. "He likes to listen to the bell," Chico tells him.

With a new backer found by their leading lady (Lucille Ball), can they keep the wolves at bay until they receive the check?

Very funny film, with the group packing by putting on as many clothes as they can and employing various techniques to keep the room from being taken over (illness, suicide attempts, death).

Very enjoyable.

The only Marx Bros. film made at RKO is enjoyable despite not feeling very much like a Marx Bros. picture at all. It's the first movie the brothers made with parts not written specifically for them. The plot is about producer Groucho, his assistants Chico & Harpo, and actress Lucille Ball trying to get a play financed while avoiding being thrown out of their hotel. It's a movie based on a stage play and feels like it. Most of the movie takes place in one hotel room and the script is very talky. The last part wouldn't be a bad thing if the script was written with Groucho in mind. But it wasn't so Groucho doesn't get a lot of witty one-liners here. There are no gags or zingers that would make a Marx Bros. highlight reel in this one. But, on the plus side, there are no lame musical numbers to sit through. In addition to the brothers and Lucy, the cast includes Donald MacBride, Frank Albertson, and a 15 year-old Ann Miller (playing older). They're all fine but Margaret Dumont is sorely missed. There are a lot of things not to like about this but it works well enough for what it is. Keep expectations low and you'll probably find it's a good time-passer, even though it's not a classic.

Jumpin' Butterballs, this movie Stinks! A Marx Brothers misfire that's a dull and listless drag that never eases its tedium. It's a wonder anyone even bothered to make Groucho up in his bizarre trademark eyebrows and mustache, as he has nothing witty or outrageous to do or say throughout this bore. Chico must have been so disinterested that he forgot to use his Italian accent. Only Harpo provides a grin or two, and there's precious little of that to go around here anyway. Figure in a loudmouthed hotel manager and another obnoxious co-comic in Frank Albertson, and the road gets even bumpier. This has to be the Marx's worst.

*1/2 out of ****