Panique à l'hôtel

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.

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

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.

I saw an undergraduate production of "Room Service" at the University of Rochester, and amazingly enough, it was exactly as good (I should rather say "bad") as this movie. No better, and no worse. I think it's the material. It's so mind-numbingly bland, and so typical of the period (everybody's broke...everybody wants to be on Broadway...blah blah blah), that even the great Marx Brothers couldn't make it fly.

This is the only film that was not specifically written for them, and boy, does it show. Room Service is your garden-variety 1930s comedy, so far beneath the pioneering and progressive humor of the Marx Brothers that it's absurd to even dream of shoehorning them into this pedestrian garbage. And yet they attempted it anyway.

An unfunny Groucho? God, it's unwatchable. Interesting to note that Harpo still manages to be charming, but he's quite marginalized, probably because there was no non-speaking funny man in the original play. The supporting cast consists entirely of tinned hams, and the great Lucille Ball barely features.

The action is rather too literally based on the play, so the Marx Brothers remain cooped up in a hotel room for just about the entire movie. It's about as cinematic as a trip to the laundromat, and about as exciting. Worse yet, Room Service landed the Marx Brothers in hot water with their usual production company, MGM, since they turned traitor and made this turkey with RKO. After returning to MGM, the Brothers found that their stock with the company had fallen, and their subsequent films were never as carefully made - or as good - as their earlier classics. Darn.

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!