Une fille dans chaque port

"A Girl in Every Port" is one of the few solo efforts of Groucho Marx after 20 years of working almost exclusively with his brothers. It is probably one of the weakest films he was ever associated with. Occasionally his wit and his gift for free-association dialogue shines through, but there are also a couple of moments where his timing seems to have slowed down. The film also suffers from a needlessly convoluted plot (though, to its credit, the script acknowledges this flaw and even uses it as a target for some jokes), and the direction is generally flat. Still, the film is perfectly watchable and occasionally even entertaining. Let's face it, even Groucho at 80% speed is better than most comedians (of all eras) at 100%. And then there is also Marie Wilson. Unlike most comedies of its time where women usually have straight roles, she plays a good-hearted but extremely ditzy girl, with legs that go on for miles and breasts that nearly burst through her outfits. The scene where her bare shoulders keep getting exposed is actually kind of sensual. And Teddy Hart is pretty funny as the gangster "High Life". ** out of 4.

Groucho Marx and William Bendix deserve much better material than what they are given here. A bad script with unfunny jokes gives these two talents nothing to work with. Why they ever agreed to do this film is one of the great mysteries of Hollywood!

The racehorse in A GIRL IN EVERY PORT isn't the only thing that's lame. The plot, scripting, pacing and every other facet of this film follow suit. Even the title is misleading, as the ship never sails anywhere, and the only girl involved to any great extent is a stunningly moronic Marie Wilson. This film proves that labored, unfunny "comedies" were being produced long before the current spate of mindless garbage began spewing from our television and movie screens. The characters in this film all appear to have IQ's somewhere in the single digit range. It is indeed sad to see so many talented actors tangled up in this unfortunate yawner. Avoid this film at every opportunity.

Groucho Marx and William Bendix play two navy buddies, Benny Linn and Tim Dunnovan, who get a race horse that turns out to have a twin.They try to make a little money with the help of the twin horses.Chester Erskine's comedy A Girl In Every Port from 1952 isn't all that bad of comedy, if you ask me.It has got Groucho Marx in it, who can safe any movie.If course this doesn't reach near the classic stuff he did with his brothers Harpo and Chico, but he still gets to deliver some witty lines that safe a lot of this movie.William Bendix doesn't stay too much behind.He and Groucho make a great team.Marie Wilson plays Jane Sweet, a dumb blonde and isn't at all dumb in her role.Don DeFore does also good job as Bert Sedgwick.This movie may not be a masterpiece, but pretty good anyway.It made my Sunday afternoon a little better.

"A Girl In Every Port" is the story of two navy buddies who are stuck with a bum horse and try with all of their brilliance to turn a buck in the end.

Although not a great comedy by any means, "A Girl In Every Port" still shines in its own right. We are able, once we acknowledge that this is a vehicle for Groucho, to disregard any technical flaws and view it on its primary aspects: acting and scripting. In terms of acting, this is the intersection of three type-cast performers at the height of their type. Groucho Marx, older than we all remember, had just begun "You Bet Your Life," and was beginning to establish himself as a solo performer. His wise-guy persona, without the foils of his brothers, stands up well on its own. Marie Wilson plays her part as spot on as ever. She is a trite as the "dumb blonde," but she is just so good at it that we can forgive the cliché and embrace the goofiness. Finally, William Bendix plays the dumb but lovable tough that we will always remember him as. Mix up these caricatures with a script full of one-liners in three varieties and we have successful lightness. Bendix and Wilson are able to be dumb together, but, of course, in their own way, and the naïveté of their characters is wonderful against the poison that Groucho Marx brings to the screen. The jokes are wicked, mostly, and the story, although confused, unintelligent, and played out, is decent enough to string along the performances of two great B-listers and one master of comedy.