Three zany con men sabotage an opera company to promote the careers of two talented singers.The great WC Fields said the only act he couldn't follow in Vaudeville was the Marx Bros. Here, you can see why. Their loopy chaos shatters all formal structures, high and low. Whether it's the high-falutin' Mrs. Claypool (Dumont) or the lowly city cops, all goes into the comedy grinder. There's more plot than usual, with the sketches neatly integrated. Of course, there has to be boring romantic interludes ( Jones & Carlisle) so everyone can catch their breath. For me, the highpoints are always Groucho's witty digs at poor uncomprehending Dumont. It's like two worlds speaking different languages bumping into each other. Shouldn't forget Sig Rumann as flustered impresario Gottlieb, who has to watch his big plans get chewed up Marx style. Plus, I sure hope they paid those stunt doubles triple-time for their great work in the boffo climax. Anyhow, it's a big MGM production giving our anarchic trio all their wacko talents would ever need.

Much Thought and Trepidation went into the Decision by the Marx Brothers and MGM as to Why such a Great Film like Duck Soup (1933) was a Flop. MGM's Thalberg Insisted it was the Incoherence and the Lack of Plot that Audiences Required and the Marx's went Along with Him and His Formula. The Rest is History.This Film Became the Brothers Biggest Hit and Sustained Their Career. Thalberg May have been Right, and the Moviegoers of the 1930's Liked a Lot of Singing and Dancing with Their Comedy, but Truth be Told. It was just a Fad. In Retrospect the Dated Love Songs and Romantic Subplots are Hardly the Reason Anyone After the Fact went Back to View these Comedic Gems. Today, Blasphemous as it May Be, it is Common for Modern Audiences to Say, "I fast forward through the Songs." So it is the Zany Brothers that Make These Things Classics. Their Irreverence, Timing, Wit, and Overall Hilarious Routines that Make a Marx Brothers Movie. In this One They Even Make Opera Somewhat Tolerable. It is Considered One Their Best and Some Say it is the Best. Along with Duck Soup it is the One that is Universally Touted as the Cream of the Brothers Crop.The Opera, is in Fact, a Great Place for the Marxes to be Unleashed as They Rip it to Shreds Along with Contracts and Clothes. It is a Slick Film that Groucho Said is His Favorite.But for Pure Marx Brothers Without the MGM Mix of Music and Romance…Some Prefer Duck Soup as Well as Some of the Others Done at Paramount.

Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) is the business manager for wealthy Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont) investing $200k with Herman Gottlieb (Sig Ruman) of the New York Opera Company. Chorus man Ricardo Baroni (Alan Jones) is love with Rosa Castaldi (Kitty Carlisle) who is pursued by the arrogant Rodolfo Lassparri (Walter Woolf King). Ricardo's illiterate friend Fiorello (Chico Marx) takes on the task of managing him. Tomasso (Harpo Marx) is Lassparri's abused silent whistling dresser. Gottlieb hires the great tenor Lassparri for $1000 a night. The opera company is traveling to NYC on a ship. Ricardo, Tomasso and Fiorello sneak on board as stowaways.I'm not a fan of the song and dance routines. It doesn't help that I really dislike opera. It stops the movie for me every time. Chico playing the piano for the kids is kinda cute and Harpo too. However there is nothing like Groucho's rapid fire jokes and Harpo's silent charm. I love their slapstick and they don't get better than the crowded room scene. This is a comedy classic.

Two years after making their last Paramount film, Duck Soup, the remaining Marx brothers-Groucho, Chico, and Harpo since Zeppo left-ended up at M-G-M after Chico played bridge with head of production Irving G. Thalberg and made a deal with him. With Thalberg on board, there would now be more production-meaning more story, more balance of comedy and drama with the juvenile leads and more music other than those of the Marx siblings. So now we have Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle as the romantic leads who we're supposed to care about and who are cared for by these brothers. They're actually not bad both acting and singing-wise even if you're not a fan of opera as I'm certainly not. We also have Walter Woolf King as the villain which is proved when he mistreats Harpo. But while there's not as much comedy as in their previous Paramount offerings, there's still enough of it that you laugh as much and as loud as in those earlier efforts. And not only does Groucho woo and insult Margaret Dumont delightedly again to wondrous effect here, Sig Ruman as an opera financier and Robert Emment O'Connor as a cop also provide their own great comic moments to the Marxes. Oh, and after being absent in Duck Soup, once again Chico plays his piano and Harpo his harp to entertaining results with the children watching and laughing at them an added pleasure. Oh, and Harpo also once again does his comic piano playing to good effect. Nothing more to add here except when watching the DVD, I highly recommend the Leonard Maltin commentary that accompanies this one as he provides great info throughout the picture including the missing opening sequence now considered lost. So, yeah, that's a high recommendation of A Night at the Opera.