Horse Feathers (1932)

Director:  Norman Z. McLeod
Cast:  Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, Thelma Todd, Reginald Barlow

This week, Svengoolie isn't airing a horror film.  Rather, he's airing a Marx Brothers film!  Nice change of pace, yeah?

PLOT:  Wagstaff (Zeppo Marx) is in his 12th year of college at Huxley.  His father Professor Wagstaff (Groucho Marx - "I'm ashamed to be your father") wants them to win the big Thanksgiving Day football game against Darwin.

The professor goes to a speakeasy in an attempt to find football players and finds them in Baravelli the Ice Man (Chico Marx) and his assistant Harpo, a dog catcher.  His son, meanwhile, visits his girl and tells her that his dad wants him to give her up.

Professor Wagstaff insists that they tear down the college and focus on football.  He interrupts a biology class and gives the students false information.  We all know which class they're gonna fail this semester.  Baravelli and Harpo start a spitball war with him and he is forced to leave.

Professor Wagstaff flirt with his son's love interest (Thelma Todd), and so does Baravelli.  It is in this scene that Chico shows off his amazing piano skills.        

Professor Wagstaff and Baravelli plot to kidnap some football players, but Baravelli is offered $500 to steal the Huxley signals.  He brushes it off and it falls on the college widow to get the signals from the professor.  The two go out in a boat and Quincey foils the widow and sends her overboard.

Baravelli and Harpo go kidnap the Darwin players.  Or at least, they TRY to kidnap the Darwin players; after a fight, the players strip them of their clothes and leave them in their apartment.  But they escape and head to the big game.

At the game, Harpo scores touchdown after touchdown by doing what Harpo does best:  by getting footballs off of a chariot and putting them in the endzone.  Huxley wins and the three boys get married to Thelma.  The End.

REVIEW:  I think this film is cool because each of the Marxes get to show off what they can do:  Groucho and Zeppo sing, Chico plays piano, and Harpo plays...well...harp.  Groucho's one-liners are spot on and hilarious as usual.  I highly recommend any Marx Brothers comedy; you will be laughing right when the opening credits start.  Speaking of the opening credits, I love the musical numbers in this film, though apparently Groucho himself didn't.  4 out of 5 stars.  Very funny.

Here is the full film