Animal Crackers - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Animal Crackers or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Animal Crackers

[scarlett]

The decision to cast Lillian Roth in this film was, in essence, a mild rebuke or punishment for the young star. Roth had proven difficult to work with while filming Cecil B. DeMille's Madam Satan (1930), and Paramount head B.P. Schulberg decided to put Roth in this film. Schulberg told Roth "We're sending you back to New York to be kicked in the rear by the Marx Brothers until you learn to behave." The brothers' antics had the intended effect on Roth, who recalled that her experiences working on the film were "one step removed from the circus."

[amber]

Groucho Marx's name in the film (Captain Spaulding) would later be used by Sid Haig's character of the same name from House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005), among other The Marx Brothers aliases.

[ray]

The violin part of Harpo Marx's harp/violin duet was played by Mischa Mischakoff who was later concertmaster of the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini.

[jessica]

This was the last film adaptation of The Marx Brothers' stage play.

[nina]

Director Victor Heerman cut several musical interludes in order to emphasize the comedic aspects of the film.

[manuel]

One of over 700 Paramount Productions filmed between 1929 to 1949 and were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution. They have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. However, because of legal complications, this particular title was not included in the original television package and was not televised until July 21, 1979, after the rights had been cleared.

[eli]

Lillian Roth was not particularly a fan of The Marx Brothers' zany antics, either on and off camera, and she was prone to tell exaggerated tales of their escapades to her friends in the film industry. One such tale involved the brothers being locked in a jail cell to control them between takes. When pushed about the details, Roth eventually conceded that the studio did have a jail cell near the set, but that it was a prop from another film and that the crew actually did not need to incarcerate the Marx Brothers between takes for her protection.

[christina]

The success of this film earned The Marx Brothers a lucrative contract on the London stage and an extension of their Hollywood contract.

[caroline]

Several of Groucho Marx lines were cut on demand of the Hays office, including one line from the song "Hooray For Captain Spaulding." In the finished film, Margaret Dumont sings "He was the only white man to cover every acre," followed by a very obvious cut. Removed was the rest of the lyric, "I think I'll try to make her."

[linda]

The film was re-released to theaters before being released to television. Groucho Marx attended the premiere.

[fred]

In the interchange between Spaulding and Ravelli near the end of the film, Spaulding refers to "Chic Sale". Chic Sale was a vaudeville performer well-known to audiences in the 1930s. His name, however, had a parallel meaning. It had become a euphemism for an outhouse. Groucho Marx may have thought the reference as a way around the Hays Office code. The comedian Soupy Hines changed his name to Soupy Sales in honor of the original Sale. His birth name was Milton Supman.

[sylvia]

Fresh off the success of their previous film, The Cocoanuts (1929), their first, The Marx Brothers had gained the reputation for being a profitable and crowd-pleasing act, but they had also earned the reputation of being a rambunctious and unrestrained troupe during filming. Their nonconformist lifestyle attracted audiences, but proved to be a bit of a headache for Paramount Studios. While filming their first picture, the brothers had showed up late, slept in their dressing rooms, would walk out on filming to play a round of golf, or would call it a day after lunch. Paramount hired director Victor Heerman for this film due to his reputation for being a disciplinarian. The studio hoped that Heerman could extract the comedic magic from the Marx Brothers while also enforcing more professional work habits.

[ava]

A small clip exists of a rehearsal that shows the full cast. Harpo out of character without the wig and coat. He is wearing a bathrobe. The clip is in color.