Why "The Cocoanuts?"

"The Cocoanuts"
Overall Rating: ****


Many movies tackle important philosophical questions, such as "What is the meaning of existence?", "What is the true nature of religion?", and "How should people relate to each other?". "The Cocoanuts" ignores all of these questions--but it does make "Why a duck?" into a much more complicated question.

Hammer (Groucho Marx) is a hotel manager in Florida during the land boom of the 1920s. Despite the boom, his hotel has a serious shortage of guests, He does have one wealthy guest, Mrs. Potter (Margaret Dumont), who rejects his romantic advances at every turn. He barely notices that her daughter, Polly (Mary Eaton) is in love with Bob Adams (Oscar Shaw), a young architect who works in the hotel, while Mrs. Potter wants her to marry Harvey Yates (Cyril Ring). Hammer can't miss the arrival of two new guests, Chico and Harpo, who will turn the hotel upside down completely.

The plot is extraordinarily thin, and the intellectual content comes mainly from the fact that the film is 70 years old. Harpo and Chico's characters don't even have names. Of course, with a steady stream of jokes, none of that matters, and "The Cocoanuts" provides a steady supply of laughs. This film has several of the Marx Brothers' famous routines, most notably the "Why a duck?" and "Ice Water" routines (the latter culminates in the line "Oh, you want some ice water? Well, get an onion, that'll make your eyes water."). Not a minute passes without a pun. Two connecting rooms in the hotel offer an opportunity for farce. This movie is an hour and a half of hilarity.

This is largely due to the Marx Brothers' efforts. Groucho, Chico, and Harpo are a wild trio; their talents made many films comedic masterpieces, and this is one of them. They did so much to define these roles that about ten years ago, when I saw a stage production of "The Cocoanuts," the actors impersonated the Marx Brothers. Speaking of the Marx Brothers, Zeppo, though unrecognized since he was usually the straight-man, is also good very good as a desk clerk. Margaret Dumont also shines, serving in her traditional role of unlikely romantic interest for Groucho. Basil Ruysdael is good as Hennessey, the detective who immediately becomes suspicious of Harpo and Chico--not without good reason.

Irving Berlin's music is delightful. Mostly, the songs are just elegant dance numbers in the grand Hollywood tradition. While not Berlin's best music, the songs are catchy. One very amusing number is the "operatic" song where Hennessey loses his shirt (goes topless--not broke); it's a rare light moment for the stern character. By modern standards, the audio quality isn't that good; when the film was made, however, any audio was a technological triumph--the promotions described the film as "all talking."

Parents probably don't have to worry too much about their kids seeing this. There is a fair share of innuendo, some minor comic violence, and characters who frequently have a casual attitude towards other peoples' property. While I might worry about kids imitating Harpo and trying to eat a telephone, "The Cocoanuts" is probably as safe as almost anything made in the past thirty years.

Many Marx Brothers aficionados obsess on the question of whether "Duck Soup" or "A Night at the Opera" is their best movie. While both those films are great, it's important to remember that their reputation is built on more than those two films. "The Cocoanuts" may not be the Marx Brothers' best film--but even typical Marx Brothers work represents truly great comedy.



Title: "The Cocoanuts"
Release date: 1929
Not MPAA rated; Hays Code compliant
Overall rating: ****
Aprox. run time: 93 min.
Directors: Joseph Santley, Robert Florey
Writers: Irving Berlin (music and lyrics), George S. Kaufman (play), Morrie Ryskind (film adaptation)
Stars: the Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton, Margaret Dumont

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/Coconuts.htm
Added to blog site: 7/27/09 (with minor editing)