Marx Brothers

Random acts

The Age (Free subscription) | 10/04/2008

Is it comedy? Is it satire? Labelling a Coen brothers movie isn't important to Tilda Swinton.

Don't Vote! These Celebs Don't Care

Time (Free subscription) | 10/03/2008

In a campaign to get out the vote, Google aligns with the League of Women Voters and the Voting Information Project to launch this tirade against the unregistered

Commenter Of The Day: The Cocoanuts Edition [Commenter Of The Day]

Jalopnik (Free subscription) | 10/02/2008

On the long list of beloved Marx Brothers films you may not find The Cocoanuts , the first feature-length movie they did and an early example of talking pictures... as reflected in the production quality. There were numerous problems with the film and, after the final cut, the Marx Brothers actually attempted to buy the film back. Despite their reluctance, the movie was a hit. The plot is hard to...

Spiner: I’m Too Old To Play Data

Trek Movie Report (Free subscription) | 10/02/2008

Brent Spiner has a new video interview promoting his new album Dreamland (see TrekMovie review), but he also talked a bit about Trek. Next Generations Data said that he was too old to return to the role, but ‘never say never.’ The actor also talked about his future projects including his new documentary.

How the Marx Brothers (Almost) Rescued Wall Street

Pajamas Media (Free subscription) | 10/01/2008

Surely they can do a better job than this. Yes, they can — and don't call me Shirley.

Uncurbed enthusiasm

Salon (Free subscription) | 10/01/2008

Veteran "Curb Your Enthusiasm" director Bob Weide talks about bringing his prickly brand of humor to the big screen with "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People."

September of Soundtracks: The Marx Brothers Get Cultured

Dartman's World Of Wonder (Free subscription) | 09/30/2008

In Seattle a few months ago, I came across an LP I had never seen before. It was obviously not a legitimate release but it did intrigue me as it stated that it was the original soundtrack to "A Night At The Opera". I purchased it and sent it home only to hear it a few weeks later when I cam home for a quick week off. To my surprise, it was indeed the soundtrack to the film. The entire soundtrack. Basically,...

Archies Greatest Hits Collection Coming

Comics Worth Reading (Free subscription) | 09/29/2008

Archie Comics has announced that they’ll be collecting stories of the Archies, the Archie characters as a band, in a collection called The Archies: Greatest Hits Volume 1. It’s 96 pages at $9.95, due December 10. The Archies: Greatest HitsBuy this book However, their press release buried the lead, with the first paragraph instead being a [...]

• The Archies Rock The House And Your Bookshelf - ComicList Complete

Has film comedy been dumbed down?

The Irish Times (Free subscription) | 09/29/2008

argues that what was once a sophisticated genre has become gross, coarse and lazy over the last 15 years, while thinks that crude, low-brow comedy isn't a modern intention but goes back to the first time a man slipped on a cowpat.

The Walworth Farce, National Theatre: Cottesloe, London

The Independent (Free subscription) | 09/29/2008

What was going on, exactly, in those cramped rooms where Josef Fritzl imprisoned his own daughter for 24 years? How can such things happen without anyone knowing? The Walworth Farce by Enda Walsh might help to explain why so many of us create alternative, secret narratives to run in tandem with the real world.

Luxembourg: modern, idyllic and battle-tested

LA Times (Free subscription) | 09/28/2008

Beyond the urban bustle, scenic rural roads offer elegant inns, ruins and historic reminders of World War II's Battle of the Bulge. When I set out to visit the smallest countries in Europe, I put Luxembourg at the top of the list. Among the Continent's mini-states, it comes to mind maybe as quickly as Fredonia, from the 1933 Marx Brothers movie, "Duck Soup."

Hellzapoppin (1941)

Ferdy on Films, etc. (Free subscription) | 09/26/2008

Hellzapoppin (1941) Director: H. C. Potter By Marilyn Ferdinand Fans of Hollywood films that veer into the zany and absurd frequently cite films by the Keystone Kops and the Marx Brothers for the early years, and then skip forward...

Some mid-afternoon comic relief

Boker tov, Boulder! (Free subscription) | 09/25/2008

from viva la repartee Chico (correctly pronounced "CHICK-oh") Marx, the oldest of the brothers, got his nickname from his penchant for chasing young women (i.e. chicks) early in his life. Although the Marx Brothers made millions over the years, Chico was often in financial straits because of a lifelong gambling problem (his wife, Betty, insisted that they rent rather than own a home for fear of Chico's...

Now that's what I call decoration

Mary to Many (Free subscription) | 09/24/2008

I'm linking this because A it's wonderful and B I'm going to want to find it again to show to people... Man decorates basement with $10 of Sharpie Look out for the R2D2 in the corner; I haven't spotted the Marx Brothers yet, or Shakespeare...

The $10 Room Makeover...Thanks to Sharpie

Apartment Therapy - Chicago (Free subscription) | 09/24/2008

Charlie Krazer of Kentucky decorated his basement with murals produced with Sharpie markers. Simple line drawings transform the space from a run of the mill rec room to something altogether unusual an