A Night in Casablanca (1946)

Cast: Ronald Kornblow (Groucho Marx), Rusty (Harpo Marx), Carbaccio (Chico Marx)
Lt. Pierre Delmar (Charles Drake), Sig Ruman (Count Pfferman/Heinrich Stubel)

Director: Archie Mayo

Genre: Comedy
I thought I should post something about a comedy as all these dramas can start to be depressing and boring. I certainly wouldn’t want the wrong impression of me to start going around amongst the two or three readers of my blog. This is, by far, my favorite spoof on another movie. And it has the Marx Brothers. The other film it pokes fun at needs not to be mentioned- it’s pretty obvious. At a hotel in post-war Casablanca, manager after manager of the Hotel Casablanca mysteriously dies. Ronald Kornblow (Groucho Marx) is chosen as a new manager and the police hope he will lead them to some suspects. Unbeknownst to Kornblow but knownst to the police the previous hotel managers were murdered but they’re sure to keep it a secret. In the meantime, an ex-French soldier, Pierre Delmar (Charles Drake), suspects the involvement of ex-Nazis in these murders. He specifically suspects the suspicious Heinrich Stubel (a.k.a. Count Pfefferman). Pierre is suspected himself of working with enemies and he needs the aid of his girlfriend Annette, along with Corbaccio (Chico Marx) and Heinrich’s servant Rusty (Harpo Marx) to clear his name and put the kybosh on the ex-nazis. This was really entertaining for a “comeback” film on the part of the three Marx Brothers. As Chico Marx fell into financial trouble during this time, they decided to get back together to make another movie to help him out. It turned out to be a success! I consider it still successful myself since the jokes and puns seemed well thought out. The picture pulls you in right away and progresses nicely with its suspense. The humor factor doesn’t interfere in any way with the storyline. The humor of the Marx Brother’s is distinct because they abandon the element of slapstick that was common to that era. Their humor stabs at the rich and haughty of the era, which is still hilarious to this day. With this film in particular, they play off of some scenes and lines from the film Casablanca- ok, I said it. Even if you don’t like the Marx Brothers, I would still recommend this one. It has nothing unappealing about it. Actually, if you don't like the Marx Brothers, the managment isn't concerned with or responsible for your shady and hopeless taste in films!