Animal Crackers
The maddest comics of them all!
1930 | 97m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Victor Heerman |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Morrie Ryskind, George S. Kaufman |
| Staring: |
| The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor. | |
| Release Date: | Aug 08, 1930 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Victor Heerman |
| Writer: | Morrie Ryskind, George S. Kaufman |
| Genres: | Comedy, Music |
| Keywords | musical, based on play or musical, whodunit, black and white, pre-code |
| Production Companies | Paramount Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 02, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Groucho Marx | Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding |
| Harpo Marx | The Professor |
| Chico Marx | Signor Emanuel Ravelli |
| Zeppo Marx | Horatio Jamison |
| Lillian Roth | Arabella Rittenhouse |
| Margaret Dumont | Mrs. Rittenhouse |
| Louis Sorin | Roscoe Chandler |
| Hal Thompson | John Parker |
| Margaret Irving | Mrs. Whitehead |
| Kathryn Reece | Grace Carpenter |
| Robert Greig | Hives |
| Edward Metcalf | Hennessey |
| Robert Allen | House Party Guest (uncredited) |
| Donald MacBride | House Party Guest (uncredited) |
| Ann Roth | House Party Guest (uncredited) |
| Fredi Washington | Party Guest |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Victor Heerman | Director |
| Morrie Ryskind | Theatre Play, Screenplay |
| Ernest Zatorsky | Sound |
| Harry Ruby | Theatre Play |
| George J. Folsey | Director of Photography |
| Bert Kalmar | Theatre Play |
| George S. Kaufman | Writer, Theatre Play |
| Ernst Fegté | Art Direction |
| Max Reese | Original Music Composer |
| Pierre Collings | Continuity |
| Name | Title |
|---|
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 8 |
| 2024 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 6 |
| 2024 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 6 |
| 2024 | 8 | 10 | 21 | 7 |
| 2024 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 5 |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 5 |
| 2024 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 4 |
| 2025 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Trending Position
So a renowned explorer ("Capt. Spaulding" - Groucho Marx) returns from doing his David Livingstone in Africa and attends a lavish reception in his honour. Whilst at this swanky soirée, a very valuable painting is stolen and so he, along with Harpo, Chico & Zeppo all pitch in to recover it for their ... hostess; the glamorous but no-nonsense "Mrs. Rittenhouse" (Margaret Dumont - who frequently struggles to keep a straight face during the ensuing shenanigans!). It quickly accelerates into a rapid-fire series of set-piece sketches - and the best game of bridge you're ever likely to see on screen - with some wonderfully timed one liners. I always found Groucho's accent a bit tiring after a while - his really thick New York accent is not so easy on the ears, but that's an incidental criticism of a really fun vehicle for four folks who just knew how to make us laugh. Maybe one too many musical hiatuses that slow it down somewhat, but hey - you're bound to enjoy most of it.