A Day At The Races (1937)
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100% of critics liked it
(14 reviews) -
87% of users liked it
(8,955 ratings)
A Day at the Races was the Marx Brothers' follow-up to their incomparable A Night at the Opera. Groucho Marx is cast as Hugo Z. Hackenbush, a veterinarian who passes himself off as a human doctor when summoned by wealthy hypochondriac Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) to take over the financially… More A Day at the Races was the Marx Brothers' follow-up to their incomparable A Night at the Opera. Groucho Marx is cast as Hugo Z. Hackenbush, a veterinarian who passes himself off as a human doctor when summoned by wealthy hypochondriac Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) to take over the financially strapped Standish Sanitarium. Chico Marx plays the sanitarium's general factotum, who works without pay because he has a soft spot for its owner, lovely Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan). Harpo Marx portrays a jockey at the local racetrack, constantly bullied by the evil Morgan (Douglass Dumbrille), who will take over the sanitarium if Judy can't pay its debts. After several side-splitting routines--Chico selling Groucho tips on the races, Chico and Harpo rescuing Groucho from the clutches of femme fatale Esther Muir, all three Marxes conducting a lunatic "examination" of Margaret Dumont--the fate of the sanitarium rests on a Big Race involving Hi-Hat, a horse belonging to the film's nominal hero, Allan Jones. Virtually everything that worked in "Opera" is trotted out again for "Races", including a hectic slapstick finale wherein the Marxes lay waste to a public event. What is missing here is inspiration; perhaps this is due to the fact that MGM producer Irving Thalberg, whose input was so essential to the success of "Opera", died during the filming of "Races". Even so, Day at the Races made more money than any other previous Marx Brothers film--the result being that MGM, in the spirit of "they loved it once", would continue recycling Races' best bits for the studio's next three Marx vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sam Wood
- Genres
- Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 1937 Wide
- On DVD
- May 4, 2004
- Studio
- MGM Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Mark Van Doren, The Nation
It places the Marx Brothers clearly among the few fine comedians of our day.
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Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Marx Bros.' big hit may miss with today's kids.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...may not inspire one to gales of laughter the way the earlier Marx Brothers films did, but there are still some good laughs here.
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Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
Proof of the absence of God comes when Marx Brothers gags get the scissors ... yet we still must endure a show-stopping (in the worst sense of the word) water-ballet number that's a dose of Robitussin when the movie needs a double espresso.
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Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online
Vintage Groucho, Harpo and Chico.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Groucho Marx
as Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush
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Marx Brothers
as themselves (GrouchoChico Harpo)
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Chico Marx
as Tony
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Harpo Marx
as Stuffy
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Allan Jones
as Gil Stewart
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Maureen O'Sullivan
as Judy Standish
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Leonard Ceeley
as Whitmore
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Margaret Dumont
as Mrs. Emily Upjohn
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Douglas Dumbrille
as Morgan
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Esther Muir
as Flo Marlowe
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Sig Rumann
as Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg
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Robert Middlemass
as The Sheriff
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Vivien Fay
as Solo Dancer
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Hooper Atchley
as Race Judge
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Frankie Darro
as Morgan's Jockey
- Frank Dawson
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Pat Flaherty
as Detective
- John Hyams
- Ivie Anderson and the Crinoline Choir
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Si Jenks
as Messenger
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Carole Landis
as Extra
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Edward J. Le Saint
as Doctor
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Mary MacLaren
as Nurse
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Wilbur Mack
as Judge
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Jack Norton
as Drunk
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Charles Trowbridge
as Dr. Wilmerding
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Max Lucke
as Doctor
- Douglass Dumbrille
- Sig Ruman
