Thats'a No Good

Imagine a movie starring Lucille Ball and the Marx Brothers. Sound great doesn’t it? Well, there was such a movie made. Unfortunately it was made after the Marx Brothers were past their prime and before Lucille Ball hit hers. The movie was Room Service (1938) and it wasn’t very good.

The story behind this one doesn’t involve the Marx Brothers. Room Service was a hit stage play. It just wasn’t a hit stage play with any parts for the Marx Brothers. With this minor problem, and Chico Marx needing money, a team of Marx Brothers writers was set to try and work the three into the script. They succeeded in making the script shootable, but it does lack the Marx Bros. quality.

There aren’t many routines that are funny in this movie. The story isn’t bad as Groucho is a cheap theater producer who has invited his theater company members to stay in a hotel. Of course lacking money to pay the hotel bills and produce a stage play, Groucho goes looking for money. This time he doesn’t find it in the large figure of Margaret Dumont, but rather an unsuspecting businessman. The secretary at this man’s office happens to be Lucille Ball. Groucho succeeds in getting the businessman to put up the money, but has to spend the night in the hotel as the money can’t be gotten until 10 a.m. the next day. This normally isn’t a problem, but Chico got kicked out of his place to stay. Harpo did as well. The playwright of the theater company made the trip to New York in order to see what was taking so long in getting his work produced. To make matters worse, the hotel is clamping down on those who haven’t paid their hotel bills yet.

This seems like a great story for laugher and it works at some points, but overall it is disappointing. The Brothers give stirring renditions of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” throughout the movie. There is a funny scene when the playwright must act sick and Harpo takes a funnel and blows ink spots on the man’s face. Groucho’s wit is there. Chico’s denseness is there. Harpo’s pantomime is there. It just isn’t as sharp as normal. The Marx Brothers, especially Harpo, were known for their surreal humor. There is not much here. Although at one point Groucho turns as a door opens and there is a cut to Chico carrying a moose’s head into the room. The Brothers are capable of getting snickers and laughs here, but not the gut busting stuff of their Paramount days.