Marx Brothers: Monkey Business parents guide

Marx Brothers: Monkey Business Parent Guide

Overall B

The Marx Brothers go bananas in this black and white comedy classic. As stowaways headed for America, the boys get tangled up with rival gang bosses, who happen to be on board. Unwittingly, the siblings' Monkey Business foils all the mobsters' evil intentions, while providing ample amounts of slapstick antics and silly soliloquies.

Violence B
Sexual Content B
Profanity A-
Substance Use C

Why is Marx Brothers: Monkey Business rated Not Rated? The MPAA rated Marx Brothers: Monkey Business Not Rated

Parent Movie Review

The comedic sensation that was The Marx Brothers, began with Vaudeville acts and moved to the silver screen. Their movies are more like a string of silly humorous sketches than a story, but this is of no consequence to anyone who calls themselves a fan of their work.

So for what it is worth, here is a synopsis of Monkey Business, the third film to feature the four Marx Brothers.

Stowing away aboard an American bound ocean liner, the siblings hide in barrels until their barbershop singing alerts the crew of their presence. To escape the captain’s justice for their crime, the scallywags scatter in an attempt to disappear amongst the other passengers. Posing as a puppeteer, a barber and a band of musicians, the bumbling boys fail to escape notice for very long.

When they sneak into one of the staterooms, Groucho and Zippo meet a gangster named Alke Briggs (Harry Woods). Taking advantage of their situation, the mobster pressures the reluctant gadabouts into working for him as hit men, with the assignment to take out his competition, Joe Helton (Rockliffe Fellows).

Unbeknownst to Groucho, Zippo, or Briggs, the other two brothers Chico and Harpo have run into Hilton. Seeing the other two brothers as a lucky break, the millionaire racketeer employs them as his bodyguards.

That alone would be trouble enough, yet things get more complicated. Groucho flirts with Briggs’ unhappy wife (Thelma Todd), and Zippo discovers the pretty young woman (Ruth Hall) he has been trying to pick up is Helton’s daughter.

For parents, the biggest concern with the bushy-browed main character will be his frequent cigar smoking and mild sexual innuendos, such as the time he is accused of being the stowaway who reportedly goes around with a black moustache. Groucho quips, “I’d rather go around with a blonde.”

Thanks to the inclusion of the gangsters, a few guns and a kidnapping plot have been added to the usual arsenal of slapstick antics. At no time however, is the audience left with the impression that anyone is in any real danger.

Along the way, Harpo shows off his harp playing talents, Chico proves he can play the piano, Zippo gets the girl, and Groucho befuddles every one with his witty one-liners and ridiculous soliloquies.

Creating their own brand of humor, these New York natives from a show biz family successfully turned Monkey Business into a moneymaking business. While their trademark yuk-yuks may be too bananas for some, there is no question the Marx Brothers influenced the evolution of comedy as we know it today.

Updated

Marx Brothers: Monkey Business Parents' Guide

What TV show or movies have you seen that mimic the antics of the Marx Brothers?

When the brothers are unable to go ashore in America, they steal the passport of Maurice Chevalier, and try to impersonate the famous singer and performer. For more information about this real life star, check out this site: http://www.hollywoodlegends.com/maurice-chevalier.html.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Marx Brothers: Monkey Business movie is June 23, 1998. Here are some details…

DVD Notes…

DVD release Date: October 17, 2000
If you are looking for some Monkey Business, The Marx Brothers’ classic film was released on DVD in 2000 as a stand-alone title. Fans of the famous family may prefer to look for The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (released on November 9, 2005), a box set that includes this movie as well as The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Horse Feathers and Duck Soup.

Related home video titles:

Monkey Business is available on DVD as part of a box set titles, The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection. Another contemporary of The Marx Brothers was W.C. Fields.