Director: Charles Reisner

Writers: Hal Fimberg; Ray Golden; Sid Kuller

Keywords: Crime/Comedy, Musical

Name	Occupation	Birth	Death	Known for
Henry Armetta	Actor	4-Jul-1888	21-Oct-1945	A Bell For Adano
Douglass Dumbrille	Actor	13-Oct-1889	2-Apr-1974	The Three Musketeers
Margaret Dumont	Actor	20-Oct-1882	6-Mar-1965	Foil to the Marx Brothers
Virginia Grey	Actor	22-Mar-1917	31-Jul-2004	Hullabaloo
Russell Hicks	Actor	4-Jun-1895	1-Jun-1957	American character actor
Marion Martin	Actor	7-Jun-1908	13-Aug-1985	Boom Town
Tony Martin	Singer	25-Dec-1913	27-Jul-2012	There's No Tomorrow
Chico Marx	Actor	22-Mar-1887	11-Oct-1961	An Italian con-man of a Marx Brother
Groucho Marx	Comic	2-Oct-1890	19-Aug-1977	You Bet Your Life
Harpo Marx	Actor	23-Nov-1888	28-Sep-1964	Silent harp-playing Marx Brother
Virginia O'Brien	Actor	18-Apr-1919	16-Jan-2001	The Big Store

REVIEWS

Review by anonymous (posted on 25-Jun-2006)

The oft-maligned finale of the trio's MGM series, The Big Store's reputation suffers most from the fact that it's compared only with the truly great Marx Brothers movies rather than compared with other movies. As a fan of Marx Brothers movies, what delights me most about the Big Store is the Sing While You Sell production number. I love the song itself, and there are many interesting elements within this number, including the most intricate dancing of Groucho's career, Harpo doing some serious partner dancing (Had he ever touched a woman in a movie prior to this?), Virginia O'Brien's deadpan solo, and the fact that Groucho did a fine job singing and dancing in the modern style of the day despite the fact that he was nearly 50 years old. An interesting note from this particular scene--and one that puzzles me--is the absense of Chico. Perhaps he just didn't like the style of music, or more likely, it didn't fit with his character's being an instructor of classical music. I've never read a review of this movie that mentions the older woman who enters the record department of the store looking to buy a copy of Tony Martin's latest record. She was played by Clara Blandick, best known for her portrayal of Auntie Em in the Wizard of Oz just a couple of years earlier. Although sometimes cited as one of the movie's best parts, the "bed scene" doesn't interest me, and I think the movie would have been better off without it. I don't care for Groucho's treatment of the devoted Italian father who is desperately trying to locate his children. I just don't find that situation funny. But then again that's one this movie's major problems--it's very entertaining, but not very funny. After hearing so many times how weak this movie is, I was delighted to view it and decided for myself. Maybe it's time for you to do the same.

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