Hello, folks!
Everyone enjoys a good laugh. Some people, like me, are so interested in laughing that they start collecting all the comedy material that they can and build a library of material they can enjoy over and over again! With that in mind, I’m here to highlight some of the items available on monkeyreader.com which can provide the building blocks for you to create a great comedy library!
One of the first items I would reccomend is The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection, available at www.monkeyreader.com This six-DVD set contains some of the funniest movies ever made, starring the four legendary madcap comics known as Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo Marx. The Silver Screen Collection contains the Marxes’ first five movies, released between 1929 and 1933.
First in the set is “The Cocoanuts” (1929). Like most of the Marx Brothers movies, you really don’t need to worry about the plot- all you really need to know is that Groucho plays a hotel mannager, and Chico and Harpo are among his guests. Despite the numerous technical flaws of “The Cocoanuts” (it was, after all, a very early sound film, and the recording technology at the time was very crude), it contains many very funny scenes, including Groucho and Chico’s famous “why a duck?” exchange.
Next in the set is 1930’s “Animal Crackers”, in which Groucho plays perhaps his most celebrated role, that of Captain Geoffrey Spaulding, the African explorer. “Animal Crackers” contains one hilarious scene after another, and some of the Marxes’ most memorable quips and puns are in this film, especially from Groucho.
Next is “Monkey Business” (1931), which contains just that- a lot of monkey business, and very little plot. But plot doesn’t matter when you have the four Marx Brothers stowing away on a ship!
Next comes “Horse Feathers” (1932) in which the Marxes tackle the world of academia when Groucho becomes president of Huxley College and recruits Harpo and Chico for Huxley’s football team. From beginning to end, “Horse Feathers” is anarchic, surreal, wild, and very funny, perhaps even more so than the preceding three films.
Finally comes “Duck Soup” (1933), often considered the Marxes’ masterpiece- a wild and hilarious political satire in which Groucho becomes leader of the country of Freedonia and has to deal with spies Harpo and Chico from the rival country of Sylvania. “Duck Soup” is truly among the funniest films ever made, from Groucho’s opening song to the famous “mirror scene”, there are more laughs in this one 70-minute romp than in five other comedies combined. But don’t take my word for it- purchase the Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection from monkeyreader.com and begin your comedy library with one of the greatest comedy teams of all time!
Tags: comedy, literacy, marx brothers, Marx Brothers comedy review, reading