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The Cocoanuts
Theatrical release poster.
Directed by	Robert Florey Joseph Santley
Produced by	Monta Bell Walter Wanger (uncr.)
Written by	George S. Kaufman (play) Morrie Ryskind
Starring	Zeppo Marx Groucho Marx Harpo Marx Chico Marx
Music by	Irving Berlin Victor Herbert (uncr.) Frank Tours (uncr.) Georges Bizet (uncr.)
Cinematography	George J. Folsey
Editing by	Barney Rogan (uncr.)
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	May 3, 1929
Running time	96 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$500,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Cocoanuts (1929) was the first feature-length Marx Brothers film, produced by Paramount Pictures. The musical comedy stars the four Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton and the person sometimes referred to as the "fifth brother", Margaret Dumont. Produced by Walter Wanger and directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley, it was adapted to the screen by Morrie Ryskind from the George S. Kaufman Broadway play. As one of the earliest examples of a transfer of a stage musical to the new medium, The Cocoanuts highlights the imperfect production methods of early sound films.

Five of the movie's tunes were scored by Irving Berlin (by then a famous composer), including "When My Dreams Come True", sung by Oscar Shaw and Mary Eaton.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Trivia 3 Musical Numbers 4 See also 5 External links

The plot of The Cocoanuts is set in a resort hotel during the big Florida development boom of the 1920s. Groucho runs the place, assisted by "straight man" Zeppo. Chico and Harpo arrive with empty luggage, which they plan to fill by robbing and conning the guests. Margaret Dumont, in the first of her many appearances as a stuffy dowager wooed and tormented by Groucho, is a guest, one of the few paying customers. Her daughter is in love with a struggling young architect, who is working to support himself as a clerk at the hotel, but who has plans for the development of the entire area. Dumont's character wants her daughter to marry a man she believes to be of higher social standing. This man is actually a con man out to steal the dowager's diamond necklace with the help of his conniving partner, played by Kay Francis. As viewers who are familiar with Marx Brothers movies, particularly the early ones, are aware, the plot is rather beside the point. The story and setting are little more than an excuse for the brothers to run rampant in their trademark style. The film is also notable for a very early usage of "production numbers" similar to those used in the 1930s by Busby Berkeley, including techniques which were soon to become standard, such as overhead shots of dancing girls imitating the patterns of a kaleidoscope. It is also notable that all musical sequences in this early “talkie” were recorded “live” on the soundstage as they were shot (not pre-recorded), using an off-camera orchestra.

One of the more famous (or infamous) gags in the film has Groucho giving directions to Chico, who keeps misunderstanding "viaduct" as "why-a-duck", and a lengthy surreal dialogue plays out.

In another sequence, Groucho is the auctioneer for some land of possibly questionable value ("You can even get stucco! Oh, can you get stuck-oh!") He has hired Chico to artificially "bid up" during the auction. Misunderstanding the concept, Chico keeps out-bidding everyone (even himself), much to Groucho's exasperation.

• When the Marx Brothers were shown the final cut of the film, they were so appalled they tried to buy the negative back and prevent its release. The producing studio, Paramount, wisely resisted — the movie turned out to be a big hit and earned close to two million dollars.

• Every piece of paper in the movie is soaking wet, to avoid crackling paper sounds from overloading the primitive recording equipment of the time.

• "When My Dreams Come True"
• "The Bell-Hops"
• "Monkey-Doodle-Doo"
• "Ballet Music"
• "Tale of the Shirt"
• "Gypsy Love Song"

• List of United States comedy films

• The Cocoanuts at the Internet Movie Database
• The Cocoanuts at the TCM Movie Database
• Culture Vulture review of the film

The Marx Brothers
Chico Marx | Harpo Marx | Groucho Marx | Gummo Marx | Zeppo Marx
Films with Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Zeppo
Humor Risk (1921) • The Cocoanuts (1929) • Animal Crackers (1930) • The House That Shadows Built (1931) • Monkey Business (1931) • Horse Feathers (1932) • Duck Soup (1933)
Films with Chico, Harpo, and Groucho
A Night at the Opera (1935) • A Day at the Races (1937) • Room Service (1938) • At the Circus (1939) • Go West (1940) • The Big Store (1941) • A Night in Casablanca (1946) • Love Happy (1949) The Story of Mankind (1957)