The main culprit for this being a poor Marx Brothers film is time. While the brothers are quite funny at times, the film itself really suffers from lousy sound due to its being made at the very beginning of the talking picture era. This was true of MANY films from 1927-1929, so it is in no way a slam against the Marxes that this occurs. Secondly, unlike all their later films, this was filmed inside an old film studio on the East Coast and it REALLY REALLY looks like a stage production. In particular, the backgrounds are obvious paintings. It also lacks the energy and incidental music to give the story life.
So who would enjoy this film--especially since it has a ton of terrible songs and production numbers? Well, despite this, film buffs will be thrilled to see it because it's the earliest available footage of the Marxes (though they supposedly made a film appearance before this and it was lost). Also, fans of the Marxes will find enough to entertain them to make it worth watching. Most others, though, will not be particularly impressed and should try other Marx Brothers films FIRST so as not to be scared away by the cheapness and slowness of this film. A curio more than a classic.
By the way, this is Kay Francis' first film. After this role, she went on to great stardom in the 1930s--particularly in the Pre-Code days from 1930-1934.
So who would enjoy this film--especially since it has a ton of terrible songs and production numbers? Well, despite this, film buffs will be thrilled to see it because it's the earliest available footage of the Marxes (though they supposedly made a film appearance before this and it was lost). Also, fans of the Marxes will find enough to entertain them to make it worth watching. Most others, though, will not be particularly impressed and should try other Marx Brothers films FIRST so as not to be scared away by the cheapness and slowness of this film. A curio more than a classic.
By the way, this is Kay Francis' first film. After this role, she went on to great stardom in the 1930s--particularly in the Pre-Code days from 1930-1934.