Episode 73: The Cocoanuts Revisited (featuring the Marx Brothers Council)
In the first episode of our "Revisited" series, we share and respond to our listeners' commentary on The Cocoanuts (1929).
Episode 63: Coming Attractions (featuring Jerry Sroka)
Matthew and Noah explore the world of Marx Brothers movie trailers, then interview Jerry Sroka, cowriter and star of Our Almost Completely True Love Story.
Episode 62: Blooray, Blooray, Blooray! (Our Too Many Kisses and The House That Shadows Built Deep Dive)
A discussion of Too Many Kisses, the 1925 Richard Dix comedy in which Harpo appears; and The House That Shadows Built, the 1931 Paramount promotional film which includes a Marx Brothers scene from their vaudeville years. Both films have been beautifully restored and released on blu-ray by the Film Preservation Society.
Episode 58: Acid Reflux (Our Skidoo Deep Dive, featuring Cinco Paul)
Cinco Paul returns to the show to discuss Skidoo, Otto Preminger’s acid-laced 1968 comedy, which contains the final film performance of Groucho Marx.
Episode 50: The Gods Look Down and Laugh (Our Animal Crackers Deep Dive featuring Heidi Gassel)
Not every Marx Brothers fan would name Animal Crackers when asked which film is their favorite, but as it happens, all three of your hosts would. And so would our especially special guest, Heidi Gassel.
Episode 47: Bert & Harry Go West (featuring Scott Alexander)
Not a fan of the Marxes' Go West? Wish it had been done by the guys who wrote Duck Soup? Well, it almost was. Acclaimed screenwriter and friend of the Council Scott Alexander joins us to discuss the film’s early scripts, penned by the legendary team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby.
Episode 46: Deridin' the Range (Our Go West Deep Dive)
In 1851, Horace Greeley said: "NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR A PODCAST ABOUT GO WEST, YOUNG MAN!" This is a story of three men who made Horace Greeley wish he had said it louder.
Episode 44: Double Disappointment (featuring Anthony Strand)
Isn't it interesting that Groucho made some movies without his brothers? Back in Episode 20, we tackled Copacabana (1947), and concluded that yes, it is interesting. And now, joined by Anthony Strand, we apply the same thinking to Groucho's odd double feature of early-fifties RKO releases, Double Dynamite (1951) and A Girl in Every Port (1952). Are these films interesting? Is this episode interesting? These are interesting questions -- or are they?
Episode 41: Waxing Wroth (Our Horse Feathers Deep Dive featuring Adam Gopnik)
Listeners to the podcast, podcast listeners, readers of the blog, and blog readers: The subject is the great masterpiece Horse Feathers, and the guest is the great essayist Adam Gopnik, whose most recent Marx-adjacent project is the Library of America’s S.J. Perelman anthology.
Episode 36: We Spit on Lester Cowan (Our Love Happy Deep Dive)
Well, you should have known we'd do this eventually. Please join us -- we're begging you -- for a discussion of the universally beloved classic Love Happy. It may not be everyone's favorite Marx Brothers movie -- it may not even be a Marx Brothers movie -- but you have to admit, it is a movie.