The first theatrical entry by one of the most famous of all comedy teams, The Marx Brothers, The Cocoanuts, has some zest to it. It doesn’t get to the level of their other movies, but it has its moments. Groucho’s wit is still there, and Harpo has a saxophone solo. Don’t get discouraged, he has his first harp solo also. Chico does his usual routine.
The brothers zaniness takes place in a Florida hotel, with Groucho running it. He has a good line in the beginning. The workers complain that they haven’t been paid. He asks if they want to be wage slaves, and they say no. He says good because they’ll never be that if they don’t get paid. He also spends time pursuing Mrs Potter, played by Margaret Dumont. There is also a love story, as with most of their films. Also it has singing and dancing, done well by Mary Eaton, who plays Polly Potter, Mrs. Potter’s daughter. The Marx Brothers had experience with the material, since they were in the broadway play.
Zeppo Marx is in this movie. He played in their first few films, As a straight man, who would get in trouble, and be bailed out by the comic side of the family. He also sang. Their early films could be a forerunner of screwball comedy.
Although The Cocoanuts does suffer because its the first entry for the Marx Brothers, its still enjoyable to watch. Their films got better as they went along, many of them comedy masterpieces. The Marx Brothers were masters of satire, which sets them apart from other comedy teams. They were different, but also managed to incorporate other styles of comedy such as slapstick. They had great success with their films, and were comedy groundbreakers for over a decade.