mikenmarydusold

Grouchy wisecracks, Harpo mugs and mimes, Chico is Chico, Zeppo is the straightest, straight man who ever lived and scantily attired girls, do calisthenics. This is clearly a learning experience in sound pictures. Pregnant pauses give birth to stilted dialog, stumbling delivery and awkward embraces. Basically, nothing happens to detract from the antics of the Brothers Marx, except for Zeppo who seems to have been included in the act because Mom said to. The inimitable Margaret Dumont sets the groundwork for all her future appearances as the unflappable foil of Groucho. Some bouncy, dated jazz, allows uniformed bell hop, chorus girls to hand jive and high kick through an entire scene. The largely forgettable music score (The Monkey Doodle-Do), does give way to the classic, "When My Dreams Come True" "Cocoanuts is mostly remarkable for the fact that while this was being shot during the day, the Marx's were performing, on stage, honing their schticks in Animal Crackers, during the evenings. The gags are good and rapid fire but the rest of the picture is just a padded formula for future movies.

Okay, it's the fifties. It must be assumed that until the sexual revolution of the sixties, adults were ignorant of the human reproductive system. Even doctors were flummoxed by a single woman, claiming not to be a mother. What to do, what to do? Add in a leading man without a scintilla of acting ability and a script that requires all the characters to be as single mindedly stupid as every one else and you have the makings of cinematic foolishness passing for humor. Even the smooth and sturdy voice of Eddie Fisher and charms of Debbie Reynolds cannot elevate this celebrity romance, cash grab, beyond anything but an exercise in tedium and embarrassing immaturity.

Any serving combat soldier or veteran would find this entire film an exercise in Hollywood nonsense. The portrayal of an American Army platoon, stranded behind enemy lines, wrings drama from every stereotype in the genre. The unflinching leader, an unnerved noncom, a naive, slow witted youth are joined by an insubordinate sergeant and his nonverbal, concussed commanding officer. Taken as a whole, a troop of Cub Scouts would display more discipline and combat savvy than this group. Eventually face to face with the enemy, a carefully devised plan of attack is thwarted by the same silliness that marks every aspect of this film. Redemption is found, at least in this script, by piling trope on trope. Revenge is the order of the day. Heroism and American manhood are salvaged through self sacrifice and a handy flame thrower. Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray p!ay Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray, set to a decent Elmer Bernstein score. Any assertion that this movie is some kind of classic is sophistry at its worst. Before its release, the US Army, withdrew support for this film, claiming that it portrayed officers and noncoms in an unfavorable light. They were being kind in their criticism as the incompetent stumblebums representing American soldiers, are an insult to everyone who has ever served their country.