Room Service With A Smile

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 27, 16 December 1938, Page 18

Room Service With A Smile

[Room Service." R.K.O. Radio. Directed by William A. Seiter, Starring the Marx Brothers, First release: January.] N the original cast of George Abbot’s production of the faree ‘‘Room Service’’ were Sam Levene and Teddy Hart, two of the nutty people we saw in ‘‘Three Men on a Horse." The play was an instantaneous success, and ran for over a year on Broadway. In ‘the cast of R.K.O0.’s screen version of "Room Service," the principal parts are filled by some even nuttier people, the Marx Brothers. And I think the film will be a success, too. At any rate, I hope so. There can be no fence-sitting when it comes to the Marx Brothers. Ejither you laugh your buttons" off, or you’re bored stiff. With me, VII admit, they are an article of faith, and | always imagine those who are bored siiff are in a very small minority. Marx Brothers fans will be not a little surprised by "Room Service,’ Groucho, Chico and Harpo have an air of sanity about them for once. They adapt themselves to the requirements of a definitely demarcated plot. The tempo of

their comedy is about half what it normally is, But they’re still funny. Groucho’s Gamut GROUCHO surprised me most of all. He still affects a tremendous stride, a cigar and a wicked gleam in the eye, and he wisecracks as of old. But in "Room Service" he runs a gamut from pure fooling to genuine dejection. And he really ts dejected, not his

old tarcical despondency, but an utter dispiritedness. Cousidering his troubles, it is not surprising. We see him as Mr. Gordon Miller, who is what our American cousins call a shoestring producer, i.e., a theatrical producer who has plenty of enthusiasm but little or no financial backing. Groucho is indeed in trouble. He owes 1200 deliars on his hotel bill; his author lands in on him, impecunious and in love; his famiiliars, Chico and Harpo are evicted from their ledgings. ("His landlord threw him out, he owed six months’ rent." "Weil, six deilars is six dollars.") They, too, come to live with him. Insanity TRUE, a packer turns up, but after .15 minutes of the sort of eoliective insanity which cnly Groucho, Harpo and Chico know how te turn on, he flees for his life, a serious case of nervous prestration, The amazing part is that while two hotel executives, a doctor, the imrecunious author, our three friends and a courteous gentleman from the "I Never Sleep Collection Agency" are desperately outwitting each other, the play goes on and is 2 great success. The transformation in Groucho 1] have already commented on. Chico and Harpo are also a little saner, which may be all to the good, especially with Harpo. But 1 was sorry these two had no opportunity to demonstrate their remarkable musical talent. | T£ I had space, I’d write a littte appendix to this review"Whither the Marx Brothers?" For it’s evident: they’re out of their old niche and going some place, Where, I don’t know.