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Think rude comedy began with Will Ferrell? Take a look at any Marx Brothers film. They are legendary for their subversive humor.
Made during the Great Depression, these movies were side-splitting to American audiences who loved the many outrageous ways they took aim at those with power, money and dignified positions in society.
As film historian and critic Richard Schickel has written, their comedy involved “the utter denigration of upper-class values, which were widely believed to have caused all the troubles of the decade in which the brothers achieved their great popularity.”
The Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo and sometimes Zeppo) began as a family act on the stage, but their blend of physical and verbal humor adapted perfectly to early sound film, and their legacy is essential in understanding how American film comedy developed. They influenced generations of comedians and comedy writers, from the Three Stooges to Woody Allen — or in modern parlance — from the Farrelly Brothers to Judd Apatow.
During the late 1960s, Marx Brothers’ films enjoyed a resurgence on college campuses. At a time of student unrest and campus protests, it’s easy to see why their irreverent humor, at the expense of authority figures, would connect with that age group.
So, in an era when we question whether comedy from only a decade ago is relevant, the films of the Marx Brothers are more than worth checking out.
On Sunday, June 28 as part of a American Classics series, Pittsburgh Filmmakers presents a double feature of two Marx Brothers movies at the Regent Square Theater in Edgewood. Showtime is 8 p.m. Admission is $9; $7 for students and seniors. The films are:
“Duck Soup”: Anarchy abounds in this satire about nationalism. A bankrupt country, called Freedonia, declares war on neighboring Sylvania. It features the famous — and often imitated — surreal mirror scene between Groucho and Harpo (1933; 67 min.).
“Horse Feathers”: Groucho’s skills were wisecracks, puns and double-entendres, yet here, he’s hired as the president of a college! With Harpo and Chico as football players, the hilarious games are spectacles like none other (1932; 69 min.).
Pittsburgh Filmmakers began the popular Sunday night series of classic films 15 years ago at the Regent Square Theater. For more information, visit: www.cinema.pfpca.org.
First Published: June 23, 2015, 4:00 a.m.