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I'll Say She Is (1931)
Character: Caesar's Ghost
In the office of Mr. Lee, a talent agent, Zeppo bursts through the door, proclaiming to be a great musical actor. He gives a terrible impression of Maurice Chevallier. Chico arrives, also proclaiming to be a great musical talent, and gives an even worse impression of the same musical act. This is followed by Groucho and finally Harpo, all adding to the growing confusion in the office.
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The Unknown Marx Brothers (1993)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A tribute to the lives and careers of the Marx Brothers utilizing rare archival footage and personal interviews.
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Inside the Marx Brothers (2003)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Documentary - Take an in-depth look at the personal lives and careers of the famous Marx Brothers: Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo. Pioneers on the American comedy scene, the brothers' comedic timing, wit and style are unmatched to this day. Fans will delight in this broad collection of Marx memorabilia, including favorites such as "Animal Crackers," "Monkey Business," "Duck Soup" and "A Night at the Opera," as well as interviews and rare footage. - Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx
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The House That Shadows Built (1931)
Character: Caesar's Ghost
The House That Shadows Built (1931) is a short feature, roughly 48 minutes long, from Paramount Pictures made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the studio's founding in 1912. It was a promotional film for exhibitors and never had a regular theatrical release and includes a brief history of Paramount, interviews with various actors, and clips from upcoming projects (some of which never came to fruition). The title comes from a biography of Paramount founder Adolph Zukor, The House That Shadows Built (1928), by William Henry Irwin.
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From the Ends of the Earth (1939)
Character: Self
An MGM short showing how materials are shipped by boat 'From the Ends of the Earth' to Hollywood. Featuring footage from the MGM films being made at the time. Such as The Women, Thunder Afloat, Siren of the Tropics, Ninotchka, Northwest Passage, and At the Circus.
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Beatles: Big Beat Box (2001)
Character: Self (archive footage)
The early days of The Beatles are captured in this fascinating film. Featuring behind the scenes clips, it traces the Fab Four's start as Liverpool lads playing the local clubs to 'making it' in Germany. Early press conferences and interviews reveal their charisma and knack for messing around - yeah, yeah, yeah!
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The One, the Only... Groucho (1991)
Character: Self (archive footage)
The One, the Only... Groucho is a documentary that celebrates the life and legacy of Groucho Marx, the legendary comedian, actor, gameshow host and master of quick wit.
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Going Hollywood: The '30s (1984)
Character: (archive footage)
Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they were battling the Depression as well as eventually getting ready for another World War.
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The Our Gang Story (1994)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Join all you favorites--Spanky, Buckwheat, Alfalfa, Darla, Butch, Froggy and more--in a jam-packed special covering more than twenty years and 200 episodes of Hal Roach's inimitable brand of childhood magic. This fascinating video offers insight into the Gang's personal lives, as rare footage follows each member's career through the joys and misfortunes that went along with being one of America's most beloved kids. See how the series began in 1922 and changed after the first all-talking release in 1929, why Shirley Temple and Mickey Rooney never made the Gang, a fifteenth anniversary reunion, and clips from their only feature.
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Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! (1982)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A collection of bloopers and outtakes from an enormous selection of Hollywood classic productions spanning from the 1930s through the 1980s.
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Groucho & Cavett (2022)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Discover the enduring friendship between television personality Dick Cavett and his mentor iconic comedian Groucho Marx. Their relationship is chronicled through interviews with Cavett, archival footage and interviews with George Burns and others.
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Wonderland of California (1933)
Character: Self
Short film made up of various clips showcasing the Cinecolor process, including a visit to a Marx Brothers film set. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation.
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The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians (1970)
Character: Self (voice)
The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians is a 1970 American animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. After the Christmas special Frosty the Snowman (1969), it was Rankin/Bass' second hand-drawn animated work to be outsourced to Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Production in Tokyo, Japan. The show aired on ABC on April 7, 1970 before the airing of that year's Oscars. It was a tribute to early vaudeville, and featured animated reworkings of various famous comedians' acts.
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Joys (1976)
Character: Self
Over fifty of the greatest living comedians are called to a party at Bob Hope's house, where each of them is systematically killed (and their bodies thrown in Hope's pool!). Hope and the rapidly shrinking cast try to discover who is the mysterious killer known only as "Joys."
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The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (1982)
Character: (archive footage)
A fascinating look at the most beloved comedy team in motion picture history. Exclusive interviews with those closest to the brothers supplement this collection of highlights from their film, theater, and television appearances and offer a compelling look at their lives both on and off-screen.
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Hollywood on Parade No. B-5 (1933)
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Comedian Lloyd Hamilton escorts a group of beauty contest winners to various Hollywood night spots.
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983)
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival footage make up this star-studded voyeuristic look at the Golden age of Hollywood during the 30s, 40, and 50.
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Classic Comedy Teams (1986)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Steve Allen hosts this collection of clips of some of the greatest comedy teams in movie and television history, including Our Gang, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers, Burns and Allen, The Three Stooges, The East-Side Kids, Abbott and Costello, and Martin and Lewis.
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Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system.
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Salsa (1976)
Character: Self (archive footage)
The Fania All Stars perform for 44,000 fans at Yankee stadium in New York. Besides concert footage, there's also included a history of Salsa, and vintage film clips of Hollywood's portrayal of Latinos in movies during the 1930's and 40's.
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The Mikado (1960)
Character: Ko-Ko
In a small Japanese town, Ko-Ko is appointed to the unenviable position of executioner. Knowing he must successfully perform before the appearance of the Mikado in a month's time, Ko-Ko finds a suitable victim in Nanki-Poo, who is distraught over his unrequited love for the maiden Yum-Yum. Nanki-Poo agrees to sacrifice his life if he is allowed to spend his remaining days with Yum-Yum, who is betrothed to Ko-Ko. Part of 'The Bell Telephone Hour' on NBC.
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Animal Crackers (1930)
Character: Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding
The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.
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Room Service (1938)
Character: Gordon Miller
Broke Gordon Miller tries to land a backer for his new play while he has to deal with with the hotel manager trying to evict him and his cast.
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Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
Character: George Schmidlap (uncredited)
To save his career, an ad man wants a sex symbol to endorse a lipstick but in exchange, she wants him to pretend to be her lover.
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Game Changers (2018)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Alex Trebek hosts a documentary about television game shows featuring interviews with a number of game show hosts and producers.
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Double Dynamite (1951)
Character: Emile J. Keck
An innocent bank teller, suspected of embezzlement, is aided by an eccentric, wisecracking waiter.
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Mr. Music (1950)
Character: Groucho Marx
A golf-crazy songwriter tries to avoid the long, solitary hours of concentration needed to produce a hit musical. His producer and his secretary conspire to get him back on track.
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Humor Risk (1921)
Character: Villain
Harpo played the hero, a detective named Watson who "made his entrance in a high hat, sliding down a coal chute into the basement". Groucho played an "old movie" villain, who "sported a long moustache and was clad in black", while Chico was probably his "chuckling [Italian] henchman". Zeppo portrayed a playboy who was the owner of a nightclub in which most of the action took place, including "a cabaret, [which allowed] the inclusion of a dance number". The final shot showed Groucho "in ball and chain, trudging slowly off into the gloaming". Harpo, in a rare moment of romantic glory, gets the girl in the end. This film is lost.
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Yours for the Asking (1936)
Character: Sunbather (uncredited)
Casino operator Johnny Lamb hires down-on-her-luck socialite Lucille Sutton as his casino hostess, in order to help her and to improve casino income. But Lamb's pals fear he may follow Lucille onto the straight-and-narrow path, which would not be good for business. So they hire Gert Malloy and Dictionary McKinney, a pair of con-artists, to manipulate Johnny back off the path of righteousness.
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.
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The Legend of Marilyn Monroe (1966)
Character: N/A
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe is a 1966 American documentary film chronicling the life and career of actress Marilyn Monroe. Directed by Terry Sanders, and narrated by John Huston.
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The Cocoanuts (1929)
Character: Hammer
During the Florida land boom, the Marx Brothers run a hotel, auction off some land and thwart a jewel robbery.
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A Night in Casablanca (1946)
Character: Ronald Kornblow
The Marx Brothers are employed at a hotel in postwar Casablanca, where a ring of Nazis is trying to recover a cache of stolen treasure.
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Hooray for Hollywood (1976)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A celebration of Hollywood in the 1930s, featuring a compilation of clips from features and newsreels of the era.
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A Night at the Opera (1935)
Character: Otis B. Driftwood
The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.
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The Capote Tapes (2021)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A portrait of the brilliant American writer Truman Capote (1924-84) and the New York high society of his time.
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Monkey Business (1931)
Character: Groucho
Four stowaways get mixed up with gangsters while running riot on an ocean liner.
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A Girl in Every Port (1952)
Character: Benjamin Franklin 'Benny' Linn
After two sailors are conned into buying a lame race-horse, they go ashore to sort out the problem, but when they realize that the horse is one of a pair of identical twins, their plan for revenge becomes more complicated.
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The Movie Orgy (1968)
Character: Self (archive footage)
Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsreels, bloopers, satirical short films and promotional and government films of the 1950s and 1960s are intercut together to tell a single story of various creatures and societal ills attacking American cities.
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The Big Store (1941)
Character: Wolf J. Flywheel
A detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department store, from the store's crooked manager.
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Birds Do It (1966)
Character: Man Looking Through Window At Melvin Flying
Melvin Byrd, who dreams of being a scientist, is a Cape Kennedy "miniscule molecular particle surveillance monitor" - in short, a janitor. His job is to keep a major rocket project completely dust-free, and this he does with his own hilariously fantastic inventions - including a literal attack on dirt by a "knight on a white horse". In his work, he meets Judy, a chimp involved in a top-secret project, which leads Melvin into the one room strictly off-limits to him. Not until he has entered the project room does Melvin learn that any man entering it will be negatively ionized - making him fly like a bird.
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Love Happy (1949)
Character: Sam Grunion
The Marx Brothers help young Broadway hopefuls when they get mixed up with gangsters due to a tin of sardines containing Romanoff diamonds.
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Mike Wallace Is Here (2019)
Character: Self (archive footage)
For over half a century, 60 Minutes' fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world's most influential figures. Relying exclusively on archival footage, the film interrogates the interrogator, tracking Wallace's storied career and troubled personal life while unpacking how broadcast journalism evolved to today’s precarious tipping point.
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Hollywood: Style Center of the World (1940)
Character: Self
This short promotes the premise that movies often create a demand for the fashions seen in them. It starts with a vignette in rural America. A mother and daughter go to town to buy a new dress. In the dress shop window is a designer dress worn by Joan Crawford in a recent movie. We then go to Hollywood and visit Adrian, MGM's chief of costume design, and see how multiple copies of a single clothing pattern are produced. The film ends with short segments of several MGM features.
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Go West (1940)
Character: S. Quentin Quale
Embezzler, shill, all around confidence man S. Quentin Quale is heading west to find his fortune; he meets the crafty but simple brothers Joseph and Rusty Panello in a train station, where they steal all his money. They're heading west, too, because they've heard you can just pick the gold off the ground. Once there, they befriend an old miner named Dan Wilson whose property, Dead Man's Gulch, has no gold. They loan him their last ten dollars so he can go start life anew, and for collateral, he gives them the deed to the Gulch. Unbeknownst to Wilson, the son of his longtime rival, Terry Turner (who's also in love with his daughter, Eva), has contacted the railroad to arrange for them to build through the land, making the old man rich and hopefully resolving the feud. But the evil Red Baxter, owner of a saloon, tricks the boys out of the deed, and it's up to them - as well as Quale, who naturally finds his way out west anyway - to save the day.
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That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)
Character: (archive footage)
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical numbers.
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Duck Soup (1933)
Character: Rufus T. Firefly
Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.
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Copacabana (1947)
Character: Lionel Q. Deveraux
A talent agent sells his girlfriend to a nightclub – as two separate acts. The deception and constant costume changes are too much for his girl, and the men who have fallen for the different performers.
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A Day at the Races (1937)
Character: Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush
Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's sanitarium by winning a big race with a finicky horse owned by Judy's boyfriend Gil. There are a few problems. Hackenbush, who was recently put in charge of the sanitarium, isn't really a doctor, he's a veterinarian.
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Horse Feathers (1932)
Character: Professor Wagstaff
Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new president of Huxley U, hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help his school win the big football game against rival Darwin U.
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At the Circus (1939)
Character: Attorney J. Cheever Loophole
Jeff Wilson, the owner of a small circus, owes his partner Carter $10,000. Before Jeff can pay, Carter's accomplices steal the money so he can take over the circus. Antonio Pirelli and Punchy, who work at the circus, together with lawyer Loophole try to find the thief and get the money back.
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This Is Elvis (1981)
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Though several actors portray Elvis Presley at different stages of his life, this documentary is comprised mostly of actual performance footage and interviews with Elvis, his fans and those close to him. This biographical docu-drama features rare footage of Elvis and dramatically recreated scenes from Elvis' life.
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The Story of Mankind (1957)
Character: Peter Minuit
The devil and the spirit of mankind argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.
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Skidoo (1968)
Character: God
Ex-gangster Tony Banks is called out of retirement by mob kingpin God to carry out a hit on fellow mobster "Blue Chips" Packard. When Banks demurs, God kidnaps his daughter Darlene on his luxury yacht.
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Sunday Night at the Trocadero (1937)
Character: Groucho Marx
A series of vignettes with a loose plot. Featured are Frank Morgan, Groucho Marx, Frank McHugh, Robert Benchley and The Brian Sisters. Not bad, more interesting for the historical significance than for entertainment.
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The Big Parade of Comedy (1964)
Character: One of The Marx Brothers (archive footage) (uncredited)
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.
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The Last Laugh (2016)
Character: Self
Feature documentary about humor and the Holocaust, examining whether it is ever acceptable to use humor in connection with a tragedy of that scale, and the implications for other seemingly off-limits topics in a society that prizes free speech.
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