- Although Animal Crackers comes only one year after the Marx Brothers' first film, The Cocoanuts, it's already a study in improvement. There's only a small bit of perfunctory plot establishment before Groucho arrives as Captain Spaulding to initiate the insanity. Within fifteen minutes, Chico's Signor Ravelli is charging not to play music and a barely clothed "Professor" Harpo is shooting women's hats off with a rifle. That's not to say that all of the comedy bits succeed equally well, but there are far more hits than misses in this film whenever the brothers are onscreen.
- The first highlight of Animal Crackers is Groucho's musical number, "Hello, I Must Be Going." He is an atrocious singer, of course, but that's part of what makes the bit so amusing. His subsequent absurd dance sequence also clearly demonstrates that Groucho's physical comedy could pack just as much of a punch as his one-liners. For him, that's saying a lot. Some of the other memorable bits in the film include Groucho's odd Eugene O'Neill tribute, a hilarious dictated letter to Groucho's lawyer, Chico's wonderfully interminable piano recital, Harpo's search for a flashlight, and of course the final revelation of everything Harpo has stolen. I realize that reading summaries of Marx Brothers routines is no substitute for watching them, though, so allow me to conclude by saying three cheers!
