A Day at the Races (1937)

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Robert Pirosh (story) &
George Seaton (story) ...

Release Date:

11 June 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Three Great Laff Stars ! . . . more gags and gals . . . more songs and dances !

Plot:

A vet posing as a doctor, a race horse owner and his friends struggle to help keep a sanitarium open with the help of a misfit racehorse.

Plot Keywords:

Sanitarium | Horse | Hypochondriac | Jockey | Singer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush
Chico Marx	...	Tony
Harpo Marx	...	Stuffy
Allan Jones	...	Gil Stewart
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Judy Standish
Margaret Dumont	...	Emily Upjohn
Leonard Ceeley	...	Whitmore
Douglass Dumbrille	...	J.D. Morgan
Esther Muir	...	Flo Marlowe
Sig Ruman	...	Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg (as Sig Rumann)
Robert Middlemass	...	Sheriff
Vivien Fay	...	Speciality Dancer (as Vivian Fay & Her Ballet)
Ivie Anderson	...	Specialty Singer
The Crinoline Choir	...	Musical Ensemble

Also Known As:

Um Dia nas Corridas (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Un jour aux courses (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Das grosse Rennen (Germany) [de]
Dzien na wyscigach (Poland) [pl]
Ein Tag beim Rennen (Germany) [de]
En dag på galopbanen (Denmark) [da]
En dag på kapplöpningarna (Sweden) [sv]
Ena skandalon stis kourses (Greece) [el]
Marx Brothers - Das Große Rennen (Germany) [de]
Marx Brothers - Ein Tag beim Rennen (Germany) [de]
Mia mera ston ippodromo (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Oi afoi Marx ston ippodromo (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Päivä kilpa-ajoissa (Finland) [fi]
Skandal auf der Rennbahn (Austria) [de]
Un día en las carreras (Spain) [es]
Un giorno alle corse (Italy) [it]
Yom B'Merutzim (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]

Runtime:

111 min | Germany:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Black and White (Sepiatone) | Black and White (blue tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Sweden:Btl | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Santa Anita Park - 285 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Groucho Marx's character was initially to have been named Dr. Quackenbush, which he and everyone else thought was too silly a name to offend anyone. However, MGM's legal department discovered at least a dozen legitimate U.S. doctors named Quackenbush, so for legal reasons and to Groucho's dismay, the name was changed to Hackenbush.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the closing seconds of the film, Groucho takes off his hat and puts it up on the tip of his umbrella. When the camera angle changes to a wide shot, he does it again.

Quotes:

Tony: [to Stuffy] Morgan fired you, huh? He wanted you to throw the race?
Gil: Wanted Stuffy to be crooked, eh?
Tony: Yeah, you know he's honest!
[Stuffy's hand starts to creep into ice cream cart - Tony slams the lid of his down onto it]
Tony: He's honest, but you gotta watch him a little.

Movie Connections:

Featured in That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)

Soundtrack:

Prelude in C-Sharp Minor

A Day at the Races

Superb comedy that puts our heroes in a sanitorium to help out owner O'Sullivan and an ailing Dumont. Groucho is the doctor brought in to help things along and it equals hilarious results. He and Chico share a wonderful sequence at the racetrack with Chico, in need of quick cash, looking for a sucker to con...Groucho just happened to walk by. The telephone scene between Groucho (as numerous voices) and Leonard Ceeley is also priceless. Allan Jones appears as O'Sullivan's love interest and even sings a bit. A bit too much for me, but he still sings lovely. The long dance numbers are uninspired and lose the comic flavor after a few minutes. We get it back in the wooing scene between Groucho and beautiful Esther Muir and in the rollicking good finale. The film, under Wood's direction, is well paced, with exception to the barnyard musical numbers. They drag it down for a bit. A comedy classic nonetheless.