This comedy short by the Educational Film Corp. was made in 1934 and stars the Ritz Brothers. It's the first film of the Newark born brothers whose comedy routine closely aped that of the Marx Brothers. The trio made fewer than two dozen movies together and individually. They worked first at 20th Century Fox and then at Universal.
While they could be very funny, they didn't have the writers, scripts and studio backing that the Marx Brothers had. They started in mostly B movies and had small routines in others. So, after 1943, they quit Hollywood and went back on the nightclub circuit.
But this short is a good picture of the Ritz's and their talents. The brothers have various jobs in the "Hotel Anchovy," and when they learn that Miss Whitney, the owner, must sell because she's bankrupt, they do their best to help her. With disguises and antics they try to keep the hotel's guests and also get prospective buyers to bid up so Miss Whitney can come out ahead.
There's slapstick, buffoonery and mayhem ala Marx Brothers in this 18-minute film. It's packed with fun, action and humor. It's a good look at a comedy group that might have risen to the top but didn't.
While they could be very funny, they didn't have the writers, scripts and studio backing that the Marx Brothers had. They started in mostly B movies and had small routines in others. So, after 1943, they quit Hollywood and went back on the nightclub circuit.
But this short is a good picture of the Ritz's and their talents. The brothers have various jobs in the "Hotel Anchovy," and when they learn that Miss Whitney, the owner, must sell because she's bankrupt, they do their best to help her. With disguises and antics they try to keep the hotel's guests and also get prospective buyers to bid up so Miss Whitney can come out ahead.
There's slapstick, buffoonery and mayhem ala Marx Brothers in this 18-minute film. It's packed with fun, action and humor. It's a good look at a comedy group that might have risen to the top but didn't.