Love Happy (1949) - film review

Harpo, a likeable tramp, steals food from a grocery store to feed himself and a troupe of impoverished singers and dancers who are rehearsing their next musical production.  Unbeknown to Harpo, one of the tins of sardines he has stolen contains the priceless Romanoff diamonds, which were smuggled into the country by the ruthless yet scintillating Madame Egelichi.  When she learns that Harpo has the diamonds in his possession, Madame Egelichi has him interrogated by her henchmen, but learns nothing because Harpo is dumb, in fact so dumb that he doesn’t know how to speak.  Overhearing a telephone call between Harpo and his friend Faustino, Madame Egelichi deduces where the diamonds are and hurries to the theatre.  Seeing that the production is about to fall through because the backers have withdrawn their support, the ever-ruthless but slightly less scintillating Madame Egelichi offers to bail it out, in return for a part in the show.  This provides her with the perfect cover so that she can search the theatre for the tin of sardines containing the stolen necklace.  Unfortunately, the cat gets there first...

Love Happy may not be the most highly regarded of the Marx Brothers films but, for all its shortcomings, it still manages to delight with its unbridled silliness and healthy doses of inspired comedy.  Marilyn Monroe makes a brief but memorable appearance, momentarily igniting both the film and Groucho’s dormant libido with her smouldering sensuality.  The slightly less sensual Raymond Burr can also be seen in one of his early film roles, years before he became a TV icon, as Robert T. Ironside and Perry Mason,  

The main reason why Love Happy falls short of the standard of the previous Marx Brothers films is because it was originally conceived as a solo vehicle for Harpo. Chico came on board so that he could earn money to pay off his gambling debts, and then Groucho was added to the mix at the behest of the film’s financial backers.   This explains why Chico and Groucho appear peripheral to the plot, with the latter relegated to the role of a narrator for most of his scenes.  By contrast, Harpo occupies the centre of the film, getting the best comedy material, and demonstrating the aptitude for harp-playing that earned him his name.

In a strange parallel to what we see in the film, the production of Love Happy was very nearly cancelled when the money ran out.  The solution to this pecuniary problem was a typical Marx Brothers fix: a rooftop chase in which advertising billboards are clearly displayed – an unsubtle but effective form of product placement.      

All good things come to an end and so it was that this was the last time that Groucho, Chico and Harpo appeared together in a film.  Although they shared the credits in one further film, The Story of Mankind (1957), they performed their scenes separately.  Whilst Love Happy is something of a let down after the Marx Brothers’ previous triumphs, it still has some great comedy routines and visual gags aplenty.  The scene where Chico tries to communicate with the mute Harpo, in the manner of a game of charades, is particularly funny, although this is topped by the madcap chase sequence at the end of the film, which is pure Keystone and provides an appropriate ending to a legendary screen partnership.

© filmsdefrance.com 2009

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