Marx Brothers/YMMV: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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* [[Acceptable Targets]]: A little person is mocked and threatened in ''At The Circus''. It works because it makes Groucho seem [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist|cowardly and weak]] instead of cruel.
* [[Acceptable Targets]]: A little person is mocked and threatened in ''At The Circus''. It works because it makes Groucho seem [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist|cowardly and weak]] instead of cruel.
** Upper class people don't generally come up with the longer end of the stick either. But then again, few people get treated well by the characters the Marxes play.
** Upper class people don't generally come up with the longer end of the stick either. But then again, few people get treated well by the characters the Marxes play.
*** Of course, a lot of that comes from the Depression Era roots of the act; [[The Three Stooges]] and other comedy troupes of the time did the same.
*** Of course, a lot of that comes from the Depression Era roots of the act; [[The Three Stooges]] and other comedy troupes of the time did the same.
* [[Once Acceptable Targets]]: "Then the Headstrongs married the Armstrongs, and that's how Darkies were born" -- Groucho in ''[[Duck Soup]]''. Also, Chico's portrayal of an Italian immigrant, Harpo's original "Irish bruiser" character from his vaudeville days, etc. Hey, it was the '30s!
* [[Once-Acceptable Targets]]: "Then the Headstrongs married the Armstrongs, and that's how Darkies were born" -- Groucho in ''[[Duck Soup]]''. Also, Chico's portrayal of an Italian immigrant, Harpo's original "Irish bruiser" character from his vaudeville days, etc. Hey, it was the '30s!
** The "that's how Darkies were born" thing was actually a pop-culture reference: it was a play on an incredibly racist song that was popular at the time, "That's Why Darkies Were Born": the lyrics of which basically said "''someone'' had to be slaves and have crappy lives -- so it's ''you''" It could be read that Groucho-- himself a Jew, and probably quite familiar with racism-- was ridiculing the warped logic of the song.
** The "that's how Darkies were born" thing was actually a pop-culture reference: it was a play on an incredibly racist song that was popular at the time, "That's Why Darkies Were Born": the lyrics of which basically said "''someone'' had to be slaves and have crappy lives -- so it's ''you''" It could be read that Groucho-- himself a Jew, and probably quite familiar with racism-- was ridiculing the warped logic of the song.
** Of course then there's the scene in ''The Big Store'' where they have black actors literally picking their cotton in-store...
** Of course then there's the scene in ''The Big Store'' where they have black actors literally picking their cotton in-store...

Latest revision as of 20:16, 31 October 2018

/wiki/Marx Brotherscreator
  • Acceptable Targets: A little person is mocked and threatened in At The Circus. It works because it makes Groucho seem cowardly and weak instead of cruel.
    • Upper class people don't generally come up with the longer end of the stick either. But then again, few people get treated well by the characters the Marxes play.
      • Of course, a lot of that comes from the Depression Era roots of the act; The Three Stooges and other comedy troupes of the time did the same.
  • Once-Acceptable Targets: "Then the Headstrongs married the Armstrongs, and that's how Darkies were born" -- Groucho in Duck Soup. Also, Chico's portrayal of an Italian immigrant, Harpo's original "Irish bruiser" character from his vaudeville days, etc. Hey, it was the '30s!
    • The "that's how Darkies were born" thing was actually a pop-culture reference: it was a play on an incredibly racist song that was popular at the time, "That's Why Darkies Were Born": the lyrics of which basically said "someone had to be slaves and have crappy lives -- so it's you" It could be read that Groucho-- himself a Jew, and probably quite familiar with racism-- was ridiculing the warped logic of the song.
    • Of course then there's the scene in The Big Store where they have black actors literally picking their cotton in-store...