Rating: 
Summary: The Marxes' Finale is Really Harpo's Show...
Review: "Love Happy" is remembered, primarily, as the last "Official" Marx Brothers film (they would all appear in brief vignettes in "The Story of Mankind", seven years later, but not as a team), but if the film were a baseball statistic, it would have an asterik (*), because it truly isn't a showcase of the brothers, together, but a comedy starring Harpo, with Chico in a supporting role, and Groucho doing narration, and making brief appearances, occasionally.
As a comedy, "Love Happy" is so-so, with Harpo providing some genuine laughs, particularly during an interrogation scene with villains Raymond Burr, Ilona Massey, Eric Blore, and Bruce Gordon, and in the rooftop finale, with Harpo offering the same kind of outrageous physical humor that he had demonstrated in the classic Paramount and MGM comedies. But the rest of the plot, while mildly entertaining, is simply a musical variation of "Room Service", as an impoverished group of performers (headed by Paul Valentine and future star Vera-Ellen) struggle to put on a Broadway musical, 'spiced' up with a stolen jewelry subplot that isn't that interesting.
The back story of the film is possibly more entertaining than the movie, itself; Harpo had wanted to make a solo film throughout the forties, and had tinkered on the script for several years, while soliciting financial backing for the project. Chico, meanwhile, was running up huge gambling debts, as was often the case (while a brilliant card player, he was a notoriously bad gambler), and just as the Marxes had made "A Night in Casablanca", in 1946, to pay off his debts at that time, Harpo brought him into "Love Happy" to do the same. Unfortunately, the end of the decade was a depressed time for film making (with television making inroads into the ticket-buying public), and backers would only fund the project if all three brothers would appear in the movie.
Groucho, by now a genuine TV star, thanks to the "You Bet Your Life" quiz show, hated the script of "Love Happy", and had little desire to co-star in the film. He was, however, loyal to his brothers, and finally reached a compromise; he would only appear briefly, would not have to wear his trademark greasepaint eyebrows and mustache, and would have final approval of his dialog and the performers working with him. He could honestly say he helped 'discover' Marilyn Monroe, at an open audition (watching two other starlets walk across a stage, followed by Marilyn, when asked for his pick for a small role, he raised his eyebrows and quipped, "You're kidding, right?")
As Universal and Warner Brothers have now released two wonderful boxed collections of all of the Marx Brothers' other feature films, this edition of "Love Happy" is essential, to complete the filmography of the classic team. But be warned: "Love Happy" is no "Night at the Opera", or "Duck Soup"!
Rating: 
Summary: Their "last but not least" film
Review: ...The Marx Brothers left us one more amusement in the form of movie for the final time. For the first time, on the other hand, Harpo Marx headed the characters' and story credit. In this respect, many fans and critics see "Love Happy" as a Harpo's solo vehicle. Still, I believe that there are quite a few great moments for the other Brothers, Chico and Groucho (*saluting Chico, the eldest sibling!). Chico first appears with his usual warm smile attempting to get a job from Mike Johnson (Paul Valentine) at a financially struggling theater company. He makes it, after all, after showing a trace of his frindly and mild stupidity. Grouncho, on the other hand, opens the door of the film appearing as a private eye agent named Sam Grunion. In his all-time rapid-fire talks, we find many clever and funny wisecracks every time he opened the mouth to talk. In addition to its unique "sentimental" atomosphere, the greatest and most brilliant moments of the entire film should be definitely when the Brothers present musical numbers respectively (*the exception is Groucho, who unfortunately did NOT sing any songs this time!). In the chronological order, Chico performed "Gypsy Love Song" on the piano and "shot" the keys as usual. In this number, Chico features Mr. Lyons (Leon Belasco) on violin, or more correctly, trying to stop him to take away every stage property belonging to him as a result of the company's bankrupcy. Now hearing Harpo play the solo harp is the biggest excitement on this fim, I believe. We may realize it has been many years since "Horse Feathers" or "Duck Soup" when we see him in a close-up shot, but his performing "Swanee River" proves that Harpo is timelessly great! Along with a rare brief appearance of young Marilyn Monroe, I think that "Love Happy" should be recognized the "last but not least" film of the Marx Brothers.
Rating:
Summary: MARILYN MONROE in a bit role that helped launch her career!
Review: .
If Marilyn Monroe weren't in this movie, I would only give it 2 stars. However, because of the fact that she made a memorable cameo appearance in the film rates it a full 5 stars. Marilyn Monroe made a very small cameo appearance in this film which helped to launch her career. Her one brief scene (she appears in the film for less than one minute!) shines with the spark of excitement that Marilyn always brought to the screen. It's hard to believe that an actress with less than a minute of screen-time in a movie created a sensation everywhere she appeared during a cross-country press junket to promote the film. Marilyn was a huge draw wherever she appeared on this promotional tour, proving that her mere presence in the film was noteworthy enough to attract crowds wherever she appeared. For any Monroe completist, this is of course a must-have to add to your collection. It's a historical early on-screen apearance of a woman who lives on in the hearts and minds of people more than 40 years after her death. This is classic Marilyn, at her young and glamorous best, just at the brink of stardom. Mmmmmm-marvelous Marilyn!
Rating:
Summary: MARILYN MONROE in a bit role that helped launch her career!
Review: .
If Marilyn Monroe weren't in this movie, I would only give it 2 stars. However, because of the fact that she made a memorable cameo appearance in the film rates it a full 5 stars. Marilyn Monroe made a very small cameo appearance in this film which helped to launch her career. Her one brief scene (she appears in the film for less than one minute!) shines with the spark of excitement that Marilyn always brought to the screen. It's hard to believe that an actress with less than a minute of screen-time in a movie created a sensation everywhere she appeared during a cross-country press junket to promote the film. Marilyn was a huge draw wherever she appeared on this promotional tour, proving that her mere presence in the film was noteworthy enough to attract crowds wherever she appeared. For any Monroe completist, this is of course a must-have to add to your collection. It's a historical early on-screen apearance of a woman who lives on in the hearts and minds of people more than 40 years after her death. This is classic Marilyn, at her young and glamorous best, just at the brink of stardom. Mmmmmm-marvelous Marilyn!
Rating:
Summary: Ok, so it's not "Duck Soup".........
Review: But hey, not every movie can be, can it not? I will confess that until I got the DVD, "Love Happy" was the only Marx Bros. movie I had never seen! I had seen all the other 12 COUNTLESS times. Now, there's been a lot people saying the movie was plain awful (even Groucho and Harpo never mention the movie in their autobiographies), and maybe compared to the earlier Paramounts it's considered a letdown. I think they were being too hard on themselves.
All considering, I thought it was a solid effort, but it was bogged down with too much music (not the brothers' tunes-everybody else's). I thoroughly enjoyed watching Chico managing to cause chaos and confusion wherever he went, and butchering the English language as usual...........I absolutely cracked up when he says "Ah-Tootsie Frootsie" in a scene where Harpo hands him an ice cream cone.....I loved the "noodling around" bit he did where he played "Gyspy Love Song" just like he did in "Cocoanuts" 20 years earlier. I often wonder if he knew this was the "official" swan song of the Brothers' movie career..........Chico would have gladly kept going, even if the others didn't. (I'm not counting "The Story of Mankind" as the "last" movie, because they had 3 separate roles in it).
Groucho uncharacteristically, has more of a role as a narrator, but he still manages to be typical Groucho. When he is in a scene, he's hilarious. His best line, is of course, when Marilyn Monroe (all 45 seconds of her) walks into his office (he's Detective Sam Grunion) and says, "Some men are following me" to which Groucho replies, "Really? I can't imagine why" and raises his eyebrows in typical Groucho fashion.
Of course, the star here is Harpo, and I think he's brilliant. His scene with Ilona Massey and Raymond Burr (who's trying not to laugh at Harp) when they try to get him to "talk" is hilarious! And the chase scene towards the end of the movie is great, despite all the "product placement" up on the buildings and such; it's still well done. Harpo was just Harpo, and he nevers fails to deliver. He came up with the story after all. I think the movie was pretty good, and even though I wouldn't start with this movie if you are new to the Brothers Marx, I still recommend it. Harpo, Chico, and Groucho in a good, but not great, movie are still better than half of the junk that is called humor gracing our theater screens (does ANYBODY know how to do an original movie instead of countless remakes?) nowadays. I think most people will be pleased with the Marxes' last effort. Give it a chance, it might surprise you! It did me.
Rating:
Summary: The Marx Brothers' swan song is quite enjoyable
Review: I know this movie doesn't hold a candle to
"Duck Soup" and "A Night At The Opera", but don't judge this film too harshly. Watch the movie, see what you think, you're entitled to your opinion. I think this movie is pretty good. Harpo has center stage instead of all of them, mainly Groucho, in the spotlight. Groucho only has a secondary role and appears in about 1/3 of the film. Harpo as himself is kept an eye on by Ilona Massey as she tries to get her greedy hands on a diamond necklace. This becomes unoticingly passed through a group of actors rehearsing a show. As Chico gets in on the action and Groucho steps in on the scene, the chase is on when the diamonds are hunted down...almost. Give this a try. You're going to laugh at a few parts, but again it isn't tops, but it's worth watching. Groucho's part is in 1/3 of the film as he delivers only one or two one-liners, but Chico and Harpo still display their musical talents. There is a hint of them sluggishingly getting through the film, but don't let it detract you from seeing the brothers' final film together.
Rating: 
Summary: What a find!
Review: I'm a life long Marx Brothers fanatic. I've seen Love Happy more than 25 times during that span. Now I feel as though I'm seeing for the very first time. Apparently, there are 6 minutes in this version that have been missing from every print I've seen previously, and it turns out that this 6 minutes is essential. I always thought that Love Happy was a choppy mess of a film (although I always preferred it to Go West, and Room Service....sorry), but now, with this pristine print that has obviously been struck from the original negative, it is a smooth, funny, and very entertaining romp. The print makes it look like a bigger budgeted film, and the added footage makes it a far nicer ride. The film itself is not prime Marx Bros., but I think it is a much better film than the print that has been circulating for years. You'll just have to see for yourself. I am flabergasted that this release hasn't been more touted because, in my opinion, it is a major find.
Now how about a clean copy of Horsefeathers????
Rating:
Summary: Not at all bad for a final film
Review: In the first place: God never meant for 60 year old Marx Brothers to make movies. That being said, the story goes that Harpo wanted to do a film by himself. But he couldn't get the up front financing unless he included Chico and Groucho. And, as such, Chico and Groucho make mainly "cameo" appearances. The plot is as flimsy as a "survivor" episode: Harpo protrays a kind of loving angel for a group of struggling artists. And, in one case, while stealing some food for his friends, he unknowingly swipes some diamonds. And the rest of the "plot" involves the disposition of the diamonds. Some plot, huh? But there ARE some real gems in "Love Happy," though: just Marilyn Monroe's mere presence, her all-too-brief cameo with Groucho justifies the film. And Chico delivers one of his funniest lines in all thirteen of the Marx Brothers films: while trying to divert a creditor from repossessing >something, I don't know, does it matter?< Seems the creditor likes to "noodle" around with the violin - and Chico, trying to buy time, replies, "Well, you noodle on that and I'll macaroni on this." That one line evoked as genuine a laugh as anything Groucho said in all the movies. Long Live The Marx Brothers!
Rating:
Summary: Not at all bad for a final film
Review: In the first place: God never meant for 60 year old Marx Brothers to make movies. That being said, the story goes that Harpo wanted to do a film by himself. But he couldn't get the up front financing unless he included Chico and Groucho. And, as such, Chico and Groucho make mainly "cameo" appearances. The plot is as flimsy as a "survivor" episode: Harpo protrays a kind of loving angel for a group of struggling artists. And, in one case, while stealing some food for his friends, he unknowingly swipes some diamonds. And the rest of the "plot" involves the disposition of the diamonds. Some plot, huh? But there ARE some real gems in "Love Happy," though: just Marilyn Monroe's mere presence, her all-too-brief cameo with Groucho justifies the film. And Chico delivers one of his funniest lines in all thirteen of the Marx Brothers films: while trying to divert a creditor from repossessing >something, I don't know, does it matter?< Seems the creditor likes to "noodle" around with the violin - and Chico, trying to buy time, replies, "Well, you noodle on that and I'll macaroni on this." That one line evoked as genuine a laugh as anything Groucho said in all the movies. Long Live The Marx Brothers!
Rating:
Summary: Different, but still a must for all Marx Brothers fans.
Review: Love Happy is great! Because Harpo wrote it, this movie is very different from the rest of the Marx Bros. movies. It of course has much more silent parts for Harpo, and he is the main character. Also, the abscence of Groucho from a main role in the play, is strikingly different. Here is a basic overview of Love Happy: The main characters: Harpo Marx as Harpo; Chico Marx as Faustino; Groucho Marx as Sam Grunion; Ilona Massey as Madame Egilitchi; and Vera-Ellen as Maggie Phillips. Groucho is the narrator, as well as a detective who is trying to solve the mystery of a missing necklace valued at $1,ooo,ooo. However, Madame Egilitchi and her two bodyguards also have their sights set on the necklace. Meanwhile, a group of struggling young actors are trying to put on a play called Love Happy, and Harpo is stealing food for the actors ("The actors were underfinanced and undernourished" in the words of Groucho). However, in a can of sardines Harpo steals is this very necklace that everybody is searching for. Harpo walks away with the necklace, not knowing it's value. It finally passes through the hands of Maggie Phillips, and onto the piano which Chico is playing on on the opening night of the play. Chico discovers this and runs off with the diamonds, giving a fake copy to Harpo. But somehow, Harpo gets the real ones! This of course leads to a madcap finish, as everybody chases Harpo through the Windsor theatre on opening night. The movie ends with Madame Egilitchi denied the jewels to Harpo, and Groucho the wife of Madame Egilitchi. This is a great movie, and I HIGHLY recommend it.
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