This film marked the finale for the Marx Brothers glorious career in movies. Of course, "Love Happy" does not compare with their classic work which was much wittier than what comes out here. It almost appears the movie was a vehicle for Harpo Marx more than a collaboration of the trio that made us laugh.The plot is paper thin, but there are moments that work, like the chase sequence at the end and the "Kleptomaniacs" performance by Harpo as the film begins. Groucho is only seen as an afterthought. Chico Marx has nothing to do in the film. The lovely Ilona Massey adds a sinister tone to the comedy, with her Madame Egilichi, who is after the Romanoff diamond necklace that has been smuggled in a can of sardines.As directed by David Miller, with an uncredited help by Leo McCarey. The production shows it might have had problems, which probably means that Mr. McCarey came to make the film more appealing to audiences. The same can be said about the screenplay by Frank Tashlin and Marc Bedoff, as an uncredited Ben Hecht was brought in to help with the project.The cast shows two surprises. Raymond Burr is seen in one of the many heavy types he played at the start of his days in Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe is ravishingly fresh and fun as an aspiring actress. Vera Ellen, Eric Blore, Marion Hutton, Melville Cooper and Paul Valentine have featured roles.In spite of all its flaws, "Love Happy" is a must see for all Marx Brothers fans.

"Love Happy", the last official Marx Brothers film (unless you want to count "The Story Of Mankind"), is also usually listed as their worst, but I'm not sure I can agree with this evaluation. There are numerous problems with it, to be sure: Groucho only appears about 4 times in total; Chico overdoes his Italian accent more than ever before, but his only truly funny scene is the pantomime game with Harpo; the piano and harp interludes are dull; the chase climax is weak. And yet, there are lots of things to like in "Love Happy" as well: Harpo is joyful, expressive, tireless and sometimes even touching (the scene where they "search" him for the diamonds is hilarious); during his limited appearances, Groucho throws out all the funniest lines in the film (my favorite comes at the very start: "The FBI was baffled, the Scotland Yard was baffled. They sent for me, and the case was solved immediately: I confessed!"); Ilona Massey milks the icy-hot bad girl role for all it's worth; the supporting cast is filled with lovely, leggy ladies; the musical numbers, although not exactly necessary, are quite entertaining in their own right; and let's face it, if you're a fan, every film the Marx Bros. made is worthy of a spot in your DVD collection. Beware of the hype for the Marilyn appearance, though, it is literally a few seconds long. **1/2 out of 4.

This day being the one Groucho Marx died 30 years ago, 3 days after Elvis, I decided to watch some of his movies that I either have on tape or just checked at the library. Love Happy, I taped 12 years ago from AMC. This movie came 20 years after Groucho and his brothers' talkie debut in The Cocoanuts. His participation is limited here which is just as well since he doesn't have many funny lines except with the villainous Ilona Massey and, in her brief part, a well-endowed Marilyn Monroe. Says Groucho to her, "Is there anything I can do for you? (turns to audience as he see-saws his eyebrows) What a ridiculous statement!" The story mainly concerns Harpo, as himself, as he steals plenty of sardine cans as they're being thrown at him unknowingly by Eric Blore. One Blore doesn't throw but has stolen unbeknownst from him by Harpo has some valuable diamonds. There's also a plot about a musical show with dancer Vera-Ellen and singer Marion Hutton (Betty's sister) that's for the birds. Best parts of those segments concern Chico's piano playing with violinist Leon Belasco though there's also a sexy Vera-Ellen number that got my temperature rising. Worst parts for me were Chico's wooing of Ms. Massey and Vera-Ellen's constant crying in front of Harpo. Most interesting part was the chase sequence at the end where Harpo rides on lots of billboards in one of the rare instances of product placements of the period. Many of those gags probably came from former animation director Frank Tashlin, a co-writer of the script. While there's one scene with Groucho and Harpo, the one with Chico at the end probably was shot on separate occasions since they don't share that scene together, just a cut to Chico after Grouch calls out to him. So, technically, this isn't really a "Marx Brothers" picture, just Harpo starring with Chico in support and Groucho in an extended cameo. Having not seen The Big Store, I reserve judgment on whether this is the worst movie of their career but Love Happy is certainly one of their lesser ones. P.S. Raymond Burr is one of the henchmen.

LOVE HAPPY (United Artists, 1949), a Mary Pickford presentation, directed by David Miller, became the 13th and final collaboration of Marx Brothers comedy team, this time with a few alterations, especially in featuring the silent one, Harpo, as the leading character, with Chico and Groucho taking on lesser responsibilities. While this could have been simply a Harpo Marx comedy, following Groucho's solo effort in COPACABANA (1947), someone probably didn't think it possible to have Harpo carrying on 85 minutes of screen time without his brothers, in spite the fact that he's credited as author of the story. The final result is a musical-comedy labeled the least liked of all the Marx Brothers movies. Overlooking it's negative reputation, it be best to consider the possibilities of what the story has to offer, with some fine comedy material thrown in, that actually keeps this one from being a total disaster.The story opens in typical 1940s fashion, with Groucho as Detective Sam Grunion relating to the movie audience as to how he had spent eleven years investigating a million dollar theft of the Ramanoff diamonds, followed by his introduction of numerous characters, including Mike Johnson (Paul Valentine), both manager and leading man; Maggie Phillips (Vera-Ellen), his dancing partner; Bunny Dolan (Marion Hutton), a singer and Maggie's best friend; and finally Harpo (Harpo), a kindly hobo who happens to be love happy for Maggie. He helps the troupe by supplying them with stolen food. Also in the company is Faustino the Great (Chico Marx), a mind reader. Madame Egilichi (Ilona Massey), the leader of a gang responsible for the stolen jewels, is told by Throckmorton (Melville Cooper), who uses a delicatessen as a front, that the diamonds have been placed in a sardine can marked with a cross. It so happens that Harpo had taken this can, along with other canned goodies, for his hungry actor friends. Because the diamonds are somewhere in the theater, Egilichi finances the show, leading to a merry slapstick chase on the rooftop as Egilichi, and her henchmen, the Zoto Brothers (Bruce Gordon and Raymond Burr) go after Harpo and Faustino, who have both the real as well as the phony diamonds in their possessions, while Sam Grunion makes his reappearance before concluding his narrative to the great diamond caper. And watch for the surprise ending.LOVE HAPPY is actually not an attempt to revive the Marx Brothers on screen, for that their best work was already behind them, yet it shows how far they have come, twenty years from their screen debut (1929). Age has caught up with the brothers this time around. Considering the changing times, especially after World War II, their brand of comedy might be, by 1949 standards, old-fashioned, far-fetched or overly familiar. For the first time on screen, Groucho looks more natural, sporting a real mustache, instead of his traditional black tape over his lip. Chico continues to be in character, Italian accented, pointy hat, and once again translating Harpo's mimed message distress call following Maggie's abduction. Chico does provide moments of nostalgia by refusing a can of sardines in favor of his DAY AT THE RACES (1937) product of "Tutsi-Fruitsi ice cream." Aside from playing the piano, Chico offers few comedic moments, such as losing a game of cards to a dog(!). The Harpo here breaks away from his traditional characterization, being toned down a bit and being a range between the old Harpo to that of the sentimental likes of Charlie Chaplin. Key scenes find him falling victim to Egliouchi's thugs as they attempt to empty out his pockets for the diamonds, taking out everything imaginable, including a live dog! When all else fails, poor Harpo is put through the torture test such as smoking rope for six straight hours; spinning in a washing machine filled with water; tied to a revolving rack; being tempted by food at a distance while starving and tied to a chair; and finally the William Tell test. Even Egilichi's attempt to vamp him nearly works, but Harpo uttering a word is totally impossible.On the musical program, there's "Love Happy" (sung during opening credits); "Mama Wants to Know," "Willow Weep for Me," "The Sadie Thompson Number," "Gypsy Love Song" (piano solo by Chico) by Franz Lehar; "Happy Birthday to You," "Swanee River" by Stephen Foster (Harpo on the harp) and "Love Happy" (reprise, closing credits).Paul Valentine, Raymond Burr and Marilyn Monroe receive special introductory billing during the opening credits. Although still new to the business, this is not their movie debuts, yet the starring status of Burr and Monroe, would only be a few years into their futures. Monroe's very brief scene with Groucho as a lady in distress constantly being followed by men is truly a highlight.So ends the movie careers of Groucho, Harpo and Chico as a team. With this being their last, it was one of the first to be distributed onto video cassette during the early 1980s, notably with the video storage case featuring Marilyn Monroe and Groucho Marx on the cover, and currently available on DVD (with restored footage). For its cable TV broadcast history, it alternated between American Movie Classics (1995-2000) and Turner Classic Movies. In spite of an odd mixture of gags, ranging from good, bad to disturbing, LOVE HAPPY has enough ingredients to satisfy any Marx Brothers fans. (**1/2)