Room Service
In a plot reminiscent of W.C. Fields’ The Old Fashioned Way, Groucho plays a down on his luck theatrical producer saddled with a stage full of hungry actors. Adapted from the 1937 broadway hit, this was the Marx Brothers’ first film not tailored specifically to their characters. The movie co-stars Lucille Ball and a very young Ann Miller (15!). Remade in 1944 as the musical Step Lively, a Frank Sinatra vehicle, which provoked riots in Sydney, Australia, fomented by an “Anti Sinatra Club”.
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About Joe Dante
Joe Dante is a lifelong film buff who turned his obsession into a career. He got his start cutting trailers for Roger Corman and later directed the hit movie Gremlins, as well as Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Innerspace and Small Soldiers for producer Steven Spielberg. His feature films include The Howling, Piranha, Matinee, The ‘burbs , Looney Tunes Back in Action, The Hole (first winner of the 3D Persol Award at the Venice Film Festival) and the zom-com Burying the Ex. His TV directing work includes: Police Squad, Amazing Stories, the HBO film The Second Civil War, the Masters of Horror titles Homecoming and The Screwfly Solution, and episodes of Eerie, Indiana, CSI: NY, Hawaii 5-0, Witches of East End, Legends of Tomorrow and Salem. His most recent big screen credit is an episode of the anthology film Nightmare Cinema. He’s currently consulting producer on the Amblin Television/Warner Bros. Animation hit, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
Joe is also the frequent co-host of Trailers From Hell’s official podcast, The Movies That Made Me, available everywhere podcasts are streamed and downloaded!
Thank you, Joe, for your commentary on an underappreciated Marx Bros. gem! However, there’s one small mistake in your commentary: “Room Service” was not the brothers’ first movie without Zeppo. “Room Service” came out in 1938, and was preceded by MGM’s “A Night at the Opera” (1935) and “A Day at the Races” (1937), both of which were without Zeppo. He’d retired from the act after “Duck Soup” (1933) and the termination of their contract with Paramount.
Again, thank you for this commentary, and for TFH!