A Night at the Opera (1935, directed by Sam Wood), was the first film the Marx Brothers made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer after their departure from Paramount Pictures, and the first after Zeppo left the act.
The film opens with Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) missing a dinner with his client, the wealthy Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont), in favor of another lady in the same restaurant. When they find each other in opposite tables, Otis joins Mrs. Claypool, and introduces her to Herman Gottlieb (Sig Ruman) of the New York Opera Company, also dining at the restaurant. Gottlieb tells the two of Rodolfo Lassparri (Walter Woolf King), the “greatest tenor in the world”, whom he plans to sign to his contract. Otis is enlisted to meet with Lassparri at the theater once the opera has finished, but is once again late.
Meanwhile, fellow opera singer Riccardo Baroni (Alan Jones) wishes to be just as good as Lassparri, and hires his best friend Fiorello (Chico Marx) to be his manager. He also spends time with Rosa (Kitty Carlisle), and keeping her away from Lassparri, who is also in love with her…
Cast:
Groucho Marx as Otis B. Driftwood, Harpo Marx as Tomasso, Chico Marx as Fiorello, Kitty Carlisle as Rosa Castaldi, Allan Jones as Ricardo Baroni, Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Claypool, Siegfried Rumann as Herman Gottlieb, Walter Woolf King as Rodolfo Lassparri, Robert Emmett O’Connor as Sergeant Henderson, Edward Keane as The Captain and Purnell Pratt as The Mayor.
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