Go West (1940)

After the success of A DAY AT THE RACES the Marx Brothers had a serious problem. The man who brought them back into the movie game has been Irving Thalberg, who took them seriously as comic artists, let them rehearse and hone their material on stage, and gave them a percentage of the gross sales, had died in 1937. Thalberg's rival, Louis B. Mayer grabbed control of Thalberg's production unit. Mayer (whose negative effects on careers from John Gilbert to Judy Garland are becoming more known as time passes) hated comedians, and he disliked people who got contracts that took profits away from his company. He was, in fact, a selfish individual who got his just deserts in the 1950s when he was thrown out of his job by his shareholders, and found nobody in Hollywood wanted anything to do with him.

Mayer had no great love for the Marxes, and allowed RKO a loan out of them for ROOM SERVICE. I feel that film has a lot still going for it, but many people don't like it as too confining for the antics of the Marxes. Then in 1939 MGM put them into AT THE CIRCUS, even bringing back Margaret Dumont. But the results are generally mediocre (although Groucho has one of his best songs, "Lydia the Tattooed Lady"). It was symptomatic of Mayer's lack of interest in their film work - they were not sent out to test their material.

Then in 1940 came GO WEST.

The Marx Brothers had not been the first comedians that Mayer disliked. He had a negative view of silent film genius Buster Keaton. Keaton's masterpieces of the silent films had been successful for the most part, but he had been produced by Joseph Schenck, his brother-in-law, and a rival of Mayer. Joe Schenck died in the early 1930s. At that time Keaton's films were not doing as well as in his heyday, mostly due to contracts with MGM that took away his independence in production matters. Also his wife, Nathalie Talmadge, was finding her movie stardom ending, and their marriage was collapsing. Keaton took to heavy drinking, which hurt his performances in the sound films he made. Jimmy Durante was co-starred in several films with Keaton, like THE PASSIONATE PLUMBER and WHAT, NO BEER! but though the men became friends their styles of humor did not mesh. By 1935 Keaton was a has-been in Hollywood, and by the end of the decade was only appearing in minor films as comedy relief, or used as a gag writer.

Possibly Mayer decided (for some twisted reason) to put Keaton on the writing staff for GO WEST. It certainly was not with any belief in the "Great Stone Face" as a gag man or a comedian. But it is also more than likely that he put him into it to damage the Marxes still more, and to humiliate Keaton. Knowing Mayer I would not put it past him.

Groucho Marx lived to become a national icon due to his movie, radio, and television career. In his later years (before senility began to affect him) he was invited on all the talk shows, and would discuss his brothers and their films, and comedy in general. He would also drop off his acid comments which made the audiences laugh (it helped Groucho that he lived long enough to find less censorship of his lines than he faced in the 1930s and 1940s). But he was a disagreeable man in private life, being thoroughly honest on one hand, but thoroughly nasty on the other. With Keaton, given his recovering alcoholic state in 1940, you had to be respectful and kindly.

Keaton had a dream that never reached the screen. In 1933 he had seen GRAND HOTEL, and liked the concept of interlocking

Fmovies: Patchy but still fairly enjoyable Marx Bros. vehicle. Their unique brand of comedy adapts reasonably well to the Western format though, at the end of the day, a lot more could have been done with this situation; the film suffers in comparison with their 'classic' stuff, but even more so when measured against other comics' brush with the genre – particularly two ambitious Buster Keaton masterworks, OUR HOSPITALITY (1923) and THE GENERAL (1927), and Laurel & Hardy's (more straightforward but) equally delightful and inspired WAY OUT WEST (1937)!

That said, a number of scenes here deliver the goods: the ticket-office sketch at the beginning, the stagecoach ride, the robbery of the safe and, of course, the climactic train 'wreck; on the debit side: the songs in this one are particularly negligible.

My verdict, therefore, is that GO WEST is a worthwhile comedy but a lesser Marx Bros. film.

The movies from the Marx Bros. are just like my old Bowie's vinyls, or my Oscar Wilde's books: they're always there, and always will be. They're just like those old friends that will never let you down.

"Go West" has each and everyone of the essential ingredients of the movies from Groucho and co. : hilarious dialogs, crazy situations, Harpo's hooliganism, the music... everything goes as quick as a flash. So, if some youngster thinks that this movie hasn't anything to offer because it was made 65 years ago, thats belongs to the Pleistocenic... OK, I won't waste my time explaining why the Marx Brothers are bigger than life. I'd rather watch "Duck Soup" or "A Night At The Opera" one more time, and let the party begin once again...

*My rate: 8/10

Go West fmovies. Go West is a solid effort, with its share of funny jokes. There's a good song, which isn't common in the Marx Brothers films, and both the piano and harp numbers are good. The movie slows down big time nearer the end, although some of the train sequence is surreal, especially when it runs into a house. 7/10.

I have a real soft spot for "Go West". It's a little less frantic, has a

mellow vibe and it's obvious they enjoyed making it. I liked the

songs and many of the sequences, particularly the "outfitter" and

also the train sequence which is such a metaphor for modern life

(they are in such a hurry to "get there" that they totally destroy and

burn the entire contents and structure of the train so when they

arrive at their destination there is nothing left but skeletal

wreckage). This alone is worth any other disappointments the film

may hold for you. I would say, don't skip over this one. And, to get

to the required 10 lines, I will say it again: don't skip over this one.

LOL

The Marx Brothers' "Go West" is a vastly underrated gem. Admist a few comparatively disappointing later years Marx movies, it was certainly the strongest. I grew up on the Marx Brothers via my father (even though most of them were made before he was born as well), and ended up liking them so much I eventually bought every movie they made, and most of the documentaries, three single Groucho movies, two sets of 'You Bet Your Life' episodes, and even 'The Story of Mankind,' featuring the three primary brothers, though in small parts in separate segments...(Many books by and/or about them too.) In any case, I'm a huge fan. Even with all this, I admit that there are a handful of pretty weak Marx films. Love Happy was pretty awful on most levels, though little Harpo bits, and one or two Groucho lines give it its only very brief redemption. The Big Store was also pretty fairly terrible, with again, the only worthwhile notes being a few Groucho quips, and a few Harpo physical bits. Room Service and At The Circus as well suffered, as all their movies after the big MGM ones (Opera & races) did, due to the studios lack of interest and confidence in putting money and attention into the productions. Room Service and At the Circus both felt like they should've and could've been more, though each had a handful or more of perfectly enjoyable moments. And re-watching A Night in Casablanca (which at least a little more time and money was put into for what she really be considered their true final film, rather than the slapped together for quick cash 'Love Happy', which was originally a Harpo solo project), I've come to realize that Casablanca is stronger than I remembered, but still felt stale for much of it compared to their classics. So I suppose I better get the reason for this review-- So, in the middle of all these lesser like, later years fare, came Go West (in 1940). And I have to say, it has gotten an unfair rap from fans, critics and Groucho himself (though he was that way about much of their movies, sadly). I think, even with it's slapdash absurdity and overwrought gags, that it holds up better, and has better, more solid comedy than any of they other movies after A Day at the Races. In fact, and I know I'm essentially alone in saying this, but, I actually find it more entertaining than A Day at the Races (I think). There are some brilliant moments/lines for three brothers that felt more akin to there early madcap movies (the best ones), and I even enjoy the silly songs, and western pastiche elements, and the physical gags are stronger than the movies before and after as well. In any case, fans (and critics too) should give it another watch, and just let it try to entertain you, it really is a lot of fun, and hilarious.