A Night at the Opera

Name: A Night at the Opera
Genre: Comedy, Music
Released: 1935-11-15
Duration: 1 h 31 min
Rating: 7.8
Cast: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones

Don't miss it! The funniest picture ever made!

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Timing: 1:31 (91 min)

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7.8/10
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All about film

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Actors and characters

Watch film A Night at the Opera — A Night at the Opera (1935) Original Trailer [FHD]

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Release date

Country

Production

Genre

Budget

Revenue

Website

Director

Edmund Goulding, Sam Wood

Actors

Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Sig Ruman, Walter Woolf King, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Margaret Dumont, Edward Keane
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Irving Thalberg

Operator

Merritt B. Gerstad

Composer

Artist

Audition

Editing

William LeVanway
All team (15)

Short description

The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.

What's left behind the scenes

Sam Wood's stuffiness made him a perfect target for the Marx Brothers' mockery. The director suffered from a stomach ulcer, so he began each day with a large glass of milk. The brothers arranged for Wood's milk to be brought to him in a baby bottle. He then introduced a fine for being late to set – $50, which Groucho Marx enthusiastically supported. However, the first fine had to be paid by him, when Chico and Harpo boarded up the door of his garage, and he was late to the set. Soon, the Marx Brothers began to bet on who would be fined next. Eventually, Wood canceled the fine system.
Sam Wood's primness made him a perfect target for the Marx brothers' ridicule. The director suffered from a stomach ulcer, so he began every day by drinking a large glass of milk. The brothers arranged for Wood's milk to be served in a baby bottle. Later, he introduced a $50 fine for arriving late to the set, an initiative that Groucho Marx enthusiastically supported. However, he was the first one who had to pay the fine; this happened after Chico and Harpo boarded up his garage door, causing him to be late to the set. Soon after, the Marx brothers began placing bets on who would be fined next. It all ended with Wood scrapping the fine system entirely.
Harpo Marx performed many stunts himself. He later stated that it was foolish for a 47-year-old actor, who was not a stuntman, to take such risks.
Queen's album 'A Night at the Opera' is named after this film.
A screenwriter named Al Boasberg (1892-1937) was brought in to work on the film, and he was constantly harassed by producer Talberg. Once, Boasberg called Talberg to tell him the material was ready and he could come pick it up. Talberg and the Marx Brothers came to Boasberg for the materials (the script), but neither Boasberg nor the script was in the office. They searched for a while, finding no one and nothing, when suddenly Groucho Marx casually looked up and saw the script – it had been torn to shreds, and each fragment was nailed to the ceiling. According to Groucho, it took several hours to put the torn pieces back together, and overall, the material turned out to be very good.
A screenwriter named Al Boasberg (1892-1937) was hired for the project, and producer Thalberg constantly pestered him. One day, Boasberg called Thalberg to inform him that the material was ready and he could come pick it up. Thalberg and the Marx brothers went to Boasberg's office for the materials (the script), but neither Boasberg nor the script were in the office. They searched further but found no one and nothing, until suddenly Groucho Marx happened to look up and saw the script—it had been torn to shreds, and every scrap was nailed to the ceiling. According to Groucho, it took several hours to piece the torn fragments back together, but overall, the material turned out to be quite good.
After Groucho Marx (1890-1977) repeatedly failed to perform a scene to the satisfaction of director Sam Wood (1883-1949), the director exclaimed in frustration that the actor was uncoachable, to which Marx immediately retorted that you don't get directors out of wood ('wood' meaning timber).
Talberg persuaded the Marx Brothers to go on a tour of the West Coast as part of a promotional campaign before filming began. The brothers visited Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, and Santa Barbara, giving four performances a day. Among the audience were screenwriters Al Boasberg and Morrie Ryskind (1895-1985), who assessed the audience's reaction. If a joke didn't elicit an explosion of laughter, they would write it down and send it to the studio, where it would be either slightly altered or decided not to use at all. The brothers finished the tour before starting to film the movie.
Producer Irving Thalberg (1899-1936) frequently summoned people to his office for meetings while he himself was absent, attending another meeting elsewhere. Once, he kept the Marx brothers in his secretary's reception area for several hours while he sat on the phone in his own office. At the end of the workday, the secretary went home, and the Marx brothers decided they had had enough. They dragged something heavy against Thalberg's office door, locking him inside, and left. After this, Thalberg always met them at the appointed time, but he often interrupted the meetings to talk to employees or leave for other appointments, leaving the brothers alone in his office, sometimes returning only several hours later. One day, Thalberg returned from a meeting to find Groucho Marx (1890-1977), Chico Marx (1887-1961), and Harpo Marx (1888-1964) sitting in his office naked, roasting potatoes on sticks in his fireplace. Thalberg sat down with them, ate a potato himself, and never again interrupted a meeting with the Marx brothers for the sake of other appointments.
In 1993, the Library of Congress recognized 'A Night at the Opera' as being culturally significant, and the film was added to the National Film Registry.
After Groucho Marx (1890-1977) failed several times to perform a scene as director Sam Wood (1883-1949) wanted, the director exclaimed in frustration that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear (literally: 'you can't mold the actor from clay'), to which Marx immediately replied that directors aren't made from wood either (a pun on the director's name, Wood).
Queen’s album “A Night at the Opera” is named after this film.
Harpo Marx performed many of his own stunts. He later stated that for a 47-year-old actor who wasn't a professional stuntman, taking such risks was foolish.
Thalberg persuaded the Marx brothers to go on a tour of the West Coast as part of a promotional campaign before filming began. The brothers visited Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, and Santa Barbara, giving four performances a day. Screenwriters Al Boasberg and Morrie Ryskind (1895-1985) sat in the audience to gauge the crowd's reaction. Unless a joke was met with an explosion of laughter, they would note it down and send it to the studio, where it was either modified slightly or decided against entirely. The brothers completed the tour before they began filming the movie.
Producer Irving Thalberg (1899-1936) often summoned people to his office for meetings while he was elsewhere, attending another meeting. Once, he kept the Marx Brothers waiting in his secretary's anteroom for several hours while he sat on the phone in his own office. At the end of the day, the secretary went home, and the Marx Brothers had had enough. They dragged something heavy to Thalberg's office door, locking him inside and leaving. After that, Thalberg always met them on time, but frequently interrupted meetings to talk to employees and leave the office for other appointments, leaving the brothers in his office, sometimes for hours. Once, Thalberg returned to his office from a meeting and found Groucho Marx (1890-1977), Chico Marx (1887-1961), and Harpo Marx (1888-1964) sitting naked in there, frying potatoes on skewers in his fireplace. Thalberg sat down with them, ate a potato, and never interrupted another meeting with the Marx Brothers for other engagements.