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Love Happy (1950)

Posters ,,,,,

 

The stories about Marilyn's debut in Hollywood are so numerous and so divergents that we can't know for sure the real circumstances of her meeting with the Marx Brothers.

The shooting took place at the beginning of 1949, but financial problems postponed the release of the movie to the next year.

Marilyn got a hearing with producer Lester Cowan through either Johnny Hyde, or her first agent Harry Lipton, or even John Carroll.

The movie was the Marx Brothers last movie and Marilyn's fourth one. Although she only appeared in one scene, she was credited.

She came in Groucho's office, who was a private detective, in a tight-fitting bustier dress and her part was limited to 4 lines.

She was paid 500$ for the part, plus 300$ for the publicity pictures of the movie. She also received 100$ a week for the roadshow, and a package for a new wardrobe.
She accompanied the tour in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee, then came back to Los Angeles after a month.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Marx Brothers's fans consider "Love Happy" as their worse movie. He had been undertaken because Chico needed money to pay his debts off. Harpo, which wasn't his specialty, took part in the screenwriting. The 3 brothers rarely appeared in the same scene.

Pictures of the shooting 

lamé dress 

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black suit 

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Pictures off set 

dot suit 

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lamé dress 

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Publicity pictures 

fur bustier ,,;;

                                   
flowery bathsuit  -,-;

lace bustier --,

                                  
lamé dress 

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CREDIT

United Artists, a Mary Pickford Presentation

Runtime : 85 mn

Release date : April 7, 1950.

 

Director : David Miller

Producers : Lester Cowan, Mary Pickford

Screenplay : Mac Benoff, Ben Hecht (uncredited), Harpo Marx (story), Frank Tashlin

Director of photography : William C. Mellor

Music : Ann Bonnell

Direction : Gabriel Scognamillo

Costumes : Grace Houston, Norma

Film editing : Albrecht Joseph, Basil Wrangell.

 

CAST

Harpo Marx - Harpo

Chico Marx - Faustino

Groucho Marx - Sam Grunion

Ilona Massey - Mme Egelichi

Vera-Ellen  -Maggie Philips

Marion Hutton - Bunny Dolan

Raymond Burr - Alphonse Zoto

Melville Cooper - Lefty Throckmorton

Paul Valentine - Mike Johnson

Leon Belasco - Mr Lyons

Eric Blore - Mackinaw

Bruce Gordon - Hannibal Zoto

Marilyn Monroe - Grunion's client

Lois Hall.

 

TECHNICAL CREW

Howard A. Anderson -  photographic effects

Richard Bachler - wardrobe : men

Billy Daniel - production number stager

Harry Geller - orchestral arrangements

Ray Heinze - production manager

Fred B. Phillips - makeup artist

Scotty Rackin - hair stylist

Casey Roberts - set decoration

Paul J. Smith - conductor, musical director.

SYNOPSIS

Groucho played a private detective, Sam Grunion, who tells how he has resolved the Romanoff diamond case.

A penniless theater company who rehearses in an empty theater, is involved in the case, because the loot has arrived in the USA in an empty sardines can. Harpo steals the sardines can to feed his friends the actors. 
The head of the plot, Mrs Egilichi, follows the trail and finds the sardines can in the theater, the evening of the premiere.

Quick as lightning, Harpo catches the can and runs away on the roofs. He escapes from his chasers by turning around huge neon signs.

When he arrives at the theater, Groucho/Grunion is accosted by Marilyn, whose presence is not very understandable, who asks him for help because she is "always followed by men". Groucho ends the movie, not by finding the diamonds, but by marrying Mrs Egilichi.

 

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