"Animal Crackers" is a sure fire way to spend an entertaining hour and a half dazzled by zany quips and brilliant one liners. The film is an absolute showcase for the Marx Brothers talents, particularly Groucho's frenetic, non stop verbal barrage. His character, Captain Spaulding is a famed African explorer, though that distinction is entirely unnecessary. Any backdrop would have served for the socialite party hosted by Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont) for the unveiling of the famed Beaugarde painting at the center of the film's madness and controversy. The painting elicits a great response from it's new owner, Roscoe Chandler (Louis Sorin) upon it's first review - "Now even the prince is well hung".

Pay attention during the card game between Spaulding, Signor Ravelli (Chico), The Professor (Harpo) and Mrs. Rittenhouse. In a rare display, in fact the only time I've seen it, Chico actually responds verbally to a remark from Dumont's character who says "I'm not the dummy." Chico's Ravelli does a quick aside stating "Well, you could be."

The thought came to me as Groucho delivers his witticisms throughout the film - I wonder what it would be like if Groucho Marx, Jonathan Winters, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey were all put together in the same room. Think about that scenario!

Though only the second Marx Brothers film, "Animal Crackers" is a delight and a great forerunner to their other comedy gems. What more could one say, except that "This would be a better world for children if parents had to eat the spinach."