Reviews (18)

Their "last but not least" film
...The Marx Brothers left us one more amusement in the form of movie for the final time. For the first time, on the other hand, Harpo Marx headed the characters' and story credit. In this respect, many fans and critics see "Love Happy" as a Harpo's solo vehicle. Still, I believe that there are quite a few great moments for the other Brothers, Chico and Groucho (*saluting Chico, the eldest sibling!).

Chico first appears with his usual warm smile attempting to get a job from Mike Johnson (Paul Valentine) at a financially struggling theater company. He makes it, after all, after showing a trace of his frindly and mild stupidity. Grouncho, on the other hand, opens the door of the film appearing as a private eye agent named Sam Grunion. In his all-time rapid-fire talks, we find many clever and funny wisecracks every time he opened the mouth to talk.

In addition to its unique "sentimental" atomosphere, the greatest and most brilliant moments of the entire film should be definitely when the Brothers present musical numbers respectively (*the exception is Groucho, who unfortunately did NOT sing any songs this time!). In the chronological order, Chico performed "Gypsy Love Song" on the piano and "shot" the keys as usual. In this number, Chico features Mr. Lyons (Leon Belasco) on violin, or more correctly, trying to stop him to take away every stage property belonging to him as a result of the company's bankrupcy.

Now hearing Harpo play the solo harp is the biggest excitement on this fim, I believe. We may realize it has been many years since "Horse Feathers" or "Duck Soup" when we see him in a close-up shot, but his performing "Swanee River" proves that Harpo is timelessly great!

Along with a rare brief appearance of young Marilyn Monroe, I think that "Love Happy" should be recognized the "last but not least" film of the Marx Brothers.

Marx Brothers...the conclusion.
This was the final act of the Marx Brothers and yes, it was their weakest film. I wouldn't even technically call this a Marx Brothers movie considering Chico & Groucho have no scenes together and Groucho & Harpo only have 1 scene together. Groucho also gets the lone scene with miss Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe appears on the screen for maybe 30 seconds and although I was never a fan of hers you could kind of sense a strong presence about her for that brief time she was in the movie. I couldn't enjoy this movie thoroughly with Groucho narrating and Harpo as the star. The plot was ok but it was an extremly bad ending and just not what you would expect from the Marx Brothers...their true last performance was in "A Night In Casablanca" which was actually a pretty good movie. This movie is just out of sheer curiousity for Marx Brothers and Marilyn Monroe fans.

MARILYN MONROE in a bit role that helped launch her career!
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If Marilyn Monroe weren't in this movie, I would only give it 2 stars. However, because of the fact that she made a memorable cameo appearance in the film rates it a full 5 stars.

Marilyn Monroe made a very small cameo appearance in this film which helped to launch her career. Her one brief scene (she appears in the film for less than one minute!) shines with the spark of excitement that Marilyn always brought to the screen.

It's hard to believe that an actress with less than a minute of screen-time in a movie created a sensation everywhere she appeared during a cross-country press junket to promote the film. Marilyn was a huge draw wherever she appeared on this promotional tour, proving that her mere presence in the film was noteworthy enough to attract crowds wherever she appeared.

For any Monroe completist, this is of course a must-have to add to your collection. It's a historical early on-screen apearance of a woman who lives on in the hearts and minds of people more than 40 years after her death.

This is classic Marilyn, at her young and glamorous best, just at the brink of stardom.

Mmmmmm-marvelous Marilyn!

Not at all bad for a final film
In the first place: God never meant for 60 year old Marx Brothers to make movies. That being said, the story goes that Harpo wanted to do a film by himself. But he couldn't get the up front financing unless he included Chico and Groucho. And, as such, Chico and Groucho make mainly "cameo" appearances. The plot is as flimsy as a "survivor" episode: Harpo protrays a kind of loving angel for a group of struggling artists. And, in one case, while stealing some food for his friends, he unknowingly swipes some diamonds. And the rest of the "plot" involves the disposition of the diamonds. Some plot, huh? But there ARE some real gems in "Love Happy," though: just Marilyn Monroe's mere presence, her all-too-brief cameo with Groucho justifies the film. And Chico delivers one of his funniest lines in all thirteen of the Marx Brothers films: while trying to divert a creditor from repossessing >something, I don't know, does it matter?< Seems the creditor likes to "noodle" around with the violin - and Chico, trying to buy time, replies, "Well, you noodle on that and I'll macaroni on this." That one line evoked as genuine a laugh as anything Groucho said in all the movies. Long Live The Marx Brothers!

Gorgeous transfer &.NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE!!!!
That is correct fellow Marx Fans. I have always had a fond place in my Marxian Heart for Love Happy. Now there is MORE happy to love! In fact, over 6 minutes of footage I have never seen. Not on previous release versions on VHS, Laserdisc, at the LaPaloma Theatre when I projected it in 35mm or in my own 16mm print! The footage adds a LOT to the movie. In one scene Groucho describes how he has tracked the sexy Madame Egelich (Illona Massey) all over the world. He whips out a series of Photos showing them to us the audience with him holding Illona in various sexy poses. Concluding with one photo of her in a 1950's style batheing suit. Another restored scene has Chico, who assigns himself the task of stopping the owner of the theatre from kicking the troupe out for lack of rent payment. Before the drooling owner is paraded a bevy of beauties. Groucho says in the voiceover, "He wisely chose the Blonde on the end". Pretty racy by 50's standards. We even get a new scene where Raymond Burr tortures Harpo by placing him in a giant washing machine! There are additional small scenes sprinkled thruout, but those are the best. WOW! It is so great to see new footage of Groucho, Harpo and Chico. BUY this disc! You will be Happy you did. Johno ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Bad, Boring, and not even Camp
This movie is boring--so boring that I kept checking the box to see how long it was--too long. The acting is amateurish, the script probably writeen in a few hours, and the special effects (what there is of them) really lame. Why the production company wasted filming this BOMB in Carlsbad Caverns is beyond comprehension. Some movies are so bad that they are camp and fun to watch--not this turkey. NOTHING really happens. The characters talk a lot ("do we go on or go back?")and they shift their position on this topic often--so I wonder if the actor's scripts got mixed up. Fortunately (a matter of opinion), this Alpha DVD is made from a watchable print, so it is not as grainy or as scratchy as others in their catalog. I watched this DVD once and gave it away to my daughter in college. Now I feel guilty because life is too short to watch stuff such as this. If you are very short of money and need a DVD to give someone as a cheap gift, pass by this DOG and select Alpha's B-Western DVD "The Whispering Skull" with Tex Ritter or one of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes efforts.

UGH!
Let me start off this review by saying that this is a low budget 50's atomic paranoia flick. If this genre is your bag read on, if not there is a hundred other films of this ilk that will appeal to you. I suggest buying ANY of them instead of this [one].

The plot boils down to this...

A team of scientists decide to drive this wacky machine (called a cyclotram) into the heart of the earth to discover a shelter where human kind can hang out while an atomic war rages above. A few misadventures later (of the extremely boring variety) they eventually find an underground cavern that serves thier purpose. More misadventures later they return.

I usually dig low budget 50's sci-fi/horror films with bad acting and absurd plots...however, this movie is as lousy as can be. Where are the giant mutant whatevers? where are the blind morlock looking creatures? Give me anything! something! arrrrgh!

Not only is this a lousy boring movie, it's also a very poorly done DVD. Absolutly no extras, and as with all Alpha Video releases the scene selections don't even seem to work correctly. The print is grainy and full of cigarette burns. constant mult-colored banding runs throughout. There was not even a token attempt to digitally clean this movie! Save your money - and steer clear of Alpha Video's releases.

Kinda deep down there, isn't it?
This 1951 offering from Lippert Pictures takes us 2500 miles underneath the surface with a group of somewhat annoying scientists. Dr. Morley (dubbed the Prophet of Doom by at least one newspaper reporter) is an obsessive opponent of all things nuclear. Fearing that atomic weapons will destroy all life on earth, he recruits a group of scientists for his Society to Save Civilization, and they make plans to find a living space deep within the earth where man can survive and rebuild from the nuclear holocaust they see just over the horizon. After the group fails to secure any funding, a rich newspaper publisher's son forks over the cash and accompanies them on their monumental journey. It's your typical group of B-movie scientists: there is Morley, who seems lost and mad at the world all the time, a couple of scientists who basically push buttons and read dials, a young and attractive feminist scientist, an explosives man, and the paperboy. Of course, the group is constantly bickering and fighting, and no one likes the paperboy at all-at first. This had to change somewhat because, as you would expect, he has to put the moves on the lady scientist and she has to pretend to resist. How do our intrepid explorers go about their task? They design a cyclotram, basically a great big ugly metal boxcar with a humongous drill for a nose, ascend to the top of an extinct volcano, go down into the crater and start drilling through rock as they make their way downward. Every so often, they stop for a minute to fight or to provide an opportunity for one of them to die. They are rather bumbling amateurs when it comes to the deep exploring gig; you would have thought one of the scientists would have remembered to pack a lot of water. They sometimes even seem surprised to discover that it's actually pretty dark miles underground.

I was led to believe the group ran into dangerous animals in the depths of the earth, but that is not true. There are similarities between Unknown World and Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, as you would expect, but this film never develops the aura of plausibility that Verne's work had. To answer the question of how they will survive the intense heat of the earth's core, the geologist amongst them simply announces the fact that the temperature at the earth's core is actually lower than that on the surface. This movie is only about 70 minutes long, so it's short enough to not become too aggravating too quickly. Taken in the context of its time, it's really not such a bad movie. Some may also be interested to know that part of the movie was actually filmed inside New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns.

"Unknown World" a 1951 "gem" to be discovered!
This is an early Sci Fi film from 1951 and in that context deserves to be appreciated!

Years ago I saw this film on TV and I never forgot it ... there was a kind of lonely mystique about it.

It has a very strong anti-nuclear orientation... The thesis of the film is a group of scientists fearful of nuclear war decide to explore vast caverns under the earth's surface as a refuge. There are no phoney looking monsters running around... Some of the scenes were taken from actual caverns such as Carlbad Caverns, New Mexico.

The vehicle used for this exploration called a "Cyclotram" reminded me a little of a 1950 Lincoln...

BETTER THAN YOU'D EXPECT
Years before James Mason and Pat Boone undertook a "Journey to the Center of the Earth," a team of resourceful explorers made the same sort of trip inside a metallic contraption rather resmbling a house-trailer equipped with a big drill on the front. Their goal is to find underground caverns large enough to shelter the human race should nuclear war render the surface of the planet uninhabitable.

Not surprisingly, the low-budget special effects are amusing rather than impressive, and the no-name cast can't enliven the uninspired lines they'd asked to deliver.

Despite these expected failings, "Unknown World" earns a recommendation as one of the early 1950's least-known and most-underrated sci-fi efforts. It has an imaginative plot which, after awhile, almost seems plausible, and it avoids the B-movie cliches you might expect in this sort of thing. (No subterranean dinosaurs, no tribe of lost cavewomen, no signs of Atlantis.) It also has the sense to stick to business and not detour into romantic subplots or "comic relief" episodes.

If you can see beyond its dated, low-budget look, you'll find this "World" one that's worth exploring. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Phantom of Soho, DVD No No.
One of my favourite German "krimis" of the 1960s, this deviates from other entries in the series by adapting a story from the typewriter of Edgar Wallace's son, Bryan. The author actually makes a brief cameo during the opening credits. Although the creepily skull-masked phantom is shown all too briefly, there is plenty of creative camera work, a gallery of thoroughly unpleasant characters and a typically fabulous jazz score to boost the entertainment factor. The motive for the killings is also gratifyingly sordid, using themes that would later be taken up by the more lurid Italian thrillers of the late 60s and 70s. The patently unrealistic recreation of London also adds to the film's sleazy atmosphere, locating it in a fog-bound, comic strip landscape that provides a perfect foil for the more outlandish elements of the plot.
So why only two stars? The problem here is not the movie itself, but Alpha/Gotham's appalling Dvd. I know the price is very low, but this is kind of quality you used to get when trading vhs copies of horror obscurities with your friends for free. Inside the the strikingly designed sleeve lies a disc struck from a soft, scratchy print with often inaudibile dialogue. The framing sometimes slips too, causing the picture to roll. Sadly, it looks unlikely that someone will put out a better version of this in the near future, but my advice is to wait and save your money in case Alpha bring out the cover artwork as part of their horror movie poster range.

A True Phantom Menace...
On the dark, foggy back-streets of Soho, people are being stalked and murdered. Sansibar, the most popular brothel / stripclub is the center of suspicion as the body count increases. Owned and operated by the mysterious Joanna, Sansibar attracts both Lords and losers alike. Why are certain patrons being stabbed through the heart, and left with money or other valuables in their hands and pockets? What connection is there between the victims? Inspector Patton (Dieter Borsche) is on the case, running down clues, trying to catch the nefarious phantom before he / she strikes again. This is a fairly gritty german film about Soho. It's well written, performed, and directed. I was (pleasantly) surprised by some topless scenes, as well as an unmentioned widescreen presentation! I found the characters to be interesting and the mystery intriguing. Check it out... ... Read more