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A Day at the Races

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95% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Hugo Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) is a veterinarian who masquerades as a lead doctor at Standish Sanitarium to aid the wealthy patient Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont). In order to save the financially failing sanitarium and its beautiful owner, Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan), Hackenbush, employee Tony (Chico Marx) and jockey Stuffy (Harpo Marx) must find ingenious ways to help Gil Stewart (Allan Jones) and his inept racehorse, Hi-Hat, win the big race.
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A Day at the Races

Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Movie Mom 06/20/2003
5/5
Sublime. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 01/01/2000
The Marx Brothers' second MGM movie (1937) has its moments, but the anarchy of the Paramount period was obviously gone forever. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 02/10/2024
3.5/4
“I took four years at Vassar." “Vassar? But that’s a girls’ college.” “I found that out the third year. I would have been there yet, but I went out for the swimming team.” And so it goes in one of the Marx Brothers’ best films. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 11/20/2023
4/5
A Day at the Races is one of the better films but it's still missing some of the magic. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 07/26/2020
4/10
The antics don't amount to much, nor are any of them particularly memorable. Go to Full Review
Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine 10/02/2019
A Day at the Races brings us the Marx Brothers at their best; which means that their latest film is a good deal like their other films and wildly unlike anything else on earth. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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C Riley H 04/25/2024 Irving Thalberg, the genius behind the renaissance of the Marx Brothers, knew how to produce. Thalberg knew that two hours of non-stop gags and jokes from the trio was tedious and tiring. But mix in a love interest, two or three musical dance numbers and a "we vs. them" scenario and you have classic cinema at its' finest. Years later, Groucho acknowledged that their movie career was essentially over after Thalberg's passing. Still a toss-up between which of the Marx Brothers was their best but "Day at the Races" certainly figures in there somewhere. "Thank You!" "Thank Yah!" See more Robert J 02/02/2024 Outlandish antics from Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx. A funny take on Sanatariums and Horse Racing. The Marx Brothers bring to the screen some of the best routines. As a companion to A Night at the Opera, this film is one of their crown Jewels. A must see! See more 08/05/2022 LOL, the funniest 01 hour: and 51 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more 02/27/2022 Amazing movie ! Seen this movie when I was about 12 and it has stayed with me forever. Must have watched it about 100 times. First class movie with gray acting, great comedy one liners and the best cross dressers in a movie 🍿 See more 12/26/2021 After this one, the quality fell off...dramatically. This one has everything but Zeppo. Groucho and Chico work together like a well oiled insane asylum. The ice cream bit still makes me laugh and I've seen it upwards of twenty times. The timing is incredible. The examination room bit with Harpo ("Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped") is equally tight. There isn't a slow moment in the film. What is unusual in this film is the big musical number with the African-American race track employees. Instead of people in black face or grotesque caricatures, real black singers and dancers are featured. Imagine seeing the Jitterbug fifteen years before white teens were performing it. It is not the only time the Marx Brothers have featured black musicians in one of their movies (At the Circus comes to mind)... Margaret Dumont as Mrs Upjohn is wonderful. A Marx Brothers fan, like myself, tends to fall in love with the woman after many years. Her beauty and naivety eventually charm even the most cynical Grouchophile... See more steve d 07/23/2020 One of their best and a lot of fun. See more Read all reviews
A Day at the Races

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Movie Info

Synopsis Hugo Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) is a veterinarian who masquerades as a lead doctor at Standish Sanitarium to aid the wealthy patient Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont). In order to save the financially failing sanitarium and its beautiful owner, Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan), Hackenbush, employee Tony (Chico Marx) and jockey Stuffy (Harpo Marx) must find ingenious ways to help Gil Stewart (Allan Jones) and his inept racehorse, Hi-Hat, win the big race.
Director
Sam Wood
Producer
Sam Wood, Irving Thalberg, Lawrence Weingarten
Screenwriter
Robert Pirosh, George Seaton, George Oppenheimer
Distributor
MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 11, 1937, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 9, 2010
Runtime
1h 51m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1), 35mm
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