Temple Tuesday: The Marx Brothers and The Big Store

Although Shirley never starred in a movie with the Marx Brothers, she was very much connected to their final MGM film, “The Big Store,” released June 20, 1941. Crooner Tony Martin played the romantic lead:

Five years previously, he had an uncredited role as The Barry Baritone in “Poor Little Rich Girl” with Shirley:

Had Shirley been in “The Wizard of Oz,” she would have co-starred with Clara Blandick (Aunt Em), who had a cameo as an elderly lady who wants to have a record made by Tony Martin. Look at the sweet smile on her face as Tony sings to her; you didn’t see that smile too much in “Oz.”

When the camera changes angles, you can see the sheet music rotating on a display behind Blandick and Virginia Grey:

The sheet music behind Grey is from “Young People”:

…and the real thing:

Over in the toy/baby department, look what’s behind Virginia O’Brien, who is singing in her usual deadpan method:

Yup, that’s a Shirley doll. The art director should have positioned the doll a little better so that she wasn’t giving a spread-eagle shot of her onesie!

In this shot from the music department, you can see the “Young People” sheet music AND music from a Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movie (on the left side of the carousel).

A closeup:

Looks like the music was for “Nobody’s Baby” from “Andy Hardy Meets Debutante” (released July 1940):

In a very labored not-so-funny scene in the bed department of “The Big Store,” Henry Armetta runs into his old friend Chico Marx:

In “Poor Little Rich Girl,” Armetta played Tony the organ grinder with Shirley:

Eagle-eyed Shirley fans might recognize Russell Hicks on the left, who plays a wealthy businessman who wants to buy the Department Store that Margaret Dumont’s character owns:

He also played Shirley’s father in “The Blue Bird” (1940):

Never missing a chance for promotion, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney’s “Strike Up The Band” (released September 1940) is the movie on the MGM backlot theatre marquee in this scene where Harpo and Groucho “help” Margaret Dumont out of the car:

Since Shirley was filming “Kathleen” for MGM at the time, it’s not surprising that she was sprinkled throughout this MGM released Marx film.

Phew. Did I catch all the Shirley connections in that one?

See more teen Shirley photos at my main website.