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.

Screen Gem Saturdays: The Marx Brothers

My dad introduced me to the Marx Brothers when I was just a tyke; one of the nearby theaters used to show vintage films on the big screen on weekends. It was always a treat for me to be introduced to Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy, and of course The Marx Brothers. As a young boy in the 1930’s, my father used to spend hours in a darkened theater watching all of the old classics and he passed that love of film onto me.

I still remember going to see “Animal Crackers” and “A Day at the Races” for the first time in my youth. I couldn’t get enough of the Marx Brothers. I bought every book and made sure I caught them whenever their films were on TV. My favorite one was Harpo by a longshot. Sure, Groucho had the funny dialogue and was the driving force of each movie, but it was Harpo who really made me laugh. Always playing a silly imp, beneath his vacant look was the mind of a genius who was always at least 10 steps ahead of anyone else he shared the screen with.



The early Marx films are the true gems; I especially recommend “Duck Soup” and “A Day at the Races.” The later films, although still funny, seem a little labored and complacent. The Brothers were caught in their own successful formula for comedy and the audiences trapped them within that framekwork.





Harpo attempted to break out on his own, proving that he could carry a film by himself. Unfortunately, to get the financial backing for “Love Happy,” the other 2 brothers had to sign on as well. Harpo shines in this forgotten gem, while his brothers seem to drag down the pace of their film with their extraneous scenes.



“Love Happy” is probably best remembered for a bit part played by a young Marilyn Monroe.

See more Marx Brothers photos at my main website.