Today’s quick review: A Night in Casablanca. Following the murder of its manager, the Hotel Casablanca hires Ronald Kornblow (Groucho Marx) to fill the position. With the help of Corbaccio (Chico Marx), a camel driver, and his old friend Rusty (Harpo Marx), Kornblow settles into his new role. But the hotel is the hiding place for a fortune in Nazi treasure sought by Pfferman (Sig Ruman), a Nazi in disguise, and Bea (Lisette Verea), his accomplice.
A Night in Casablanca is a classic comedy from the Marx Brothers. A loose spoof of the original Casablanca, A Night in Casablanca sees Groucho, Chico, and Harpo drawn into an elaborate caper in North Africa involving a stash of Nazi treasure, a French pilot named Pierre (Charles Drake) and his sweetheart (Lois Collier), and a Nazi in exile. The film delivers plenty of laughs, but it fails to be as iconic as the Marx Brothers’ other offerings.
A Night in Casablanca has more of a plot than the other Marx Brothers movies, although it still doesn’t take itself that seriously. Pfferman is in Casablanca searching for the Nazi treasure that Pierre hijacked and hid there at the end of the war. His plan is to murder the manager of the Hotel Casablanca, take his place, and search the hotel himself, a plan that goes comically awry as soon as Groucho, Chico, and Harpo get involved.
Beyond its plot, A Night in Casablanca is simply an excuse for the Brothers to do what they do best. Groucho spouts rapid-fire quips and pitches woo to Bea, Chico bamboozles everyone he speaks to and plies his skill at the piano, and Harpo shows off his inimitable slapstick and pantomime. The Marx Brothers are as skilled as ever, but there are no routines that truly stand out, making the film more of a solid hit than a true home run.
Fans of comedy that’s fast-paced, witty, and altogether silly will want to give A Night in Casablanca a shot. Though not quite as memorable as the Marx Brothers’ best, it’s still an entertaining romp with rare energy. For more Marx Brothers, check out Animal Crackers or Horse Feathers. For modern slapstick in a similar vein, albeit with a slightly different spin to its humor, check out Airplane! or The Naked Gun.
7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for strong humor and a fun, if insubstantial, story.