I don't know about this wild, wild west--maybe they should move it east
Added 12/10/2007
Go West was surprisingly funny; I expected a much slower plot bogged down with corny songs. Yes, there are one or two brief musical numbers that no doubt were placed into this film because MGM loved to turn out a musical; and these one or two numbers do slow things down a little. However, make no mistake about it: There are plenty of gags in the flick that are sure to make you laugh; you'll watch every moment of it!
The action starts at a train station when S. Quentin Quale (Groucho Marx) is trying to raise a little money to go west to seek his fortune. There's a very funny routine Quale does with Joe Panello (Chico Marx) and his brother Rusty (Harpo Marx); and somehow all three manage to eventually go west. By a chance meeting Joe and Rusty loan an old man some money and as "security" for the loan they get a deed to Dead Man's Gulch. What none of the men realize yet is that Dead Man's Gulch is actually precious land because it is wanted by a wealthy railroad company. The railroad wants Dead Man's Gulch at almost any price to make a huge and profitable rail line from New York all the way out west.
Quale soon hitches a ride further west on the very same stage coach that Joe and Rusty are on; and from here on in the plot becomes even more hilarious. Quale, Joe and Rusty wind up in the town where the railroad company wants to buy the deed to Dead Man's Gulch; and look for some zany plot twists as the deed passes back and forth amongst several men.
There's a weak subplot about two younger people from feuding families falling in love--if the railroad deal can go through; but the comedy scenes with some Native Americans are embarrassingly dated. Ouch!
Will Dead Man's Gulch finally be safely in the hands of people who want to build a railroad and do good deeds--or will the crooks 'Red' Baxter (Robert Barrat) and Beecher (Walter Woolf King) beat them to it to milk the railroad company for way more than the land is worth? Will the young couple marry? How will Quale, Joe and Rusty get the deed back to New York? No spoilers here folks; but the train ride near the end of the movie is an elaborate and wonderful climax that lasts a good fifteen minutes or so. You'll enjoy the gags!
I personally give this film four stars; I must take off one star for a couple of musical numbers that should have been canned and the dated scenes with Native Americans. However, Go West still remains one of the better and stronger Marx films. It's also one of their later films (1941).
I highly recommend for diehard Marx Brothers fans; and this film is one to watch even for the more casual fans of the Marx Brothers style of classic comedy.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Marxian Mayhem on the Range
Added 7/15/2006
It was with fairly low expectations that I popped "Go West" into my DVD player this evening. After all, as Marx Bros. purists repeat ad nauseam, the Brothers' later pictures generally failed to live up to the high standards set by their earlier Paramount-era films. That may be so, but I found "Go West" to be hilarious all the same. Which is hardly surprising since nobody does mayhem like the Marx Bros.! As always, Groucho has lots of great one-liners, Chico plays a charming con-man, and Harpo gets up to all kinds of anarchic antics.
Encountering Groucho for the first time in the train station, Chico asks where the train is. Groucho replies, "It's out on the tracks; it seldom comes in here." In previous films, the Brothers' made fun of the circus and the opera; in this film, they play havoc with the conventions of the Old West. On observing a fatal shooting outside a saloon, Chico tells Harpo: "I don't like-a the West: all the people do is kill each other. I'd like-a the West better if it was in the East."
In contrast to some of their other films, especially "At the Circus," the musical numbers are delightful and catchy. That goes not only for the solos by Chico and Harpo, but also for the duets sung by the star-crossed lovers. This latter feature of the MGM films was often tedious and forgettable; happily, that is not the case in "Go West." I thoroughly enjoy this film and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates the madcap humour of the Marx Bros. The climactic train sequence alone makes the film a must-see.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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"It's just like a movie!"
Added 6/12/2004
The Marx Brothers' GO WEST (1940) shares its title with a Buster Keaton film from 1925. And both films start with a caption card containing Horace Greeley's famous quotation: "Go west, young man, go west." This wouldn't be the only moment in the film when I was reminded of Buster Keaton. The goofy train sequence at the movie's conclusion seems to be at least inspired by some of The Great Stone Face's exploits. Of course, one major positive in Keaton's favor was that his movie didn't have any singing in it. But the most important similarity between the two films is that I liked them both.GO WEST is a definite improvement on their previous two films, the average AT THE CIRCUS and the unfortunate ROOM SERVICE. The writing (in particular the one-liners) seems much sharper and wittier. The sequence of Chico and Harpo fleecing Groucho at the train station seems reminiscent of the more famous "Tootsie Frootsie ice cream" scene in A DAY AT THE RACES, but manages to draw laughs without simply recycling the same gags. Somewhat surprisingly (given that this is set in the Wild West), there isn't too much parodying of Western standard set pieces (apart from one or two gags). This is a Marx Brothers film that just happens to be set in the Wild West, rather than one specifically making fun of Westerns. As for the plot that all these jokes are existing in... Well, I don't think of myself as particularly slow, but this is the first time I've ever had trouble following the storyline of a Marx Brothers film. The overall story is fairly simple (a railroad company wants to buy a piece of real estate for a stupid amount of money), yet the particulars eluded me. I just couldn't keep track of the specifics of the bad guys' plan. Now, the reason I had trouble keeping track of the plot is actually a good one for a Marx Brothers film. There isn't enough time devoted to the storyline for it to actually make much sense. This, of course, isn't a bad thing, because the worst part of the Brothers' films (apart from many of the musical interludes that didn't feature Groucho, Harpo or Chico) was the endless romantic subplots. Fortunately, there's a relatively small amount of screen time that goes into non-Marx scenes, which is bad for figuring out what's going on, but great for anyone who is looking for entertainment and jokes (which, really, should be everyone). I found GO WEST to be a very pleasant and welcome surprise. The reputation of their later MGM pictures is shaky to say the least, but this is a lot of fun. The gags are clever and funny, while the songs from the fake-Zeppo and the female romantic lead aren't intrusive (indeed Groucho's backing vocals on one of them is surprisingly good). This is definitely a highlight from the Marx Brothers' later movie career.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Underrated Marx Brothers
Added 11/20/2003
"Go West" is a guilty pleasure of mine. Being a big fan of The Marx Brothers, I am always ashamed whilst talking to fellow film buffs when I say that one of my favorite Marx Brothers films is 1940's Go West. And while it's not Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, or A Night at the Opera, it is still a highly enjoyable film, partly due to my love for western films. Some good gags in this one, including the hilarious pick-pocketing scene in the begining and the wild chase on the top of a train at the climax. Overall, if you are a fan of classic comedies or the Marx Brothers, you won't want to miss this. It's not perfect, but it's a lot of fun.
5 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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Funny but not classic
Added 7/1/2003
If you expect to see the reason why the Marx brothers are considered one of the greatest comedy acts of all time this is not the movie for you.If you want to see a funny movie with great sight gags, a bunch of fine one liners and some great physical humor then you will enjoy this picture. Sometimes the problem with making so many great movies over so many years is that you always expect perfection. Oscar is a funnier movie than this, but this is a funny movie. You will laugh and smile and that's the reason to watch a comedy isn't it?
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Another Ok Marx Brothers Duo
Added 9/6/2009
These films are only Ok but if you are a Marx Brothers fan, they are essential to own. The brothers are still full of antics and craziness, but the films seem underproduced and not as momentous as they used to. MGM generally tended to treat comedies as B level pictures and after Irving Thalberg's death, the Marxes were not accepted as A level stars.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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The best of their later work
Added 8/14/2009
"Go West" is just awesome. The boys are as sharp as ever in it. The chemistry is there. The climax is one of their best. Up there with there with "Horse Feathers" in my honest opinion.
"The Big Store" isn't as good. But there's enough good scenes to seperate it from the boring "Night in Casablanca". And yes, the ending is classic.
This is an excellent double feature disc.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Get It For 'Go West'
Added 5/27/2009
Despite not having a reputation as one of the better Marx Brothers films, I still found "Go West" to be a typical MB movie with crazy scenes and a few songs. No, it may not have been as funny as their better-known films of the 1930s, but I didn't think it much below them, either.
It's not as totally outrageous as the boys' earlier stuff but it also has fewer stupid stuff, too. Make no mistake: it has its share of genuinely funny material, both in dialog and in sight gags. The finale is a wild chase scene on a train that is very, very entertaining. That holds true for a wild stagecoach ride earlier in the picture. Once again, Chico comes up with the funniest lines.
THE BIG STORE - The final 15 minutes "saved this film," as most of it is not up to MB standards. I guess by the 1940s, the boys were in a decline, for various reasons. The jokes in here - and the songs - are too dated and, frankly, appealing. However, I personally enjoyed the hectic last 15 minutes with a chase through a department store. That was classic slapstick material and it still works.
OVERALL - For $13.49 (current price), it's a good deal, even if only one of the movies is good.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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