Apparently, there are a couple films that bear the title Monkey Business (1931).  Yet, when you are dealing with the original as I am today, you do not have to specify the year of its production.  That little note has nothing to do with why I chose the movie.  Instead, it was picked because it stars the Marx Brothers.  Whenever I come across anything they have done, I try to watch it.  There is not much more to say about it.  I enjoy their comedy and thus endeavor to see all their work.  This particular synopsis will also be light.  It is light on everything, actually, including plot and anything to which I can appky my Catholic analysis.  Thus, this will likely not be the longest of reviews, but hopefully you will get something out of it.

Speaking of Monkey Business, I am not sure what to make of the first scene of the film.  It features all the Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and even Zeppo) showing up for some kind of audition for a musical . . . I think.  Whatever it is, they all sing the same song, except for Harpo of course, and are each panned.  They also do not take the cue to leave, sticking around the office and causing mayhem for the man behind the desk as only they can do.  Following the opening credits, we next find the four as stowaways on an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic.  Their obvious hiding spot is a set of barrels in the hold.  Once they are discovered, it is a matter of rushing our four comedians from one humorous set piece to another as they try to dodge Captain Corcoran (Ben Taggart) and the rest of the crew and officers.  The only thing that breaks this up is when Groucho attempts to hide in the stateroom of “Alky” Briggs (Harry Woods).  He is a gangster, I guess, and he is aboard the ship in order to get even with a former associate, J. J. “Big Joe” Helton (Rockliffe Fellowes).  Alky exits for a moment and it does not take long for Groucho, who had been hiding in the closet, to learn that Alky’s wife, Lucille Briggs (Thelma Todd), is unhappy with the marriage.  Before they can get too acquainted, Alky returns.  Instead of murdering Groucho, the criminal takes Grouch and Zeppo, who also attempted refuge in the Briggs’ temporary residence, on as bodyguards.  Groucho and Zeppo quickly ditch the guns they are handed, and Alky entirely.  Alky’s measures prove ridiculous, though, when it turns out that Big Joe has employed Chico and Harpo to watch over him.  While following their new boss, Chico and Harpo confuse Big Joe for someone else and end up getting lost.  The only one that seems to have some sense of what he is about is Zeppo, who develops a romantic interest in Mary Helton (Ruth Hall), Big Joe’s daughter.  It all amounts to much ado about nothing.  When the boat docks, the Marx Brothers are able to sneak off without having to show passports.  Alky finds them, and for reasons known only to God and the script writer, enlists their services to help him raid a party given by Big Joe upon his return to the United States.  While the Marx Brothers do the kinds of funny things we expect of them, Alky is unsurprisingly able to sneak in and kidnap Mary.  The Marx Brothers lead the charge of the party guests to where Alky has stashed the daughter of his rival, arriving there well before anyone else.  They each have a turn at confronting Alky, though it is Zeppo that provides most of the fists.  As they punch it out, Groucho is mimicking a prize fight announcer, giving a blow-by-blow analysis as if to a radio audience.  Eventually, Zeppo triumphs, Mary is released, and Alky goes to jail.  The end.

I told you my description of Monkey Business would not be long.  Its run time is actually lengthier than other examples of theirs, but, as also mentioned, their only reason for existing is to give them a platform for their comedy.  As slapstick and Dad-jokey as they can be, one thing to be appreciated about them, this film included, is that they identify with the common man.  Harpo in particular, though he is constantly chasing women through scenes in an ungentlemanly manner, seems to relate most to the lowly.  Matthew 25:40 says, “. . . whatever you did for one these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”  Harpo purposely dresses like “one of these least brothers,” and thus is there to help the downtrodden.  Only Zeppo sports a well-tailored set, but Harpo stands out for his shabbiness.  Speaking of “least brothers,” Harpo also is never too busy evading the authorities to stop and entertain children.  In one scene, he assists with a puppet show while hiding, later escaping in a fashion that keeps the little ones laughing.  It is a small moment, but in Matthew 19:14, Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones such as these.  Thus, in a broader sense, while modern audiences will mostly roll their eyes at the jokes made by the Marx Brothers, their comedy is more fit for Heaven than we realize, with some clear exceptions.

Those exceptions mostly pertain to the kinds of moments in Monkey Business mentioned in the last paragraph, like Harpo hungrily running after women.  Groucho makes other remarks that are not of the best Christian character regarding chastity.  Still, compared to what we get these days, their words are practically angelic.  At any rate, if you like the Marx Brothers, this one is as good as they get.