DVD Corner

At The Circus Blu-ray Review

“At The Circus” isn’t essential Marx Brothers, but it still provides laughter.  

Written by Irving Brecher, 1939’s “At The Circus” is a Marx Brothers vehicle (no Zeppo here though). In this outing, the story revolves around circus owner (Jeff) is getting ready to pay Carter 10 grand. Carter has other ideas, however, as he wants the circus for himself. Aided by some circus collaborators (the strong man Goliath and little person Little Professor Atom), Carter has Goliath knock out Jeff to steal the $10,000. Knowing he needs help, circus employee Antonio hires lawyer J. Cheever Loophole to look into matters. Antonio, J. Cheever, and circus comedian Punchy try to find the 10 grand without avail. Their back-up plan? Get Jeff’s wealthy Aunt to pony up the money instead. Easier said than done.

Despite being a bottom tier Marx Brothers movie, director Edward Buzzell’s “At The Circus” never ceases to make one laugh. How can you not be entertained by Groucho’s “Lydia The Tattooed Lady” musical number, Harpo riding an ostrich, the goofy cigar bit, Groucho’s delivery of “Snookums!” and a madcap ending with a gorilla and Margaret Dumont being shot out of a cannon? Add in more wonderful music performances by Chico on Piano and Harpo on the harp and you’re in for an enjoyable albeit flawed time.

As mentioned above, “At The Circus” isn’t known as one of their best and certainly isn’t on the level of a “Duck Soup” or “A Night At The Opera.” The plot barely holds together, there’s a lot of recycled comedy bits that have been reworked for this entry, and the “Swingali” sequence is quite problematic. At the end of the day though, watching Chico, Harpo and Groucho together always brings a smile to one’s face. Their rapid-fire word play and silly antics bring such joy and that’s something to treasure in this day and age.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.37:1 1080p. How does it look? This is a stunning restoration of this B&W comedy. Warner Archive just keeps on blowing me away with these hi-def transfers. 

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? This is a nice cleaned up audio track.

Extras include a song selection option, a theatrical trailer, a “Leo Is On The Air’ radio trailer, an “our Gang Comedies” short titled “Dog Daze,” and an MGM cartoon titled “Jitterbug Follies.” 

November 29, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | At The Circus Blu-ray Review, Marx Brothers, Warner Archive