FACE-OFF: The Marx Brothers go to war against the Stooges!

WEEEEELCOME back to FACE-OFF, where matters of debate are decided in a civilized matter. That being a silly internet poll, but hey, I can't say hateful things about democracy, right?

Tonight, who reigns supreme in the war of Hollywood comedy troupes of the 1930s/40s that had more than 2 members, and actually last in their influence and pop culture infection....is it the MARX BROTHERS with Groucho, Gummo, Zeppo, Harpo(Honk!), and Chico....or is it Moe, Larry, and Curly(with Shemp as back-up) of the fucking THREE STOOGES?

Are you into the smart-ass cracks of Groucho, or Curly spinning in circles on the floor? YOU DECIDE...there can only be one numbskull!

The Marx Brothers



The Three Stooges

I love both, but Groucho Marx alone is superior to the Stooges.

Really tough call. As funny as they both were they're quite different. I think Groucho wins by a hair by virtue of his quick wit and sharp delivery but Curly's slapstick antics keep him in the game.

The Marx Bros. screamed ANARCHY and they made you feel like you were run over by a steamroller (if you were one of their "victims"). The 3 Stooges were sillier but they made too many lame movies (mostly in the '40's and '50's). Their early Columbia shorts (made in '34-'36) were hilarious and of note was a 1940 short in which they did a takeoff of Adolf Hitler but they faded into moronic, boring movies after that (especially after Curly had his stroke). The Marx Bros., on the other hand, made some truly wonderful flicks in the early-mid '30's but also faded somewhat after that.

I'll give my vote to Groucho and brothers. (Their stateroom scene in "A Night at the Opera" is probably the funniest single scene I've ever seen in a movie).

I remember loving the Stooges when I was little; their humour sat better with me then.

But I'm a Marxist through and through now.

I was really never much of a Three Stooges fan. I'd go with the Marx Brothers (I love Groucho) !


TIS

Marx Bros...definitely.

I am a big Harpo Marx fan.

I have to go with the Marx Brothers on this one.

The one liners, the slapstick, and the inuendos by those brothers are just priceless.

The Three students were great in their own way, a silly kind of humnor.

But my vote goes to The Marx Brothers.

"A man's only as old as the woman he feels."

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."



Don Cardi

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."

If I heard that one before, I don't remember it, but that's a great line.


TIS

Marx Brothers, no contest.

I always thought it interesting that men in general found the Three Stooges so hilarious. Not just funny, but HILARIOUS. Their earlier work may have been better but as SC says...the later stuff was just plain silly. One of the things that may have hurt them was that they continued to trudge with the act despite aweful setbacks like Shemp's death and Curly's stroke. They just kept replacing people, with Moe & Larry the only steadfasts. By the late '50s/early '60s, they had a fellow named (I think) 'Little Joe'...I remember him from the Officer Joe Bolton shows I used to watch after school.

The Marx Brothers were THE Marx Brothers, no single one of them could possibly be replaced and that was that!

The Stooges were fun to watch when I was a kid...but now it's Marx Bros. hands down.

Apple

ps - while I adore Harpo & Chico and love their bits together...Groucho was clearly the star, the anchor of that team and the others would have gotten nowhere without him.

Ronnie. Great face off topic.

You know me. THe Marx Bros. all the way. Hell, Duck Soup has a permanent fixture on my top 10 favorites list.

Absolutely no contest, the Marx Brothers hands down.

I voted for the Stooges.

Yes, the Marc Brothers are great, but....I can't say no to Curly. It's the power of the baldness!

Stooges all the way. Comic brilliance that had to endure the death of two brothers and still came up with hilarious material.

Plus, while I think the Marx Bros. are funny, I've fallen asleep during two of their movies the last time I've sat down to watch them. Oh well.

Besides, you can't get much more un-PC than "No Dough Boys..."

Double-J ... if you fell asleep during a Marx Bros. film, it had to have happened during one of Harpo's musical solos. Lovely as they are, and brilliant a player as he was, I always felt those harp solos slowed down the films enormously. Even Chico's piano numbers had a bit of liveliness and he usually involved other characters in them.

I heard somewhere that Groucho always hated these musical interludes from his brothers and in one film (Horse Feathers, I think) finally did a parody of them on guitar in a rowboat to emphasize how ridiculous he felt they were. I love when he speaks directly to the audience during a Chico number to say he's stuck there but they can go out & buy a snack or something.

Apple

I've always found the musical interludes to be effective "breathers", and take on an almost poignant weight. I especially love them in A Night at the Opera.

Chico's yes...because he tickled the ivories in such a fun, playful way and frankly, his fingers and facial expressions are always a joy to watch.

Harpo's solos are quite serious, beautiful as instrument as it is, there's really no way to liven up a harp.

But then again...had these interludes NOT been included in the movies then none of us would ever know what gifted musicians Arthur and Leonard Marx were!!

Apple

ps - I always loved the I Love Lucy episode where Harpo & Lucy revamped that mirror bit from Duck Soup!!

This is a tough call for me...but I had to go with the Stooges...but only because I'm more familiar with their work.

But what I have seen of the Marx brothers always has me in stitches. Duck Soup is tied with Monty Python and the Holy Grail as my favorite comedy.

But I gotta give the nod to the Stooges...only because I've seen more of their material.

Both were absolutely fantastic acts, though...and you can't go wrong with either.

Love 'em both...Groucho's hilarious, but I also gave the nod to the Stooges. I guess I can't get enough of their eye gouging, hair pulling and face slapping.

They only made shorts, and my favorite was Disorder in the Court.