Margaret Dumont
Margaret Dumont would probably consider it a tragedy that she is best-known for her performances as the ultimate straight woman in seven of the Marx Brothers' films (including most of their best). By all accounts she never understood their jokes (offscreen and on), which is of course a major reason why she's so funny. Apart from a small role in a 1917 Dickens adaptation, she spent her early career on the stage, ending up with the Marxes in the late 1920s in the stage versions of The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), and was given a Paramount contract at the same time they were. She played similar roles alongside other great comedians, including W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy and Jack Benny and also played straight dramatic parts (her chief love), but few of them made much impact - it is as Groucho Marx's foil that she ranks among the immortals, and she died shortly after being reunited with him on "The Hollywood Palace" (1964).
Duck Soup
as Gloria TeasdaleRufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on...
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Auntie Mame
as Noblewoman in Play (uncredited)Mame Dennis, a progressive and independent woman of the 1920s, is left to care for her nephew...
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A Day at the Races
as Emily UpjohnDoctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's farm by winning a big race with her...
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What a Way to Go!
as Mrs. FosterA four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly...
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The Cocoanuts
as Mrs. PotterDuring the Florida land boom, the Marx Brothers run a hotel, auction off some land and thwart a...
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A Night at the Opera
as Mrs. ClaypoolThe Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly...
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The Big Store
as Martha PhelpsA detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department...
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Animal Crackers
as Mrs. RittenhouseThe well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being...
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Bathing Beauty
as Mrs. AllenwoodAfter breaking up with her fiancé, a gym teacher returns to work at a women's college, but a...
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At the Circus
as Mrs. Suzanna DukesburyJeff Wilson, the owner of a small circus, owes his partner Carter $10,000. Before Jeff can pay,...
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That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time...
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A Tale of Two Cities
as Aristocrat (uncredited)At the outbreak of the French Revolution, Charles Darnay goes to Paris to rescue an imprisoned...
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Seven Days Ashore
as Mrs. Croxton-LynchCircumstances force a womanizing playboy on leave from the Merchant Marine to ask two shipmates...
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Tales of Manhattan
as Mme. Langehanke (uncredited)Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed...
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The Dancing Masters
as Louise HarlanThe Dancing Masters is a 1943 Laurel and Hardy feature film. The plot involves the team running...
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Born to Sing
as Mrs. E. V. LawsonA group of children put on a show in order to prove that a down and out musician was the real...
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Sunset in El Dorado
as Aunt Dolly / Aunt ArabellaThe story involves a rather odd flashback by Dale who is visiting El Dorado, home of her...
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The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell
as (archive footage)A fascinating look at the most beloved comedy team in motion picture history. Exclusive...
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Little Giant
as Mrs. HendricksonLou Costello plays a country bumpkin vacuum-cleaner salesman, working for the company run by the...
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Kentucky Kernels
as Mrs. BaxterThe Great Elmer and Company, two out-of-work magicians, help lovelorn Jerry Bronson adopt Spanky...
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Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
as Mrs. HemoglobenNever Give a Sucker an Even Break is a 1941 film about a man who wants to sell a film story to...
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Up in Arms
as Mrs. WilloughbyHypochondriac Danny Weems gets drafted and accidentally smuggles his girlfriend aboard his...
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The Life of the Party
as Mrs. PennerA singer finds another heir (Gene Raymond) to marry, to avoid the one (Joe Penner) her mother found.
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Rendezvous
as Mrs. Hendricks (uncredited)A decoding expert tangles with enemy spies.
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After Office Hours
as Mrs. Murchison (uncredited)A managing editor sends a socialite reporter to spy on her boyfriend, mixed up in murder.
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The Horn Blows at Midnight
as Mme. Traviata / Miss RodholderA trumpet player in a radio orchestra falls asleep during a commercial and dreams he's Athanael,...
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Wise Girl
as Mrs. Bell-RivingtonSnooty heiress decides to track down her dead sister's kids, who are living a Bohemian life with...
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Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading...
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Zotz!
as Persephone UpdikeJonathan Jones, a professor of ancient languages, comes into possession of an ancient coin. He...
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Stop, You're Killing Me
as Mrs. WhitelawA gangster and his wife attempt to go straight. Comedy. Remake of the 1938 film "A Slight Case...
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Reckless
as Woman in Audience Yelling 'Get Off the Stage' (uncredited)A theatrical star, born on the wrong side of the tracks, marries a drunken blue-blood millionaire.
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Youth on Parole
as Mrs. AbernathyTwo strangers, a man and a woman, are framed for a jewel robbery and thrown in jail. After they...
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High Flyers
as Martha ArlingtonTwo men running a carnival airplane ride are hired to fly to retrieve what they think are photos...
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American...
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The Hollywood Clowns
as (archive footage)Glenn Ford narrates this hilarious look back at the greatest comedians in movie history.
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Storm at Daybreak
as Duchess Sophie (uncredited)Sarajevo June 28, 1914. Dushan, the Serbian mayor of a Hungarian town, has come to see the...
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Shake, Rattle and Rock!
as Georgianna FitzdingleA TV star meets with opposition from adults who object to the opening of a rock 'n' roll palace...
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Gridiron Flash
as Mrs. FieldsA college football team recruits a tough convict.
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Fifteen Wives
as Sybilla CrumShortly after his arrival from South America to New York, Steven Humbolt is found dead in his...
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Anything Goes
as Mrs. WentworthA young man falls in love with a beautiful blonde. When he sees her being forced onto a luxury...
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Dramatic School
as Pantomime TeacherAspiring actress Louise Muban attends the prestigious Paris School of Drama during the day and...
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Song and Dance Man
as Mrs. WhitneyJulia and Hap are a dance team. He drinks and gambles, she succeeds for a while with the help of...
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Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults
as Self (archiveFootage)Second installment of deleted scenes, mostly musical or comedic, from Fox films of the 30's - 50's.
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Three for Bedroom C
as Mrs. Agnes HawthorneAfter beginning their train trip to California, a famous film actress and her daughter discover...
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We're Rich Again
as Wedding Guest (uncredited)A polo-playing grandmother and her broke brood get back in the money with a Wall Street bet.
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About Face
as Mrs. CulpepperTwo Army sergeants disrupt a bar, a party and an Army-Navy dance.
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Diamond Horseshoe
as Mrs. StandishJoe Davis Sr., headliner at a big nightclub, is visited by medical student son Joe Jr., who to...
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Wonderland of California
as SelfShort film made up of various clips showcasing the Cinecolor process, including a visit to a...
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Rhythm Parade
as Ophelia MacDougalA nightclub performer, jealous about the talents of an aspiring singer, tries to sabotage her...
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Arbor Day
as Woman talking to the midgets outsideTruant officers mistake 2 midgets for members of the gang.
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For Beauty's Sake
as Mrs. Franklin EvansA woman-hater who inherits a beauty salon gets a new perspective on females after capturing a...
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The Girl Habit
as Blanche LedyardA Lothario tries to get arrested as protection from the gangster husband who has threatened him.
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The Donna Reed Show
as uncreditedRevolves around typical family problems, such as firing a clumsy housekeeper, throwing a...
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The Colgate Comedy Hour
as SelfThe Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC...
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The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
as SelfThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on...
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Racket Squad
as uncreditedRacket Squad is an American TV crime drama series starring Reed Hadley as Captain John Braddock,...
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