MovieChat Forums > Captains Courageous (1937) Discussion > Chico Marx

Chico Marx

posted 14 years ago by trf100
14 replies | jump to latest

Is Tracy TRYING to sound like Chico Marx in this film??

I started to laugh when I first heard him speak. Then I got used to his peculiar accent and enjoyed the film.

But wow!! That initial shock was hilarious!

[–] noelle-ewen 14 years ago

LMAO!!!!!!!

Hilarious!

This is one of my all time favorite movies (if not my very favorite)...but the accent thing always annoyed me a bit - and I knew it reminded me of something/someone...

YOU ARE SO RIGHT!
...Chico Marx!!

LOL

[–] kevdun22 14 years ago

i just watched it on TCM's 31 days of Oscar telecast.
i too laughed my ass off at the accent.
the extra funny thing is that since Spencer had to have his hair curled for the part all his hollywood buddies were calling him Harpo during the production.
So he managed to look like one Marx brother and sound like another.
If they painted a thick black mustache on him he could have nailed another bro.
too funny Noelle.
cheers, kevin

[–] GoodSOVeryVeryGood 12 years ago

Ha ha ha ha BRILLIANT !!!! Oh my gosh that's funny!!! I agree, Tracy's "accent" is quite irritating - I think it's because it doesn't sound like any one accent but rather is a meld of many latin accents. Probably why Tracy won the Oscar though as it was very much considered "real" acting if you could do an accent. Seemingly not much has changed....

[–] gribfritz2 13 years ago

Having seen all the Marx Bros. movies from 1930-1938, I immediately heard Chico in Tracy's voice. As someone else said, after a while, you get used to it. But initially, I was just waiting to hear him offer someone some tootsie-frootsie ice cream. It was unreal.

[–] tseybert 8 years ago

Hey-a, leetle feesh! What's a matta fuh you? Why you looka so sad! You wanna tootsie frootsie ice cream? I get you tootsie frootsie ice cream and play you song on my hurchy gurchy! You wanna hear me sing like-a Chevalier?

Spencer Tracy won an Oscar for a bad Chico Marx impression. That's what a great actor he was! Let's see Leonardo DiCaprio do THAT!

Janet! Donkeys!

[–] Fairyangel24 13 years ago

You're right! He does sound just like Chico Marx! That is hilarious! I just got through watching the movie for the first time, I can't believe I didn't make the connection.

[–] Tjcat 12 years ago

Hey, trf100, I also thought Tracy sounded like Chico Marx,
got used to the accent and enjoyed the film.
The next day, I kept thinking about a line from Night At The Opera,
"That's what they call a Sanity Clause. Ha ha ha! You can't fool me, there ain't no Sanity Clause!"

[–] guy_in_west_houston 12 years ago

I couldn't help but cringe a little every time he said "feesh".

[–] AriesJB4 12 years ago

When she first saw Spencer Tracy with the curly hair for his role as Manuel, she is reported to have said, "Oh my God, it's Harpo Marx."

[–] JennyMundus 12 years ago

Maybe Chico was his voice coach

[–] weird_beard 11 years ago

I think his dialogue coach was Bert the Chimney-sweep.

[–] Clemencedane 11 years ago

I kept thinking how much he looked like Harpo Marx, but yes he also looked like Chico.