A Night at the Opera
(1935)
Comedy / Musical
96 minutes
Cast:
Chico Marx as Fiorello
Harpo Marx as Tomasso
Allan Jones as Ricardo Baroni
Walter Woolf King as Lassparri
Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Claypool
Edward Keane as Captain
A Night at the Opera, distributed by MGM, is a 1935 comedy directed by
Sam Wood.
Otis B. Driftwood is a small-time promoter who wants to represent Lassparri, a famous opera tenor. At the same time he is representing Mrs. Claypool who wants to be welcomed into
high society . Driftwood convinces her to invest heavily in an opera company run by Gottlieb, and hopes at the same time to acquire a contract with Lassparri.
Backstage, Driftwood meets Fiorello who is posing as a manager, and Fiorello makes a deal with Driftwood for Driftwood to represent ‘the world’s greatest tenor’. Driftwood assumes this is Lassparri, when in reality it is another singer, Ricardo Baroni.
Disappointed at not acquiring Lassparri’s contract, Driftwood leaves Italy, sailing to New York with Mrs. Claypool and the opera company. Assigned the smallest possible stateroom on the ship, Driftwood’s stateroom soon resembles a sardine can with the number of people crammed into it, including Baroni who has stowed away to follow the opera’s leading lady, Rosa, who he loves.
When the stowaways, Baroni, Fiorello and Tomasso, stage a show in steerage they are discovered and thrown in the brig, but Driftwood helps them to
escape.
The stowaways are caught and thrown in the brig, but with Driftwood's help they
escape. Driftwood is then fired from the opera for helping the stowaways, and Rosa is fired because she spurned Lassparri’s advances.
That was it – Driftwood and the stowaways have had enough and they then come up with a plan to ruin the opera’s opening night in revenge. At the same time their plot will get Rosa her job back and Baroni will be able to sing instead of Lassparri.
