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IMDbPro

Room Service

  • 19381938
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 18m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
43,656
2,106
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
A penniless theatrical producer must outwit the hotel efficiency expert trying to evict him from his room, while securing a backer for his new play.
Play trailer1:41
1 Video
20 Photos
Comedy
A penniless theatrical producer must outwit the hotel efficiency expert trying to evict him from his room, while securing a backer for his new play.A penniless theatrical producer must outwit the hotel efficiency expert trying to evict him from his room, while securing a backer for his new play.A penniless theatrical producer must outwit the hotel efficiency expert trying to evict him from his room, while securing a backer for his new play.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
43,656
2,106
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • William A. Seiter
    • Writers
      • Morrie Ryskind(screen play)
      • John Murray(from the play by)
      • Allen Boretz(from the play by)
    • Stars
      • Groucho Marx
      • Harpo Marx
      • Chico Marx
    Top credits
    • Director
      • William A. Seiter
    • Writers
      • Morrie Ryskind(screen play)
      • John Murray(from the play by)
      • Allen Boretz(from the play by)
    • Stars
      • Groucho Marx
      • Harpo Marx
      • Chico Marx
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 52User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    Official Trailer

    Photos20

    "Room Service" Groucho Marx 1938 RKO Radio Pictures
    Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, and Chico Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, Cliff Dunstan, and Chico Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Frank Albertson, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)
    Room Service (1938)
    Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, Frank Albertson, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Room Service (1938)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Groucho Marx
    Groucho Marx
    • Gordon Miller
    Harpo Marx
    Harpo Marx
    • Faker
    Chico Marx
    Chico Marx
    • Harry Binelli
    Lucille Ball
    Lucille Ball
    • Christine
    Ann Miller
    Ann Miller
    • Hilda
    Frank Albertson
    Frank Albertson
    • Leo Davis
    Cliff Dunstan
    Cliff Dunstan
    • Joseph Gribble
    Donald MacBride
    Donald MacBride
    • Gregory Wagner
    Philip Loeb
    Philip Loeb
    • Timothy Hogarth
    Philip Wood
    • Simon Jenkins
    Alexander Asro
    • Sasha
    Charles Halton
    Charles Halton
    • Dr. Glass
    Stanley Blystone
    Stanley Blystone
    • Policeman in Alley
    • (uncredited)
    Phoebe Campbell
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    Clyde Courtright
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    Josephine DeKarr
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Everton
    Paul Everton
    • Formally-Dressed Man in Play
    • (uncredited)
    Cliff Herd
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William A. Seiter
    • Writers
      • Morrie Ryskind(screen play)
      • John Murray(from the play by)
      • Allen Boretz(from the play by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Lucille Ball, who has a supporting role, would later buy the studio that made this film, RKO Pictures. She and Desi Arnaz purchased it during the height of their success on I Love Lucy (1951) and renamed it Desilu Studios, now best known as the sponsorship of Star Trek (1966).
    • Goofs
      Wires visible on the turkey when it flies around the room.
    • Quotes

      Gordon Miller: Shhh. Money.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits are shown on doors that flip around for each new screen of names.
    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in Anatomy of an Illness (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Merrily We Roll Along
      (uncredited)

      Traditional

      A song loosely based on 'Good Night Ladies' (1847) by Edwin P. Christy

      In the score during the opening credits

    User reviews52

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Room Service is no Marx Brothers classic, but still enjoyable nonetheless
    30 years ago today, Groucho Marx died at 86, three days after Elvis Presley. For the occasion, I'd thought I'd view some of his movies of which Room Service is one of them. Unlike the others he made with his brothers, this one wasn't especially tailored to their talents since it was originally a Broadway play starring other people. So the action is mostly confined to the hotel and the pace slows down a little bit. Nevertheless, there's still some witty lines and visual humor concerning Harpo that makes this one of the more enjoyable latter day-Marx Brothers films. And there's a wonderful supporting cast with Frank Albertson as the playwright and, especially, Donald MacBride as the hotel manager who keeps exclaiming, "Jumping Butterballs!" Also of note is the fact that a couple of young players named Ann Miller and Lucille Ball appear here long before their established personas. So while not the classic of their five Paramount and first two MGM pictures, this RKO production was nothing the Marx Brothers should be ashamed of.
    helpful•14
    3
    • tavm
    • Aug 19, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 30, 1938 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Servicio de hotel
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $884,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 18 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

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