The House That Shadows Built
Encyclopedia
The House That Shadows Built (1931
) is a short feature film
, roughly 55 minutes long, from Paramount Pictures
, made to celebrate the 20th anniversary
of the studio's founding in 1912. The film includes a brief history of Paramount, interviews with various actors, and clips from upcoming projects (some of which actually never came to fruition).
The film is most notable for a six-minute short starring the Marx Brothers
—with Ben Taggart
playing Mr. Lee, Theatrical Producer—intended to promote their forthcoming film Monkey Business
. The short film, containing material which was never included in any other Marx Brothers film, is a re-working of the first scene of their first successful Broadway
play I'll Say She Is
—which Groucho considered to have been the funniest work in the Brothers' career. Except for a few name changes and additional gags, the scene is almost completely the same as the script used for the stage production. Some of the gags were worked into the lobby scene in The Cocoanuts
(1929), and a bit involving a series of Maurice Chevalier
imitations was incorporated into the script of Monkey Business
(1931).
The Marx Brothers' segment is currently available as a special feature on the direct-to-DVD
documentary film
Inside the Marx Brothers, albeit in poor condition. Recently, Marx Brothers fans have begun referring to their segment simply as I'll Say She Is, in light of its source material.
1931 in film
-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) is a short feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, roughly 55 minutes long, from Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, made to celebrate the 20th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
of the studio's founding in 1912. The film includes a brief history of Paramount, interviews with various actors, and clips from upcoming projects (some of which actually never came to fruition).
The film is most notable for a six-minute short starring the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
—with Ben Taggart
Ben Taggart
Ben Taggart was an American actor.His first movie was The Woman Next Door in 1915; from 1931 to 1945 he appeared in a number of minor roles, listed as "uncredited" on IMDB. Credited roles include The House That Shadows Built as Mr...
playing Mr. Lee, Theatrical Producer—intended to promote their forthcoming film Monkey Business
Monkey Business (1931 film)
Monkey Business is a 1931 comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers' released movies, and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is...
. The short film, containing material which was never included in any other Marx Brothers film, is a re-working of the first scene of their first successful Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play I'll Say She Is
I'll Say She Is
I'll Say She Is is a stage revue written by brothers Will B. Johnstone and Tom Johnstone and starring the Marx Brothers and Lotta Miles.-Background:...
—which Groucho considered to have been the funniest work in the Brothers' career. Except for a few name changes and additional gags, the scene is almost completely the same as the script used for the stage production. Some of the gags were worked into the lobby scene in The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts is the first feature-length Marx Brothers film, produced by Paramount Pictures. The musical comedy stars the four Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton, and Margaret Dumont. Produced by Walter Wanger and the first sound movie to credit more than one director , and was adapted to the...
(1929), and a bit involving a series of Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
imitations was incorporated into the script of Monkey Business
Monkey Business (1931 film)
Monkey Business is a 1931 comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers' released movies, and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is...
(1931).
The Marx Brothers' segment is currently available as a special feature on the direct-to-DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Inside the Marx Brothers, albeit in poor condition. Recently, Marx Brothers fans have begun referring to their segment simply as I'll Say She Is, in light of its source material.