But what may surprise some viewers about Room Service is where the material came from. As I mentioned before, the film's script wasn't tailor-made for them but was rather based on a Broadway smash at the time. I couldn't tell you what's from the show and what frequent Marx collaborator Morrie Ryskind added, but the story is still a hotbed of humor that the brothers waste no time in seizing. The only trouble is that, being based on a theatrical show, Room Service never shakes its inherent staginess. Don't get me wrong, Groucho and the guys work wonders with what they have, but with 90% of the movie taking place in one room, you'll find yourself begging for some different surroundings. The flow of the jokes is also frequently interrupted by the film's own attempts to pad out the running time. There's a romantic subplot involving the author that leads to nowhere, and, in an early screen appearance, Lucille Ball just sort of hangs around without anything to do.
Quibbles aside, Room Service is still a funny, funny flick at the end of the day. It's not going to earn a place in comedy history alongside Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera, but when it comes to delivering some hearty laughs on a rainy day, this flick is hard to beat.
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