Horse Feathers

film by McLeod [1932]

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July 16, 2026

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Horse Feathers is a 1932 American comedy film starring the Marx Brothers. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod, the film is known for its anarchic humor and satire of higher education.

The story follows Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho Marx), the new head of Huxley College, who is more interested in winning the upcoming football game than in academics. He is aided by his zany associates, including his barber (Chico Marx) and a silent dog-catcher (Harpo Marx). The film features classic Marx Brothers routines, including elaborate sight gags and Groucho's rapid-fire wit. Horse Feathers was a commercial success and is considered one of their most popular films from their time at Paramount Pictures.

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Norman Z. McLeod
Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields
…reteamed with the brothers on Horse Feathers (1932), which was arguably funnier than Monkey Business. It follows the efforts of a college president (Groucho Marx) to assemble a winning football team. Both comedies were hugely popular and are considered among the Marxes’ greatest films.
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…reteamed with the brothers on Horse Feathers (1932), which was arguably funnier than Monkey Business. It follows the efforts of a college president (Groucho Marx) to assemble a winning football team. Both comedies were hugely popular and are considered among the Marxes’ greatest films.
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Herman Mankiewicz
Brothers’ Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932). Plagued by alcoholism, he wrote his last film, The Pride of St. Louis, in 1952. His brother Joseph was also a screenwriter and director. Mankiewicz’s struggles to write the screenplay for Citizen Kane were later dramatized in David Fincher’s film Mank (2020).
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Brothers’ Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932). Plagued by alcoholism, he wrote his last film, The Pride of St. Louis, in 1952. His brother Joseph was also a screenwriter and director. Mankiewicz’s struggles to write the screenplay for Citizen Kane were later dramatized in David Fincher’s film Mank (2020).
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Marx Brothers
…greatest comedies: Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932), and Duck Soup (1933). Among their wildest, most anarchic efforts, the three films mercilessly lampoon moneyed society, higher education, and warring governments. They are again filled with Groucho’s verbal effrontery (in lines such as “Remember, men, we’re fighting for this woman’s honor,…
Read More
…greatest comedies: Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932), and Duck Soup (1933). Among their wildest, most anarchic efforts, the three films mercilessly lampoon moneyed society, higher education, and warring governments. They are again filled with Groucho’s verbal effrontery (in lines such as “Remember, men, we’re fighting for this woman’s honor,…
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S.J. Perelman
…as Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932). Laura West, whom he had married in 1929, collaborated with him on several screenplays. Perelman also regularly contributed essays for The New Yorker magazine under such absurd titles as “Beat Me, Post-Impressionist Daddy” and “Methinks He Doth Protein Too Much.” Perelman collaborated…
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…as Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932). Laura West, whom he had married in 1929, collaborated with him on several screenplays. Perelman also regularly contributed essays for The New Yorker magazine under such absurd titles as “Beat Me, Post-Impressionist Daddy” and “Methinks He Doth Protein Too Much.” Perelman collaborated…
Read More