Plot
In A Night At the Opera, the Marx brothers help two young lovers to succeed in love as well as in the opera world. Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) is hired by widowed socialite hopeful Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont) to help her break into high society, but he instead alternately woos and insults her. At the last opera performance of the season in Italy, of Pagliacci, Otis meets Fiorello (Chico Marx), who is the best friend and manager of Riccardo (Allan Jones), an opera singer who longs for his big break and who is in love with fellow opera singer Rosa (Kitty Carlisle). However, Riccardo's dreams are thwarted by the star of the opera, Lassparri (Walter Woolf King), an egotistical man who wants fame—and Rosa—for himself. Otis signs Riccardo to a contract, thinking he is signing Lassparri (because Fiorello said he was the manager of the best opera singer in the world, making Otis think Ricarrdo was Lassparii); Lassparri, meanwhile, is signed for the New York opera by the manager of the opera company, Herman Gottlieb (Sig Ruman).
Although Riccardo and Fiorello are not allowed to accompany the troupe on their trip to New York, they manage to stow away on the ship, hiding in Otis's trunk, along with another of Fiorello's friends, Tomasso (Harpo Marx), a dresser who got fired by Lassparri (after he caught Tommaso wearing his costumes). In New York, to protect their identities, the three stowaways pretend to be three famous aviators. They are forced to make a speech, however, since Harpo is mute, he fails to do so, causing people to get suspicious. Tommaso's identity is quickly revealed when his fake beard falls off. They hide in Otis's apartment after escaping. Otis finds out from a newspaper that the stowaways are being pursued by the police for entering the country illegally. Otis ends up losing his position with the opera to Gottlieb. When they find out that Rosa has been fired for siding with Riccardo, the boys spring into action, sabotaging the opening night performance of Il Trovatore by throwing it into total chaos. With the police and Gottlieb after him, Tommaso turns off the lights. While the lights are off, Lassparri and Otis end up in a box. Tommaso pulls the box up before the lights turn on. Finding that Lassparri has disappeared, Gottlieb desperately asks Riccarrdo and Rosa to sing. As they finish singing, the box Otis and Lassparri are in drops to the ground. Lassparri tries to perform, only to be booed by the audience. Riccardo and Rosa once again sing.
The film ends with Otis and Fiorello telling Gottlieb that because they signed the contract, they get ten percent each from the profit Ricarrdo and Rosa make from singing.
Read more about this topic: A Night At The Opera (film)
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