About
Margaret Dumont would probably consider it a tragedy that she is best-known for her performances as the ultimate straight woman in seven of the Marx Brothers' films (including most of their best). By all accounts she never understood their jokes (offscreen and on), which is of course a major reason why she's so funny. Apart from a small role in a 1917 Dickens adaptation, she spent her early career on the stage, ending up with the Marxes in the late 1920s in the stage versions of The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), and was given a Paramount contract at the same time they were. She played similar roles alongside other great comedians, including W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy and Jack Benny and also played straight dramatic parts (her chief love), but few of them made much impact - it is as Groucho Marx's foil that she ranks among the immortals, and she died shortly after...
Known for
The Donna Reed ShowSeries • 1958
Racket SquadSeries • 1951
Bathing BeautyMovie • 1944
At the CircusMovie • 1939
A Night at the OperaMovie • 1935
What a Way to Go!Movie • 1964
Duck SoupMovie • 1933
Auntie MameMovie • 1958
A Day at the RacesMovie • 1937
The CocoanutsMovie • 1929
Animal CrackersMovie • 1930
That's Entertainment, Part IIMovie • 1976
The Big StoreMovie • 1941
Little GiantMovie • 1946
Tales of ManhattanMovie • 1942
Never Give a Sucker an Even BreakMovie • 1941
The Horn Blows at MidnightMovie • 1945
Zotz!Movie • 1962
The Dancing MastersMovie • 1943