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Love Happy (1949) was the 13th, and virtually the last Marx Brothers' film (they would return to the big screen in 1957 for short appearances in The Story of Mankind). The film stars Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx, plus Ilona Massey, Vera-Ellen, Raymond Burr, and Eric Blore, with a memorable walk-on by young Marilyn Monroe. It was directed by David Miller and written by Frank Tashlin and Mac Benoff and based on a story by Harpo. The film was produced by former silent film star Mary Pickford and released by United Artists. The production ran out of money during shooting, so they came up with a unique form of product placement (still rare at the time): a rooftop chase around advertising billbords. Harpo is up to his usual antics when he steals a tin of sardines and accidentally bags the Romanoff diamonds. Groucho often said the brothers did the film to help Chico pay off gambling debts, avoids mentioning it at all in his autobiography (considering "A Night in Casablanca" their last film together.) Because of the encapsulated nature of Groucho's scenes, it has been assumed his presence was an afterthought. Recent Groucho letters show that he was to have been part of the project from its earliest stages, 1946-47. The film has a musical score and lyrics by Ann Ronnell.
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