Monkey Business (1931 film) in Queens, New York City. Upon alighting from the ship, the Marx Brothers' real life father (Sam "Frenchie" Marx) is briefly seen in a cameo appearance, sitting on top of luggage behind the Brothers on the pier as they wave to the First Mate. Sam Marx was 72 at the time, and the appearance was his film debut. He was paid $12.50 each day for two days work. "Monkey Business" was Norman MacLeod's solo directorial debut. One of the sequences in this film involves the four brothers attempting to get off the ship using a passport stolen from famous singer
Commotion on the Ocean microfilm of State Department documents, which Chambers had concealed in a hollowed-out pumpkin on his Maryland farm. As Shemp Howard had already died, for his last four films ("Rumpus in the Harem", "Hot Stuff", "Scheming Schemers" and "Commotion on the Ocean"), Columbia utilized supporting actor Joe Palma to be Shemp's double. Even though the last four shorts were remakes of earlier Shemp efforts, Palma's services were needed to link what few new scenes were filmed to the older stock footage.It is also the final film to feature Shemp as a stooge. He would be replaced with Joe Besser in the