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Margaret Dumont

Margaret Dumont

Actor · Died March 6, 1965, aged 82 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

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 being reunited with him on "The Hollywood Palace" (1964).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 19, 1882
Died
March 6, 1965 (aged 82)
From
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 56 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 3% in 30 days

What are Margaret Dumont's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
28%
Bonds
21%
Society
15%
Power
14%
Self
13%
Survival
4%
Ideas
4%
Deception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 7 · Wry 2 · Earnest 6

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 14 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 9 · Charged 6 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 12

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 5

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 16 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Threshold guardian: 4 of 7 analyzed roles.

Threshold guardian
4 of 7
Herald
1 of 7
Shapeshifter
1 of 7
Trickster
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
12
Joyful
12
Tense
3
Melancholic
3
Romantic
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Fun13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy13
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Margaret Dumont's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Margaret Dumont's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

56 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as (archive footage)

  • The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as (archive footage)

  • The Hollywood Clowns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as (archive footage)

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • What a Way to Go!(1964)

    as Mrs. Foster

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Zotz! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Persephone Updike

  • Around the World with Nellie Bly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Dowager #1

  • Auntie Mame(1958)

    as Noblewoman in Play (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Donna Reed Show(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Shake, Rattle & Rock!(1956)

    as Georgianna Fitzdingle

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Stop, You're Killing Me(1952)

    as Mrs. Whitelaw

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Three for Bedroom C (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Mrs. Agnes Hawthorne

  • Racket Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Susie Steps Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Mrs. Starr

  • Little Giant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Mrs. Hendrickson

  • Sunset in El Dorado(1945)

    as Aunt Dolly / Aunt Arabella

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Diamond Horseshoe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Mrs. Standish

  • The Horn Blows at Midnight(1945)

    as Mme. Traviata / Miss Rodholder

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Bathing Beauty(1944)

    as Mrs. Allenwood

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Seven Days Ashore(1944)

    as Mrs. Croxton-Lynch

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Up in Arms(1944)

    as Mrs. Willoughby

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Dancing Masters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Louise Harlan

  • Rhythm Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Ophelia MacDougal

  • Tales of Manhattan(1942)

    as Mme. Langehanke (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • About Face (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mrs. Culpepper

  • Sing Your Worries Away (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Flo Faulkner - Landlady

  • Born to Sing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mrs. E. V. Lawson

  • Never Give a Sucker an Even Break(1941)

    as Mrs. Hemogloben

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Big Store(1941)

    as Martha Phelps

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • For Beauty's Sake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Mrs. Franklin Evans

  • At the Circus(1939)

    as Mrs. Suzanna Dukesbury

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Dramatic School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Pantomime Teacher

  • Wise Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Mrs. Bell-Rivington

  • High Flyers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Martha Arlington

  • Youth on Parole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Mrs. Abernathy

  • The Life of the Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Mrs. Penner

  • A Day at the Races(1937)

    as Emily Upjohn

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Arbor Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Woman Outside (uncredited)

  • Song and Dance Man(1936)

    as Mrs. Whitney

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Anything Goes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Mrs. Wentworth

  • A Night at the Opera(1935)

    as Mrs. Claypool

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Rendezvous(1935)

    as Mrs. Hendricks (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Reckless(1935)

    as Woman in Audience Yelling 'Get Off the Stage' (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Gypsy Sweetheart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mrs. Van Updyke

  • After Office Hours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mrs. Murchison (uncredited)

  • Kentucky Kernels(1934)

    as Mrs. Baxter

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Gridiron Flash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Mrs. Fields

  • Fifteen Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Sybilla Crum

  • Duck Soup(1933)

    as Gloria Teasdale

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Storm at Daybreak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Duchess Sophie (uncredited)

  • Here, Prince (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as The Queen of Deleria (uncredited)

  • The Girl Habit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Blanche Ledyard

  • Animal Crackers(1930)

    as Mrs. Rittenhouse

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Cocoanuts(1929)

    as Mrs. Potter

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Enemies of Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as French Beauty

  • A Tale of Two Cities(1917)

    as Aristocrat (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 56 titles from 1917 to 1999.

Biggest box office

Duck Soup (1933)

$106K worldwide

Highest rated

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

What a Way to Go! (1964)

Film career

  • 1929Screen debut· The Cocoanuts

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting56 of 56: 56 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score64th

By decade

1910s1 · acting1920s2 · acting1930s23 · acting1940s17 · acting1950s6 · acting1960s3 · acting1970s2 · acting1980s1 · acting1990s1 · acting

Billing

usually 6th · top billed in 0% of 12 roles
2939

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Margaret Dumont's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 24; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 25 titles divides audiences: 14 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most loved · actor

Auntie Mame (1958)

Midcredits 96th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Margaret Dumont's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Margaret Dumont work with?

People who share at least 2 of Margaret Dumont's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chico Marx shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers