When the Marx Brothers announced in 1946 that their upcoming film was called A Night in Casablanca, Warner Bros threatened to sue for breach of copyright. Warner had produced the great hit Casablanca four years earlier, and insisted that the funny men were trying to cash in on it. But Groucho was no slouch. He had his lawyer threaten Warner Brothers with breach of copyright for using the word brothers. The Marx boys won, as they were brothers before the Warners had formed the company. A Night in Casablanca also turned out to be a great hit. (Here, as bores and pedants tend to do, I have to declare an interest. I am related to the Marx Brothers — Harpo, in fact, as my sister-in-law is married to his grandson. It’s the relation I brag about the most.)
I thought of the Marx Brothers when I heard about Dubai and those other comedians, the Maktoums.
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