Duck Soup (1933)

(NOTE: I wrote this three years ago for another project I was working on... it didn't pan out, but it seems appropriate that this review finally see the light of day. The style is a lot different from the stuff I'll be doing here, and maybe I'll re-review Duck Soup down the road, but for now let this suffice.)

“What is it got big black-a moustache, smokes a big black cigar, and is a big pain in the neck?” Chicolini asks of Rufus T. Firefly in what is widely regarded to be the best of the Brothers: 1933’s Duck Soup. The answer, of course, is the grease-paint-mustachioed Firefly. But that doesn’t stop Firefly from giving Chicolini the cushy job of Secretary of War. It’s just one of the many hilarious scenes in this timeless classic.

The film opens with Margaret Dumont’s Mrs. Gloria Teasdale offering to loan the impoverished Freedonia $20 million on one condition—that revolutionary Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) become the new head of state. Instantly, the audience knows that the country’s in trouble, based upon the reaction of all present. Mrs. Teasdale insists on Firefly (I’ve yet to discover just why Dumont is always enraptured with Groucho’s character—perhaps that’s what helps their on-screen “chemistry” along its way), and the coronation begins.

Bob Roland (Zeppo Marx) sings about Firefly’s timeliness—and of course Firefly’s late to his own reception. When he finally does arrive, Firefly reveals himself as a fast-talking, insulting person who constantly bounces gags and one-liners off of Mrs. Teasdale. Meanwhile, Sylvanian spies Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo Marx) are hired by Ambassador Trentino (Louis Calhern) to undermine Firefly.

However, after a few hilariously memorable bits (the mirror gag and the lemonade stand—“Peanuts… to you!”), Firefly declares war on Sylvania; after all, Trentino called him an “upstart.” If there’s one thing a Firefly isn’t, it’s an upstart. After a few cancellations of the war, the battle’s finally on, and the whole nation erupts in a chorus of “To war, to war, to war we’re going to go!” In the end, Trentino is captured, and Freedonia is preserved—at least, until Firefly gets into another spot of trouble—which, if I know the Fireflys, won’t be too far away.

The movie is widely regarded to be the best Marx Brothers movie, and it’s for good reason that it earns this meritorious title. As with any Marx movie, Groucho speaks a mile a minute, and you’ve really got to pay attention, especially when he’s bouncing jokes off of Margaret Dumont. Chico’s also in top form, with his description of what happened on “Shadowday” while following Firefly. Harpo, too, is excellent; listen carefully as he carries on a telephone conversation using only his facial expression and the horns on his belt (“Waa? Woh woh. Eh? Wa wa wa wa wa. Waw waw!”). Zeppo, who never had a large part in any Marx movie, goes out with a bang in this picture; Duck Soup was his last movie, and he decided to act behind the scenes from 1933 on.

The mirror bit, repeated on an episode of I Love Lucy, is absolutely unforgettable. Pinky, while spying on Firefly in Mrs. Teasdale’s manor, accidentally breaks a ceiling-to-floor mirror. (Oh, I forgot to mention; both he and Chicolini are disguised as Firefly in an attempt to get Freedonia’s battle plans for Sylvania.) When Firefly comes down to investigate the ruckus, Pinky’s only option is to follow Firefly’s every move, making the leader of Freedonia believe he’s really looking at his reflection and not a spy. What follows is comic genius; at one point, the two circle each other and even pick up the other’s hat. When Chicolini breaks up the party by walking in, he’s put on trial for treason. The trial scene is heavier on scripted comedy (“Chicolini here may talk like an idiot and look like an idiot, but don’t let that fool you; he really is an idiot.”), but it’s no less humorous.

In my opinion, this one ranks with Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera as Marx gold. All the brothers (and Mrs. Dumont, who’s often called the fifth Brother) are first-rate, and it’s a laugh riot that no one should miss. As for the film’s title, Groucho offered the following: "Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you'll duck soup for the rest of your life.”