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Duck Soup
(1933)
In this classic Marx Brothers anti-war, anti-government
comedy film (their 5th and last film for Paramount Pictures before
moving on to MGM, and the last of the Marx Brothers films
to feature all four of the brothers - their greatest and funniest
film), with many pricelessly funny lines (Firefly (Groucho): "I
suggest that we give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years
in Twelveworth." Chicolini
(Chico): "I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll take five and ten in Woolworth"),
and satirical, anarchic scenes that lampooned and ridiculed pomp,
authoritarian government, authority, blundering dictatorial leaders,
and Fascism; it was set in the financially-ruined,
politically-unstable country of Freedonia, so irreverent that it
was banned in Italy by dictator Benito Mussolini:
- the quintessential comedy film attacked the pomposity
of small-time governmental leaders (Firefly as President), the
absurdity of government itself (the Cabinet meeting scene), governmental
diplomacy (the Trentino-Firefly scenes), an arbitrary legal system
(Chicolini's trial), and war fought over petty matters (the mobilization
and war scenes)
- under the opening credits, four quacking ducks
(the four Marx Brothers) were seen swimming and cooking in a kettle over a fire
- the comedy was set in the "mythical kingdom" or
Balkan state of Freedonia, a mismanaged government had led to
bankruptcy and the state was on the verge of revolution
- the wife of the previous Freedonia leader Chester
V. Teasdale was widowed benefactress Mrs. Gloria Teasdale (Margaret
Dumont), the country's richest dowager millionairess; she offered
$20 million to sponsor and support the cash-poor government, but
only if it was placed under new leadership; she supported the newly-appointed
President and leader of the tin-pot republic Rufus T. Firefly
(Groucho Marx)
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New Leader of Freedonia: Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho
Marx)
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- the major introductory sequence was the opening
coronation and Freedonian inauguration, with guests arriving for the
event; one of the invited guests was Ambassador
and rival suitor Trentino (Louis Calhern) in the neighboring country
of Sylvania; behind the scenes, he was scheming to win rich heiress
Mrs. Teasdale's hand in marriage, in order to annex Freedonia to his
country; he had hired seductive, sultry, and sinuous Latin temptress/dancer
Vera Marcal (Raquel Torres), wearing a low-cut, revealing gown, to
function as his secret agent
- the assembled guests awaited the late arrival of
fast-talking, swindling, and impertinent President Rufus T. Firefly,
Freedonia's new cigar-chomping leader who was known for indecorous
behavior; Firefly's secretary Bob Rolland (Zeppo Marx, in his LAST Marx Bros. film) assured Mrs.
Teasdale, in song, that the absent statesman would appear "When
the Clock on the Wall Strikes Ten"; the audience sang the national
anthem "Hail, Hail Freedonia" twice, but Firefly still didn't appear
- suddenly, Firefly appeared in an upstairs bedroom,
and slid down a fireman's pole into the
spacious ballroom hall, and stood in the entrance line of helmeted
guards with swords drawn - awaiting his own arrival; finally, Mrs.
Teasdale (as head of the reception committee) greeted Firefly,
as he amusingly teased and flirted with her, populating his words
with insulting non-sequiters: ("You can leave in a taxi. If you
can't get a taxi, you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon,
you can leave in a minute and a huff.
You know, you haven't stopped talking since I came here. You must
have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle"); Firefly claimed
he loved her when she admitted she was a rich widow
Firefly's First Confrontation with Trentino
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Firefly Distracted by Vera
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- after a few strained words with Trentino, Firefly
was soon distracted by seductive "famous dancer" Vera wearing a slinky evening gown displaying
her bosom; when she suggested dancing with him, Firefly answered: "I
could dance with you till the cows come home. On second thought, I'd
rather dance with the cows when you came home"
- in the song and dance number "Just Wait 'Til
I Get Through With It" with a "Yankee
Doodle" fife, Firefly specified the rules and program planned
for his preposterous administration; he threatened, as a repressive,
dictatorial ruler, to abuse his power, to be rude, obnoxious, irresponsible,
insulting, cynical, and power-mad, in order to ruin the country ("If
you think this country's bad off now Just wait 'til I get through
with it")
- on his way to the government's House of Representatives,
Firefly was chauffeured by mute Pinkie (Harpo Marx) driving a motorcycle
with side-car; however, Pinkie roared off on the motorcycle disattached
from his passenger in the sidecar (a running gag)
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Trentino's Two Spies: Chicolini (Chico
Marx) and Pinkie (Harpo Marx)
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- the traitorous Sylvanian Ambassador Trentino had
hired two very incompetent spies to discredit Firefly - hot dog
and peanut vendor Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinkie; they appeared
in Trentino's office to report on their sabotage, disguised with
"spy stuff" and performing silly pranks and horseplay to aggravate
him, mostly involving his cigar; Pinkie was temporarily
distracted by Trentino's blonde secretary; in a classic dialogue
exchange, the Ambassador insisted on hearing a full and detailed
report of their espionage activities - and to his dismay and frustration,
learned that they had accomplished nothing, although he gave them a second chance
- in a lampooning Cabinet meeting scene, Firefly's
first Cabinet meeting in the Freedonia Chamber of Deputies, after
delaying the meeting by playing a game of jacks, Firefly presided
over his cabinet and insulted his Minister of Finance (William
Worthington) over the Treasury Department's report; to reduce work
hours, he shortened the lunch period and also refused to discuss
taxes or any real government matters;
he caused his exasperated Secretary of War to resign
- outside the Freedonia palace, Chicolini and Presidential
chauffeur Pinkie operated a peanut and hot dog stand, next to a
competitor - a Lemonade Seller's (Edgar Kennedy) cart; during their
first confrontation with the lemonade stand vendor, Pinkie and
the seller engaged in a classic, three-headed hat-switching sequence,
exchanging their hats in a shell-like game on their heads; their
rivalry ended with Pinkie burning the Lemonade Seller's bowler
hat on his flaming hot dog cooker
- needing to fill his vacated Secretary of War position,
Firefly called foreign spy Chicolini away from
his peanut stand and offered to appoint him to his Cabinet as his
new Secretary of War; to get the Cabinet position, Chicolini had
to playing a completely childish and contradictory quiz game of
non-sensical questions
- to identify himself to Firefly in the office, Pinkie
rolled up his sleeve and revealed his tattoos (especially
the one of a doghouse on his stomach - complete with the head of
a real live, barking dog that peeped out)
- determined to oust Trentino from Freedonia, Firefly's
undiplomatic plan was to provoke him with insults, causing
him to strike back - and then be thrown out of the country; Firefly
attempted to depart with his chauffeur to attend Mrs. Teasdale's
garden tea party, where he could insult the overly-sensitive Trentino
- at the tea party, Firefly immediately began to compete
with Trentino for Mrs. Teasdale's romantic attention; as a result
of their confrontation, Trentino called Firefly's
conduct inexcusable, and angrily walked away, insulting him: "You
Swine!...You Worm!...You Upstart!"; the third name-calling
insult provoked Firefly to slap him with his gloves; it was feared that the
incident would plunge the two countries into war
- the next scene, a completely silent, pantomimed
encounter with visual sight gags marked the second rivalry between
the two concessions (the peanut vendor and the lemonade vendor),
mirroring the upcoming war between the two countries; after the
lemonade seller with a new straw hat stole some peanuts without
paying, Pinkie retaliated by taking the vendor's second hat and
burning it on his hot-dog spit; the lemonade seller retaliated
by overturning the peanut stand and then returned to his own lemonade
vending stand to sell drinks to a long line of customers; suddenly,
everyone in the line dispersed in shock viewing the barefooted
Pinkie, with his trousers rolled up, perching himself on the edge
of the clear glass lemonade tank and happily paddling
and splashing with his bare feet in his opponent's lemonade tank
- Mrs. Teasdale attempted to intervene in the dispute
between Trentino and Firefly to bring reconciliation; Firefly visited
her home and shamelessly flirted with her and imagined
them married: ("Married. I can see you right now in the
kitchen, bending over a hot stove, but I can't see the stove")
- Trentino and Vera entered from her porch, and the
Ambassador expressed how he wanted to avoid all-out war; he attempted
to reconcile their differences by being willing to do anything,
but Firefly explained why war was inevitable ("It's too late.
I've already paid a month's rent on the battlefield"); Firefly
laughed off the coming conflict, but then encouraged Trentino to
repeat the offending name-calling word ("Upstart!") from
their previous encounter to cause their conflict to continue; Firefly
again slapped Trentino across the face with his gloves; Trentino
departed, vowing Sylvania's declaration of war on Freedonia: "This
means WAR!" Firefly retorted: "Go, and never darken my
towels again!"
- during the weekend, Vera was a house-guest at Mrs.
Teasdale's house where she planned to aid Pinkie and Chicolini
as spies, while Firefly was also invited to spend the night in
her house for protection; attempting to break and enter into the
Teasdale mansion to steal Freedonia's war and battle plans stashed
in a downstairs safe, Pinkie and Chicolini engaged in an extended
routine of being locked out; then, after meeting up with Vera and
Firefly was locked in a bathroom by Chicolini, both Pinkie and
Chicolini decided (independently and coincidentally of each
other) to dress up in white nightshirts and nightcaps and masquerade
as Firefly - adding his distinctive moustache, glasses, eyebrows,
and cigar to their disguises
- the situation set up the classic, inventive
perfectly-timed scene of the inspired, celebrated mirror pantomime
- a superlative, lyrical, artistic example of mute physical comedy
(a revival of a classic vaudeville routine) with two (actually
three) of the Marx Brothers identically dressed in nightshirt and
cap and duplicating each other's movements; after breaking out
of the bathroom, Firefly suspected his "reflection," another
white-nightgowned figure (Pinkie), and tested the reflection in
the perfectly-timed, ghostly-silent pantomime to catch him; when
a third character - Chicolini - entered the scene's frame,
the routine ended - the game of disguise was over; while Pinkie
escaped, Firefly arrested Chicolini
- Chicolini was brought to trial for high treason
(for selling Freedonia's secret war code and plans); the trial
scene dialogue in the classic scene was entirely composed of outrageous,
excruciatingly-shameless puns delivered in a sideshow atmosphere;
presiding prosecutor Firefly both attacked and defended him in
the trial; after Firefly suggested: "I suggest
that we give him ten years in Leavenworth or eleven years in Twelveworth,"
Chicolini quipped: "I tell you what I'll do. I'll take
five and ten in Woolworth"
- Mrs. Teasdale entered to make one more final effort
to prevent war, asserting that Trentino had forgotten his quarrel with
Firefly and was calling for a peaceful conference; however, Firefly
imagined being snubbed and his anger escalated to the point of rejection;
he refused to shake Trentino's hand and declared war; in
the spectacular musical ensemble, "The Country's
Going to War," the coming of war was celebrated by the four
Marx Bros. and the people of Freedonia
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Pinkie's Distracted Paul Revere's Ride
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"The Country's Going to War"
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- in a historical parody, Pinkie was dispatched to
waken the citizenry with a bugle, in a memorable Paul Revere-like
ride scene, although he was distracted by a blonde woman undressing
in an upstairs window, and was forced to submerge himself in her bathtub
water when her husband arrived home
- in his War Room, Firefly (in different uniforms)
sent war messages and telegrams to the battlefront, but became
exasperated; after a large artillery shell burst through an open
window and blasted a large hole through the opposite wall, Firefly
picked up a machine gun and fired mistakenly on his own troops;
Pinkie's main contribution to the war effort was to wander on the
battleground's front lines with a sandwich board recruitment sign
over his shoulders; Sylvania's spy Chicolini (although he was Freedonia's
Secretary of War) entered the Freedonia headquarters to change
sides, as Firefly attempted to close the blinds to keep gunfire
away
"Your Excellency, you're shooting your own men"
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Mrs. Teasdale Needing Assistance
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Firefly With Vase On His Head
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- Mrs. Teasdale called for rescue at her house under
attack, as Firefly responded to his cohorts: "Remember, you're
fighting for this woman's honor, which is probably more than she
ever did"; overwhelmed by the counter-attack, Mrs. Teasdale's
house was hit by shells as Firefly called for reinforcements
to be sent to the war front (seen in stock footage)
- during the final battle-war conflict, Firefly walked
around blindly with a large white flower vase stuck on his
head while drinking water from it; Pinkie removed the "Groucho" face-painted
vase from his head by exploding a stick on dynamite inside of it; he
emerged from behind a cloud of smoke, and proceeded to keep track of the war
tally with a pool-hall counter
- Freedonia finally emerged victorious and the war
was won when Trentino rammed the door of the house and then got
his head stuck in the door; captured, he
was pelted with apples and oranges until he surrendered; the final
line in the climactic absurd battle episode was delivered when
Mrs. Teasdale cried out: "Victory is ours!" She
also attempted to sing to their victory with the glorious national
anthem of Freedonia: "Hail, hail,
Freedonia, land of the brave...," but was also pelted with
tomatoes, apples, and oranges
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Four Quacking Ducks in Kettle of Soup Over a Fire
Widowed Freedonia Benefactress Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont)
Rival Sylvania Ambassador Trentino (Louis Calhern) with
Latin Dancer Vera Marcal (Raquel Torres)
Firefly's Secretary Bob Rolland (Zeppo Marx) with Mrs.
Teasdale
Coronation Scene of Rufus T. Firefly - Firefly In Line
Awaiting His Own Arrival
Firefly Flirting With Mrs. Teasdale
Firefly: "Just Wait 'Til I Get Through With It"
Pinkie - Presidential Chauffeur
Firefly Presiding Over Cabinet Meeting
Pinkie's First Confrontation with Lemonade Vendor - Burning His Bowler
Hat
Pinkie Identifying Himself With Tattoos
At Mrs. Teasdale's Garden Tea Party, Trentino's Insults Toward Firefly:
"Upstart!!"
Pinkie 2nd Confrontation - Paddling in Lemonade Vendor's Tank
Firefly's Shameless Flirtations with Mrs. Teasdale
Two Spies with Vera in Mrs. Teasdale's House - To Steal Firefly's Battle
Plans
Mirror Pantomime Between Pinkie and Firefly
The End of the Routine
Chicolini's Trial For High Treason
Bombing of Freedonia's HQs
Chaos During Ending Battle Sequence
Trentino Surrendering - Caught in Door and Pelted with Fruit
Mrs. Teasdale - "Victory is Ours!"
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