While there are no definite connections between the two projects, Herman Mankiewicz’s involvement in both can not be easily dismissed. Sound familiar? The cast even featured a young actress named Susan Fleming, playing the President’s daughter, who was to become Harpo Marx’s betrothed two years later. Herman’s younger brother Joe had written that film’s original story about a fictional country, Klopstokia, beset by chaotic foreign intrigue, nutty spies, and internal political strife. Herman Mankiewicz, the producer on “Duck Soup,” had just supervised the shooting of another Paramount comedy, “Million Dollar Legs” (1932), starring W.C. “The genesis of “Duck Soup,” known under various working titles, such as “Cracked Ice” and “Grasshoppers,” was influenced by two other projects that tangentially involved Marx Brothers alumni. Starring: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern, Raquel Torres and Edgar Kennedy. On second thought, I’d rather dance with the cows ‘til you came home.”Īvailable to rent on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, Redbox, Microsoft and DIRECTV. Firefly: “I could dance with you ‘til the cows come home. You will be astonished at the modernity and relevance of one of the greatest comedies of all time. Notice the anachronism of Groucho’s ever-changing uniforms from moment to moment.
The movie crescendos into a war sequence that is still astonishingly brilliant and zany. What transpires is this gloriously performed routine that escalates into delirium. Groucho comes inspecting and Harpo stands inside the frame of the broken mirror, pretending to be Groucho’s own reflection. Harpo disguises himself as Groucho and shatters a mirror while sneaking into a rich lady’s home to break into her safe. One of them still inspires awe in me after so many repeated viewings. Scene after scene – there are extraordinary set pieces. In “Duck Soup” – which breezily flies by in 70 minutes – there’s not a single ounce of fat. The long lasting influence of their work can be seen through the work of Monty Python, Woody Allen, and Saturday Night Live among many others. The anarchy also entailed making fun of the establishment and the elite – and by the end of the movie – literally leaving the place in shambles whether it was the opera, a country club or in the case of “Duck Soup” – a country. They were dexterous at word play filled with double entendres and visual slapstick. A very thin veil of a narrative connects visual gags. The anarchic comedies of the Marx Brothers are built in that style.
If an audience didn’t care for a particular number they knew that they only had to wait a few minutes until the next sequence came.
It was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together (musicians, dancers, ventriloquists, acrobats, magicians, among others) on a common bill. The brothers – Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo – became famous doing vaudeville which was a popular form of live entertainment in the US from the 1880 until the 1930s. The anarchic comedy was also common in this period and the Marx Brothers were the main advocates of it. You should see “Duck Soup” for I feel you will find relief in the genius of their absurdity.Īs I mentioned in a previous note, the 1930s introduced us to the screwball comedy. To the delight of the Marx Bros., Benito Mussolini took the film extremely personally for he banned it from Italy. During the Great Depression, audiences may have been shocked by the irreverent political satire, horseplay and sarcasm at a time of economic and political turmoil. Of all of their movies, “Duck Soup” is their masterwork – although when first released in 1933 it wasn’t as financially successful as their previous ones – nor as well received by critics. Run out and find me a four-year-old child, I can’t make head or tail out of it!” The lines are hysterical but they work so well because of the way they’re delivered so brazenly and so fast by the Marx Brothers. “Why a four-year-old child could understand this report.
“Duck Soup” is one of my favorite movies of all time –one that makes me laugh out loud every time I see it (over 20 times – I’ve lost count) – one I teach to my students every semester and that I can quote almost every line from. A country on the verge of bankruptcy is forced to appoint a new president who insults everyone and throws the government into such chaos that they teeter on the verge of war.