Watched Leo McCarey's 1933 Marx Brothers Comedy "Duck Soup"

"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." -- Groucho Marx

“Duck Soup” is number 60 on the AFI 100 list.  It’s a Marx Brothers movie directed by Leo McCarey.  The story is based in a small country called Freedonia that needs financial assistance.  A wealthy widow agrees to loan the money if they remove the current leadership and appoint Rufus T. Firefly, played by Groucho Marx, the leader of the country.


Meanwhile, the neighboring country of Sylvania wants to take over Freedonia.  Its ambassador hires two spies, played by Chico and Harpo Marx, to find incriminating information about Firefly.


This movie is hilarious.  The wordplay of Groucho and Chico Marx is really funny.  From the very moment Groucho appears on screen, I was laughing.  There are just some great lines in this movie, including non-stop punning insults to Mrs. Teasdale, the wealthy widow.


The physical comedy in this film is top notch, including the fake mirror scene, which has been copied in countless other cartoons, tv shows, and movies.


Like I said, this movie is hilarious, but the the plot was very weak to me.  It lacked the quality narrative that I’ve come to expect from AFI 100 movies, so in that way, I felt it was a disappointment.  That being said, I think it’s worth watching one time if you haven’t seen it. 

This movie is available on Netflix streaming.

Related Item:
Duck Soup on DVD

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