MasterChugs Theater: 'Duck Soup'

A quick warning to all: Duck Soup is the funniest movie ever made. There. I said it. Now, onto the rest of the review.

If the Marx Brothers are considered to form their own sub-genre of comedy, then Duck Soup is the absolute definition of their art. So often in Hollywood, quirky, offbeat performers eventually earn so much money with low-budget projects that the studios offer them enormous budgets to make even bigger pictures. The standard logic suggests that, if they made this much money with a budget of this size, imagine how much they could rake in if we give them a budget that's twice as big. This mentality usually leads to bloated, self- indulgent flops. Hollywood's bankbook is littered with the red ink covered titles, like The Blues Brothers, Big Top Pee-Wee and 1941. Bigger isn't always better ... except in some cases. The Marx Brothers were quintessential absurdists, turning the conventions of social protocol on ear by paying them no heed and following their madcap ideas into the realm of the insane. Half of their humor comes not from their already hilarious antics, but from the fact that seemingly sane people ludicrously continue to take them seriously, expecting normal behavior from them. When the Marx's repeatedly deflate their unearned dignity within the conventions of polite society, we cheer them on and laugh at the embalmed representatives of proper behavior who never quite figure out that it is them, and not the Marx's, who are out of step with reasonable conduct.

Minister of Finance: "Something must be done! War would mean a prohibitive increase in our taxes."
Chico: "Hey, I got an uncle lives in Taxes."
Minister of Finance: "No, I'm talking about taxes--money, dollars."
Chico: "Dollars! There's-a where my uncle lives! Dollars, Taxes!"

The movie opens like many of the musical comedies made in the very early 30s. It is not unlike Lubitsch's quaint and hugely successful The Smiling Lieutenant (1931). In Duck Soup, Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) will only fund the ailing economy if Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho), "a progressive, fearless fighter," is installed as the leader of Freedonia. The duplicitous ambassador of Sylvania has other plans. He intends to marry Mrs. Teasdale and rule Freedonia himself. At a reception to welcome Firefly, the guard of honor enters followed by a troupe of ballerinas who scatter flowers in preparation for the arrival of the new leader. The camera swoops upward, the satire intrinsic to musical comedy is forced to its extreme.

Six minutes into this 68-minute film the illusion of pomp and grandeur is sabotaged when Firefly (Groucho) appears, not via the expected grand entrance but down a fireman's pole, behind the action. The humor begins and from then, until the end, the film virtually operates as two discreet entities. The Marx Brothers appear in a separate film to the straight characters, that is, the performers who are not comedians and who never get the joke. Nevertheless, Edgar Kennedy, the veteran silent film comedian featured in many Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy shorts, appears in three sequences and is definitely 'in' on the joke. His reaction to the Marx Brothers' behavior is in stark contrast to that displayed by the other characters within the film. Kennedy is the only character who is allowed to inflict physical discomfort upon any of the brothers. In the first of his three scenes, the synchronicity between Kennedy, Chico and Harpo as they exchange hats and leg shakes is remarkable. Kennedy's frustration grows as he suffers increasing indignities at the hands of the two brothers, eventually he responds by squirting water down Harpo's pants. Harpo reacts with disbelief and then slinks away, beaten, for the moment anyway.

Firefly: "Not that I care, but where is your husband?"
Mrs. Teasdale: "Why, he's dead."
Firefly: "I'll bet he's just using that as an excuse."
Mrs. Teasdale: "I was with him to the very end."
Firefly: "Hmmph. No wonder he passed away."
Mrs. Teasdale: "I held him in my arms and kissed him."
Firefly: "Oh, I see. Then, it was murder. Will you marry me? Did he leave you any money? Answer the second question first."
Mrs. Teasdale: "He left me his entire fortune."
Firefly: "Is that so? Can't you see what I'm trying to tell you? I love you."
Mrs. Teasdale: "Oh, your Excellency!"
Firefly: "You're not so bad yourself."

The film was directed by Leo McCarey, who was undoubtedly the sprightliest of all the Marx Brothers directors; they were often saddled with studio regulars like Sam Wood and Norman Z. McLeod. McCarey had directed dozens of silent comic two-reelers and knew how to keep the action moving at lightning pace, knew when to disregard plot for comedy and--above all--knew how to let the brothers loose without completely losing control of them. Rapid-fire delivery by the brothers, as evidenced in this review, helps to move the movie going from one gag to another. This is classic comedy at it's best.

Mrs. Teasdale: "Oh, I want to present to you Ambassador Trentino of Sylvania. Having him with us today is indeed a great pleasure."
Trentino: "Thank you, but I can't stay very long."
Firefly: "That's even a greater pleasure. Now, how about lending this country $20,000,000 dollars, you old skinflint."
Trentino: "$20,000,000 dollars is a lot of money. I'd have to take that up with my Minister of Finance."
Firefly: "Well, in the meantime, could you let me have $12 dollars until payday?
Trentino: $12 dollars?"
Firefly: "Don't be scared. You'll get it back. I'll give you my personal note for 90 days. If it isn't paid by then, you can keep the note."
Trentino: "Your Excellency? Haven't we seen each other somewhere before?"
Firefly: "I don't think so. I'm not sure I'm seeing you now. It must be something I ate."
Trentino (insulted): "Look here Sir, are you trying to ... ?"
Firefly: "Don't look now, but there's one man too many in this room, and I think it's you."

Dated as Duck Soup inevitably is in some respects, it has moments that seem startlingly modern, as when Groucho calls for help during the closing battle sequence, and the response is stock footage edited together out of newsreel shots of fire engines, elephants, motorcycles, you name it. There is an odd moment when Harpo shows Groucho a dog house tattooed on his stomach, and in a special effect a real dog emerges and barks at him. The brothers broke the classical structure of movie comedy and glued it back again haphazardly, and nothing was ever the same. This is quite possibly my favorite movie of all time.

Fun fact: Why the title? The critic Tim Dirks explains: "It is claimed that Groucho provided the following recipe: 'Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you'll duck soup the rest of your life.'"