Duck Soup Overview:

Duck Soup (1933) was a Comedy - Musical Film directed by Leo McCarey and produced by Herman J. Mankiewicz.

SYNOPSIS

One of the Marx Brothers' funniest, loaded with zany antics and a famous battle scene, which has been copied by many. Groucho plays the incompetent king of Fredonia who wages war on a neighboring country.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Duck Soup was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1990.

BlogHub Articles:

Review: Duck Soup (1933)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 20, 2018 From 4 Star Films

Up until this point in time, The Marx Brother’s all-out assault on humanity had still mostly been geared at the likes of stuffy socialites, gangsters, college campuses, authority figures, etc. Albeit entertaining but fairly straightforward worlds where there was not that much to be navigated b... Read full article


My favorite scene in Duck Soup (1933)

By Carol Martinheira on Sep 8, 2017 From The Old Hollywood Garden

My favorite scene in Duck Soup (1933) On September 8, 2017 By CarolIn Uncategorized We all love Duck Soup (1933). It?s as crazy as a box of cats and every scene is comedy gold. But there?s one scene that stands out for me. No, not the mirror scene (I know, I know…... Read full article


Duck Soup (1933, Leo McCarey)

By Andrew Wickliffe on May 29, 2017 From The Stop Button

Duck Soup is madness. It?s not divine madness or sublime madness. It?s comedic madness, which is fine, but it?s a tad frantic and a tad distracted. The film opens with Margaret Dumont?s wealthy widow getting Groucho Marx installed as a head of state. Turns out evil Louis Calhern?a neighboring countr... Read full article


Duck Soup

By Joey on Oct 9, 2014 From Wolffianclassicmoviesdigest

?duck soup review https://www.facebook.com/Wolffianclassicmoviesdigest Duck soup is probably the most famous and note-worthy of?the Marx Brothers.?Mrs. Teasdale, who has donated twenty million dollars to the failing country, becomes the object of affection for Rufus, who has to battle for her hand... Read full article


Duck Soup

By Joey on Oct 9, 2014 From Wolffianclassicmoviesdigest

?duck soup review https://www.facebook.com/Wolffianclassicmoviesdigest Duck soup is probably the most famous and note-worthy of?the Marx Brothers.?Mrs. Teasdale, who has donated twenty million dollars to the failing country, becomes the object of affection for Rufus, who has to battle for her hand... Read full article


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Quotes from

Rufus T. Firefly: [singing] If any form of pleasure is exhibited, report to me and it will be prohibited! I'll put my foot down, so shall it be... this is the land of the free! The last man nearly ruined this place he didn't know what to do with it. If you think this country's bad off now, just wait till I get through with it! The country's taxes must be fixed, and I know what to do with it. If you think you're paying too much now, just wait till I get through with it!


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


Chicolini: Now I aska you one. What has a trunk, but no key, weighs 2,000 pounds and lives in a circus?
Prosecutor: That's irrelevant.
Chicolini: Irrelephant? Hey, that'sa that answer. There's a whole lot of irrelephants in the circus.


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Facts about

During the battle scene, Groucho Marx wears a total of five different uniforms: a Union soldier's uniform, a Confederate general's uniform, a Boy Scout troop leader's uniform, a Revolutionary War-era British general's uniform, and a Davy Crockett-style outfit.
An early draft of the script introduces Freedonia's new dictator Rufus T. Firefly as an agent for an ammunition company, which led to lots of ammunition-salesman jokes and intertwined with the movie's war theme.
Firefly (Groucho Marx) says, "The Headstrongs married the Armstrongs, and that's why darkies were born," a reference to a 1931 popular song "That's Why Darkies Were Born", written by Ray Henderson and Lew Brown and originally sung by Kate Smith (and later by Paul Robeson).
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National Film Registry

Duck Soup

Released 1933
Inducted 1990
(Sound)




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Also directed by Leo McCarey




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Also produced by Herman J. Mankiewicz




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