My Second Serving of Duck Soup

I watched Duck Soup again recently and have a wildly different opinion. I saw the lines as inspired and witty, in fact i laughed in every scene and at 98% of what the Marx Bros said/did (the other 2% i was shewing people away from my room). I found the songs, while not cute and catchy to be very funny (especially the first song that Groucho sings).

Now i didn't feel thirsty, but i must say that i only ever feel thirsty while i watch musical comedies, while this was musical it's far more comedy than musical and i suppose that my feelings prior to watching it had an effect on my viewing skills, (hence why i always watch things twice). I have written the film down to buy, along with several other Marx Bros films that i think i shall enjoy (and even if i don't i can just keep them in my movie cabinet to look good). It's such a shame the this was Zeppo's last film his brothers, despite his small role in it i liked seeing him there for some reason. *Sigh* Groucho, Harpo, Chico and sometimes Zeppo will always be how people say who was in the Marx's Bros films.

While i still don't believe it was a masterful comedy (although i can see why many people say otherwise) i think if i watch again i will enjoy it even more. This is the kind of movie i like, the kind that i can watch over again and enjoy even more. Very few films make me feel like this. I think i enjoyed it more the second time because i watched it alone, the first time i watched it with my dad who talks through movies and doesn't 'get' certain styles of comedy. So i suppose i didn't 'get' it at first because he caused me to miss bits of it.

I don't think i would recommend it to any of my friends since they think that Disaster Movie was funny so clearly have bad senses when it comes to good comedy movies, so no i wouldn't recommend it to them, but to other people who are way different to them. Anyway i enjoyed it much more the second time and am sure that if i see it a third time (i have to take it back to the rental shop tomorrow) it'll be a joy to watch.

"I'll see you at the opera tonight, i'll hold your seat till you get there. After you get there you're on your own" Rufus T. Firefly

A Marxist fellow who was a bit of a Grouch....

Mr Groucho Marx may be one of the funniest men i have ever had the pleasure of watching on that tremendous website we call YouTube. He is well remembered for the Elephant joke in Animal Crackers.

You may remember that i gave a rather unfavorable review of the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup recently, i want you to know that by know means does that mean that they weren't funny. It's just i didn't enjoy that particular film. Anyway Groucho is my favourite. He always seemed to have something to say and it was always clever and his snappy ad libs run rings around the comedy of Adam Sandler, everyone involved in The Hangover and Jerry Seinfeld (although i admit to being a fan).


Here are just a few Groucho quotes.... 

• I wish you'd keep my hands to yourself.
• Marriage is the chief cause of divorce.
• Women should be obscene and not heard.
• Ice Water? Get some Onions - that'll make your eyes water!
• Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana
• Here's to our wives and girlfriends...may they never meet!
• A man's only as old as the woman he feels.
• If you want to see a comic strip, you should see me in the shower
• Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.
• Although it is generally known, I think it's about time to announce that I was born at a very early age

i like the one about the comic strip. So anyway the guy was great and i especially like the way he talked, it was.. well it had that comic quality. Bugs Bunny! his voice had the same quality of Clark Gables that reminds me of Bugs Bunny. Just listen to the clip above of the elephant joke.


i think that i wouldn't have as much respect for classic comics (there once was a time where i thought that Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny were the be all and end all of comedy). I have to say that upon re-watching Duck Soup i enjoyed it far more, i like the songs more as well, so yes i think i like the movie as a whole. This is why i watch things twice. Stand vy for a post on my re-watching of Duck Soup.


"Anyone who says they can see through women is missing a lot" Groucho Marx

Duck Soup (1933)

i watched this Marx Bros classic with high hopes of it being one of the best comedies i'd ever seen. It is expectations like that usually let me down the most in the end. And this time was no different. Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo are all fine in it (although Zeppo seems like has no idea what he's doing), but somehow it wasn't that great. I like satires on war and government but the film seems dated, maybe it's just the 1930s lingo.

The plot is that Rufus T firefly has been brought in to help the country of Freedonia with it's troubles with Sylvania and Mrs Teasdale is with him all the way. I'm not sure it's a plot but i usually don't care about plot, some of my favourite movies have stupid (see: Carefree [1938]) or non existent plots.

When i watch a good comedy i feel the need to drink a lot of water (to keep hydration levels up so i can laugh more) but in this i did not feel thirsty. In fact i watched the 1st half of Gone With The Wind almost straight after this and i felt the need for water more than i did for this (i'll review GWTW once i finish the 2nd half). I'm not saying it wasn't funny, i'm just saying that it wasn't as funny as it made itself out to be.

The musical numbers are hardly memorable and are actually very annoying and weak, the cast weren't bad singers, Groucho's song 'Lydia the tattooed lady' is very memorable and catchy, but thats in another film, not this one. The songs in this are no good and should have ended up on the cutting room floor.

The infamous mirror scene provided a good laugh as did the war scenes and the first meeting between Rufus T Firefly (Groucho, who is a joy to watch when he insult people) and Mrs Teasdale (Margaret Dumont). I suppose the Marx Bros were a sort of 'when it rains it pours' kind of team, either they were drop dead hilarious or stupid. This movie had equal moments of both. I'd still see it again because i happen to think that it was quite an acceptable movie that demands multiple viewings so as to pick up things one may have missed, usually these kinds of films make it on to my favourites list (see: West Side Story, Romy and Michele's HS reunion, The Wizard Of oz). So i will certainly watch again just make sure.

I suppose it wasn't necessarily that the movie was bad- i can think of worse films- but it's the fact it has garnered a reputation that it is a masterful comedy, well it's not. But again: it is not a bad comedy.

"Married. I can see you right now in the kitchen bending over a hot stove. only i can't see the stove" Rufus T Firefly (Groucho Marx) Duck Soup.

Whats So Funny? The 30's edition

Ordinarily i'd start with the 1920s but i haven't seen enough movie from that period to give you a good post so we'll get to that later. It was the 30s, or... the beginning of the golden era. gone were the flapper style made popular by Clara Bow and the vamp popularized by Theda Bara. Moviegoers, waited with burning ear to hear their favourite silent stars speak as talking pictures became the biggest thing since film itself. 'Garbo Talks!' cried poster in 1930, advertising her first talkie 'Anna Christie'. She wouldn't make a comedy util 1939 so we'll get to her a bit later.

Many early talkie comedies haven't aged well, due mostly to studio's being weary of sound (they thought it was just a phase) and some tried to avoid it for as long as possible. There was an actor - a comedy actor - who didn't see (geddit!) the need for the spoken word, his name was Charles Chaplin and he avoided the microphone like the plague, releasing silent comedies in an era that had become infatuated with sound - and it worked.

Chaplin had many early comedy successes with 'The Kid' in 1921 and 'The Gold Rush' in 1925. The latter of these 2 films depicted an iconic scene in which Chaplin eats his own shoe.
In 1931 Chaplin released his silent (or semi silent, due to the presence of a music score) 'City Lights'. A rather funny film that involves Chaplin's iconic 'Tramp' falling in love with a blind girl who believes that he is rich.
The movie was a rousing success, proving that the silent era wasn't ready to die.
Chaplin also found success with 'Modern Times', released in 1936, it satirized the modern era. If i may say so myself, i believe that this is one of (if not the) best Chaplin film.
We didn't hear Chaplin talk until 1940 with 'The Great Dictator', which was still funny and i'm sure that many people wondered why he didn't do it earlier.

There was also the musical comedies starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that provided many laughs for the depression era moviegoers. With Top Hat, Carefree and the Gay Divorcee ranking as their most funny.Astaire and Rogers are legends, their chemistry was unique, they sang and danced and played comedy like it was first and second nature. Fred Astaire had a big career in musicals through 1950's and still brought the goods even after his best years were behind him. Ginger Rogers was a versatile actress and won an Oscar in 1940 for 'Kitty Foyle'.

'It happened one night'. The pioneer of of modern rom coms was this film released in 1934. Starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, the film was the first to achieve 'the big 5' at the Oscars, winning Best actor, best actress, best picture, best director and best screenplay. Who can forget the infamous scene in which Ellie (Colbert) stops a car without using her thumb?

You may have seen the Adam Sandler comedy 'Mr Deeds', which is actually a remake (by premise and title) of 'Mr Deeds goes to town' in 1936. It stars (since the movie still exists i'm referring to it in present tense) Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur as Longfellow Deeds and Babe Bennett (the remake featured Adam Sandler in the Gary Cooper roles and Winona Ryder as Babe). it is far superior to the remake in almost every way, the fact that it isn't in colour doesn't take away from the overall experience of the film.

Now for 1938, their are a couple that stand out in this year: 'Bringing up baby' (considered to be one of the best screwball comedies of all time) was released that year. It stars Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, the film is available pretty much everywhere as it is quite popular.  It is madcap to say the least, i remember when i first saw it i laughed so much i began to wonder if AFI made a mistake naming 'Some like it hot' the funniest movie of all time. While funny i still don't think its the funniest movie ever. There is one line in 'BuB' i remember the most, it's when Grant and Hepburn are in jail-
"Don't worry David when they find out who we are they'll let us out"says Susan (Hepburn)
"When they find out who you are they'll pad the cell"
 There is also 'Holiday', which also starred Ms Hepburn and Mr Grant, both films were flops upon first release but are now highly regarded.
"You can't take it with you". Thats a good movie, James Stewart and Jean Arthur were funny and listen, i added this in on an after thought, i recommend that you search it up as it is quite good, at least watch it for Lionel Barrymore.

The Marx Brothers. Surely you must have heard of them, you know how it goes - "One morning i shot an elephant in my pajamas, how he got in my pajamas i don't know'
Their madcap style stretched through many movies but arguably their best films were in the 30's with Horse Feathers, a day at the races, a night at the opera and duck soup all being released in the 30's. The Marx Bros consisted of: Groucho, Chico, Harpo and sometimes Zeppo.

'GARBO LAUGHS!' screamed the posters for 'Ninotchka'. Well technically Greta Garbo had laughed on film before, but 'Ninotchka' was her first comedy. A no nonsense Russian envoy comes to Paris to sort out a problem with some jewels but is romanced by capitalism and a man about town (Melvyn Douglas). Co-written by Billy Wilder (Some like it hot, Sunset Blvd, The Apartment) the dead pan wit and satirical light that was cast on communism and capitalism while dated now, is still quite funny. This was Garbo's second to last film, the last would be 'Two faced Woman' which while having some good moments was a disappointing movie.

There are so many more great 30's comedies, but this is just to point you, the reader, in the right direction in the way of classic comedy. i guarantee laughs from these movies. if you don't laugh i give you full permission to take shots at this post in the comments.

"You know you haven't stopped talking since i got here, you must've been vaccinated with a phonograph needle" Groucho Marx, Duck Soup