Duck Soup (1933)

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writers:

Bert Kalmar (story) and
Harry Ruby (story) ...

Release Date:

17 November 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.

Plot Keywords:

Dowager | Widow | Ambassador | Dictator | Spy

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Groucho Marx	...	Rufus T. Firefly
Harpo Marx	...	Pinky
Chico Marx	...	Chicolini
Zeppo Marx	...	Lt. Bob Roland
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Gloria Teasdale
Raquel Torres	...	Vera Marcal
Louis Calhern	...	Ambassador Trentino of Sylvania
Edmund Breese	...	Zander
Leonid Kinskey	...	Sylvanian Agitator (as Leonid Kinsky)
Charles Middleton	...	Prosecutor (as Charles B. Middleton)
Edgar Kennedy	...	Lemonade Vendor

Also Known As:

Cracked Ice (USA) (working title)
Firecrackers (USA) (working title)
Die Marx Brothers im Krieg (Germany) (West Germany) [de]
Kachní polévka (Czech Republic) (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Diabo a Quatro (Brazil) [pt]
En tosset diktator (Denmark) [da]
Fire frække fyre (Denmark) (reissue title) [da]
Fyra fula fiskar (Sweden) [sv]
Héroes de ocasión (Venezuela) [es]
Kacacia polievka (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
Kacza zupa (Poland) [pl]
La guerra lampo dei fratelli Marx (Italy) [it]
La soupe au canard (France) [fr]
Neljä naurettavaa naapuria (Finland) [fi]
Os grandes Aldrabões (Portugal) [pt]
Sopa de ganso (Spain) [es]
Soupa papias (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

France:U | Ireland:G | UK:U | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Germany:6 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Passed

Filming Locations:

Arbor Mansion, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In "The X Files" Dreamland II (1998), David Duchovny and Michael McKean recreate Groucho and Harpo's mirror routine from the film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the battle scene, the second time a big shell flies through the room, you can see the wire it's on.

Quotes:

Rufus T. Firefly: [into radio] This is Rufus T. Firefly coming to you through the courtesy of the enemy. We're in a mess folks, we're in a mess. Rush to Freedonia! Three men and one woman are trapped in a building! Send help at once! If you can't send help, send two more women!
[Pinky enters and raises three fingers]
Rufus T. Firefly: Make that three more women!

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

One Hour with You

Yes, it lives up to its reputation

Probably the Marx Brothers' most famous comedy, "Duck Soup" is a hilarious and wacky slapstick comedy that even manages to take a stab at politics. Groucho plays Rufus Firefly, who is appointed the new president of Freedonia. He has a dubious stance on work ethic and attempts to cut work hours by reducing the length of employee lunch breaks.

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 against Ambassador Trentino of the neighboring country Sylvania. Soon their tumult escalates and war is declared between the two countries.

Most people who comment on this film seem to indicate that they saw it at a very young age and have grown up with it. I can honestly say I wasn't given the opportunity to ever see it until recently, when I finally managed to watch it on Turner Classic Movies, completely uninterrupted.

Although it is not consistently laugh-out-loud, tears-in-your-eyes hilarious, "Duck Soup" is very funny - and not quite as outrageous as I had expected. There's a lot going on here, aside from silly physical humor.

The Marx Brothers are great as usual and as usual Groucho steals the show.

Ultimately if you've never seen this, you need to go rent it out right now. If you have seen it, you already know how great it is and why it deserves its reputation as one of the most beloved comedies ever made.