It failed for me too

Rating: 5/10 (18 November 2005)

Duck Soup, the alleged "best comedy of all time" fell short of my expectations. The initial scene showing Mrs. Teasdale and the crowd introducing Groucho as Rufus T. Firefly with song started the movie off on the wrong note. After a delayed entrance, Firefly finally enters, shocking Teasdale with offensive humor. Done well, this scene would have been hilarious. Unfortunately, it was not. Most of the dialogue, especially the humorous lines, seemed contrived. The characters Chicolini and Pinky were funny only briefly in their feud with the lemonade salesman and the mirror gag. The various puns, while initially quite funny, eventually grew tiresome. I also felt that the satire in this film was barely noticeable. While it is better than many other comedies I've seen, Duck Soup is still barely mediocre.