The Four Marx Brothers are at their peak in Duck Soup

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2013)

Just rewatched this classic Four Marx Brothers comedy on DVD. It has Groucho once again wooing Margaret Dumont while insulting her though she doesn't seem to notice. It has Chico and Harpo as peanut vendors also insulting Edgar Kennedy as a lemonade vendor including the "mixed hats" routine which director Leo McCarey probably invented for Laurel & Hardy back in the '20s when they all were at Hal Roach Studios. And it has Zeppo in his last screen role before switching to the other side of show business, here performing with his brothers in his only musical number with them. Oh, and then there's the iconic mirror sequence with Groucho and Chico and Harpo with the latter two dressing like the first one. In short, it has all the ingredients of perhaps the greatest of the Marx Brothers comedies. And while I enjoy the piano and harp solos of Chico and Harpo, respectively, the fact neither do their music here adds to the enjoyment though I guess something had to be done to the piano displayed here so Harpo decided to just pluck on the strings like his beloved instrument to satisfy some of his penchant for skill playing...