Still The Best Marx Bros. Movie Ever!!!

Rating: Null/10 (8 May 2005)

Fans of Marx Brothers films seem to divide themselves into two camps: those who feel their best work was done at MGM (A Night At the Opera, A Day At the Races), and those of us who prefer their earlier, less constrained work at Paramount. As great as the brothers are in Opera & Races, they were somewhat "tamed" by Irving Thalberg and his big-studio machine. "Formula" was injected into their pictures, and they were forced to share screen time with young, romantic "leading" couples who served mostly to interrupt the comedic proceedings from time to time to sing insipid songs to each other. DUCK SOUP (the final of their four Paramount films) is pure, undiluted Marx Brothers anarchy.
Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) ascends to the leadership of Freedonia because, in the words of Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), he's "the most able man in all Fredonia." (Groucho: "Well, that covers a lot of ground. Say, you cover a lot of ground yourself.") But with Chicolini (Chico) and Pinky (Harpo) as spies for rival country Sylvania, there are intrigue and insults, double-dealing and double-entendre galore. As always, the points of the plot are not important, except to set the scene for various high-jinx.
One of the best "bits" in the picture is a precursor to the famous "mirror routine" done later by Lucille Ball and Harpo (better here; sorry, Lucy!). Chicolini and Pinky - both disguised as Firefly - search a mansion for a code and secret plans (Chico: "Sure, I stole a code and two pairs of plans."). Three Grouchos running about results in confusion, a broken mirror and the single funniest sight gag in any of their films. Legend has it that at least one performance of one of their plays had the brothers actually switching roles and, with appropriate makeup and costume, nobody was any the wiser. Indeed, with each made up in Groucho's eyebrows and mustache, they are practically impossible to tell apart.
Everything from politics to war movies to musicals is lampooned (what else to do when you've just declared war on a neighboring country but stage a production number?), and poor Margaret takes her usual share of abuse from Groucho. In addition to Dumont, there is able support from Louis Calhern (as the Ambassador from Sylvania) and Edgar Kennedy (as an unfortunate lemonade vendor tormented by Harpo and Chico).
Sure, there are plenty of great moments in their MGM pictures, but those were rather like the parties you had when the parents were home, while DUCK SOUP (along with the other Paramounts) is the party you had when the parents were out of town.