You're a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking your life and
limb through shot and shell, we'll be in here thinking what a sucker you are.
-Rufus T. Firefly
Duck Soup was the fifth
Marx Brothers comedy film to be made. It was made in 1933 and directed by
Leo McCarey. The script was written by
Bert Kalmar,
Harry Ruby,
Arthur Sheekman, and
Nat Perrin. The film is in black and white and runs for 70 minutes.
The country of
Freedonia has recently become
bankrupt, and to solve its money problems accepts a twenty million dollar donation from Mrs. Teasdale in exchange for accepting Rufus T. Firefly as their new
leader. As, Rufus T. Firefly attempts to win the hand of Mrs. Teasdale, the
ambassador of
Sylvania, Trentino, attempts the same.
And when such a thing happens, it can only lead to
war!
Groucho, as usual, plays the main character, while Harpo and Chico are two normal workers hired to spy on the Ambassador. Zeppo plays a straight role as Groucho's secretary. Zeppo plays a very small role in this film, and it is in fact the last Marx Brothers film he will make.
Also, one fun-filled fact is that at the time of the production of this film the town of Fredonia(one e), NY complained about the movie using a name similar to the town's name. The Brothers sent them a reply of "Change the name of your town, it's hurting our picture."
Songs Featured:
Cast:
Groucho Marx - Rufus T. Firefly
Harpo Marx - Pinky
Chico Marx - Chicolini
Zeppo Marx - Bob Rolland
Margaret Dumont -Mrs. Teasdale
Raquel Torres - Vera Marcal
Louis Calhern - Ambassador Trentino
Edmund Breese - Zander
Leonid Kinskey - Agitator
Charles Middleton - Prosecutor
Edgar Kennedy - Street Vendor
Wade Boteler - (uncredited)
E.H. Calvert - Bit Part (uncredited)
Davison Clark - Second Minister of Finance (uncredited)
Verna Hillie - Secretary (uncredited)
George MacQuarrie - First Judge (uncredited)
Edwin Maxwell - Secretary of War (uncredited)
Eric Mayne - Third Judge (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe - (uncredited)
Frederick Sullivan - Second Judge (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel - (uncredited)
William Worthington - First Minister of Finance (uncredited)
Sources:
IMDB -
http://www.imdb.com