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Duck Soup (1933)

Not Rated | | Comedy, Musical, War | 17 November 1933 (USA)
Duck Soup Poster
Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.

Director:

Writers:

(story), (story) | 2 more credits »

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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at Amazon

2 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Photos

46 photos | 136 news articles »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
(as The Four Marx Brothers)
...
...
...
Zeppo Marx ...
...
Raquel Torres ...
...
...
...
Agitator (as Leonid Kinsky)
...
Prosecutor (as Charles B. Middleton)
...
See full cast »
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Storyline

The small state of Freedonia is in a financial mess, borrowing a huge sum of cash from wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale. She insists on replacing the current president with crazy Rufus T. Firefly and mayhem erupts. To make matters worse, the neighboring state sends inept spies Chicolini and Pinky to obtain top secret information, creating even more chaos! Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

widow | dowager | dictator | spy | ambassador | See All (155) »

Taglines:

War Is Swell ...when the Marx Brothers are in it. They'll be out of the trenches by Christmas...if the food doesn't improve

Genres:

Comedy | Musical | War

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

17 November 1933 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Cracked Ice  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Leo McCarey came up with Harpo's slyly snipping scissors, the lemonade seller sequence and Harpo and Chico's attempted break-in of Mrs. Teasdale's house. See more »

Goofs

When Firefly sings with his trousers up, he puts his left hand behind him holding the cigar. In the following shot, when he yells "My car!", the cigar has disappeared. See more »

Quotes

Rufus T. Firefly: I danced before Napoleon. No, Napoleon danced before me. As a matter of fact, he danced 200 years before me.
See more »

Connections

Spoofed in Muppets Most Wanted (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

Oh! Susanna
(1848) (uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: List: The mirror gag
Q: Did Groucho Marx utter a racial epithet in this film?
Q: What does "Duck Soup" mean?
See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
I Wouldn't Join Any Country that Would Have Me.
28 November 2004 | by (LI) – See all my reviews

I'm shocked, shocked at all the negative comments covering this comedy classic. The puns, the insults, are all now comedy classics. The Lemonade Stand & the Mirror Scenes also memorable. I hadn't seen the movie in around 15 years but bought the DVD so my 15 year old son could experience the Marxes. He loved it too.

What I noticed for the first time was the satire of society, manners, government, the military, the bureaucracy (including Roberts Rules of Order). I can't recall any other comedy I've seen that satirizes on such a grand scale.

For Marx Brothers fans this is a must see. It's the boys with no love story or musical interludes in the way.

One word for those who disagree- "Upstart". :-)
91 of 108 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?
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