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Duck Soup (1933)

Passed  -  Comedy | Musical  -  17 November 1933 (USA)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 37,007 users  
Reviews: 231 user | 59 critic

Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.

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Title: Duck Soup (1933)

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
(as The Four Marx Brothers)
...
...
...
Zeppo Marx ...
Margaret Dumont ...
Raquel Torres ...
...
Edmund Breese ...
Leonid Kinskey ...
Agitator (as Leonid Kinsky)
...
Prosecutor (as Charles B. Middleton)
Edgar Kennedy ...
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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 | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

widow | spy | ambassador | dictator | dowager | See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Musical

Certificate:

Passed | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

17 November 1933 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Cracked Ice  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The famous phrase "Well, who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" is often referred to as a Groucho Marx quote, but it's really delivered by Chicolini (Chico Marx) while impersonating Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho). See more »

Goofs

When they meet, Mrs. Teasdale holds Firefly's right hand while he holds the cigar with his left hand. The subsequent shot shows him holding the cigar with the right hand and the deck with the left one. See more »

Quotes

Mrs. Teasdale: Notables from every country are gathered here in your honor. This is a gala day for you.
Rufus T. Firefly: Well, a gal a day is enough for me. I don't think I could handle any more.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Everyone Says I Love You (1996) See more »

Soundtracks

"These Are the Laws of My Administration"
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Ruby
Lyrics by Bert Kalmar
Sung by Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont with chorus
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Dialog Highlights This Marx Bros. Gem
5 April 2006 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Well, here we are with another wild and hilarious Marx Brothers farce, this time with Groucho taking over a small country and winding up in war with a neighboring one.

There really isn't much of a story but with the Marx Brothers that doesn't matter. Many times their movies were vehicles for their vaudeville acts of funny lines, slapstick gags and musical talent.

Two differences in this film than most others from the boys: 1 - Zeppo has a number of lines. Usually, he's the almost-forgotten brother in this foursome, either with little to say or not even in the film. 2 - Harpo doesn't play the harp, but he gets in on his share of the gags, which are always dominated by Groucho and Chico (my personal favorite).

Fantastic dialog makes this version one of the best of them all. There are just tons of funny (and, yes, very dated) lines in this movie and having Duck Soup out on DVD making the sound clearer helps, too. Lots of laughs.


34 of 36 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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