New Marx Brothers "Duck Soup" DVD EDITED
Everyone kept asking me why I was hanging on to my Image Marx Brothers DVD's with the new box set coming out next week.  THIS is why:  my favorite film...
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Everyone kept asking me why I was hanging on to my Image Marx Brothers DVD's with the new box set coming out next week. THIS is why: my favorite film of all time will be BUTCHERED in the name of political correctness in it's new DVD form.

This from the September 30th syndicated entertainment column by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith:

Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith ("Dish" Column)

Star-Ledger 10/30/04

SPEAKING UP FOR THE SILENT MARX BROTHER

Harpo Marx's son, Bill, is hoping that the fresh attention placed on the Marx Bros. will reignite interest in making a film biography or possibly a TV presentation about the legendary comedy team. That new attention is coming by way of the magic of DVDs, with Universal now releasing "The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection" box set - five movies plus a bonus disc - following the release of a two(sic)-movie Marx Bros. DVD set by Warners.

"Their humor and point of view is such that you could drop them into any situation whatsoever and it still works," enthuses Bill. "I believe there is a place for them in the 21st century."

Not coming into the 21st century with them - at least, not in the new "Silver Screen" box set - is the racially offensive material that has been deplored and debated in the "We're Going To War" production number in the Marxes' anarchic 1933 anti-war film, "Duck Soup." Kudos to Universal for that. This well-made edit makes the film a pure zany joy without an ugly blot in it to spoil the fun.

"That probably wasn't considered a racial slur back when they made it," comments Bill. "You know, they grew up in New York when it was a hotbed of people coming in from middle Europe, and ethnic humor of all kinds was very common. In their first act, Dad played an Irish kid...He was the most non-prejudicial, non-judgmental person in the world."

Bill has just finished writing his autobiography - going under the temporary title of "Son of Harpo Speaks" - which has given him a chance to share his personal view of the beloved rubber-faced funnyman.

With reports by Stephanie Dubois and Emily Feimster

They tried to edit the Charlie Chan DVD's but all they had left was the opening and closing credits so they put a disclaimer on the packaging. It's as if they think we're stupid. We know what in the movies, that's why we buy them. If anything is in there that offends us we don't buy it.

Yes, it's ridiculous. Classics like "Song Of The South" will probably never be released on DVD because somebody thinks we are going to turn into something evil by watching these classic films in their original form, and other classics like "Duck Soup" get trimmed for our "safety" too.

The offending scene comes right before the climactic battle scenes. Firefly (Groucho) has just had war declared on Freedonia, and goes in to a production number, "The Country's Going To War". As a part of this song, there's a portion where the four Marx Brothers do a mock minstrel show type of song called "All God's Chillun Got Guns":

"They got guns, we got guns, all God's Chillun Got Guns", etc.

They then pick up banjos and sing, to the tune of "Oh, Susanna": "Hail Freedonia, oh don't you cry for me. I'll be comin' 'round the mountain with a banjo on my knee."

The Marxes do not appear in blackface or anything of that sort, they just imitate a stereotypical minstrel show number, ala Jolson.

There's also another line that I wouldn't be surprised to see gone. Groucho has a little speach about how "My father was a little headstrong...my mother was a little Armstrong! The Headstrongs married the Armstrongs and that's why Darkies were born."

Without a doubt that would have set race relations back about 100 years if they had not censored it to protect us all.

Thanks for the info. Somebody else here may get their set before I do - Universal's PR is spoty about getting me titles pre-street - but I hope to have this by Thursday. I'll check out "Soup" ASAP when it arrives and report what I see - or don't see.