Duck Soup (1933)
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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"Duck Soup" is a comedy machine gun. Its jokes and gags come quickly and constantly in a barrage of rat-a-tat-tat amusement. It is a fully funny, wholly high-energy romp whose only misfire may be that not every bit of wit flows organically from its narrative; but this is a tiny quibble as "Duck Soup" is clearly constructed to be a showcase of Marx Brothers mirth.

A political satire that skewers foreign relations, war, national treasures, and national treasuries, Leo McCarey's "Duck Soup" begins with Groucho Marx's Rufus T. Firefly being named head of the nation of Freedonia. From there, jokes, musical numbers, and mostly solid plotting fly in torrents. The narrative is a sturdy foundation for sturdy comedy.

The timely-even-today…

I remember about a decade ago, the Filmspotting podcast reviewed a bunch of Marx Brothers movies. They didn't like any of them very much, and particularly didn't like this one. They liked A Night at the Opera best because it had more of a plot, and the Brothers channeled their tomfoolery into the service of good, rather than just being gratuitously mean to, for example, a lemonade salesman or Margaret Dumont. This was when I knew that I couldn't keep listening to that podcast. Not trying to start a war with fellow podcasters, they seem like good guys and I wish them nothing but the best, but there are fundamental philosophical differences in this world, and anyone who thinks that…