Not to be confused with the Laurel and Hardy movie of the same name that was released six years previously, Leo McCarey's Duck Soup was the last of five Marx Brothers movies to be released by Paramount Studios. It also marked the ending of the brothers' movie-making as a quartet, as this is the last movie that Zeppo Marx appeared in with his siblings Groucho, Harpo and Chico.
The film wasn't exactly a hit, especially when compared with its four Paramount predecessors, but it wasn't a total flop. It was, however, a production fraught with contract disagreements, general bickering and a great deal of unhappiness amongst its key players both in front of and behind the camera. Contractual negotiations fizzled and came to nothing, which meant that the Marx brothers began production feeling resentful and markedly less comedic than they had in the past. As is often the case, things seen in the rear-view mirror look different to the way in which they are viewed at the time; while the film was considered a near-flop upon release, present day critics think that far from being a movie that flirted with failure, Duck Soup is actually one of the Marx Brothers' best films. Genius is very rarely recognized in its own time.
Although it is assumed that the brothers came up with all of the gags and the physical comedy themselves, much was created by McCarey himself. Involved in some way in over two hundred movies, as producer, director or screenwriter, McCarey is most famous for directing The Bells of St. Mary's and An Affair to Remember. all of which he received Academy Nominations for; however, he remains most decorated for his work on the film Going My Way, winning Best Director Oscar and also Best Screenplay honors as well. He is also credited with discovering a then-unknown Joan Collins.
The plot is relatively simple and characteristically slapstick. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) is appointed leader of the bankrupt nation of Freedonia by a wealthy benefactor; however, Freedonia is facing a threat to its own sovereignty by neighboring country Sylvania. In order to facilitate this take over, Sylvania's ambassador tries to wheedle his way into Mrs Teesdale's good graces, at the same time trying to dig up dirt on Firefly, sending in his goons (Chico and Harpo) to dig up some dirt on him. The plot follows the efforts of both Firefly and Trentino to woo Mrs Teesdale, get their hands on her late husband's money, and annex the other's country - which of course they do not manage to do.
One of the film's main problems is that it was released during the rise of dictators like Hitler, Mussolini and Franco; people were worried, and believed that spoofing politicians was no longer appropriate in the more dangerous world that they were now living in. Other critics felt that laughing at slapstick comedy and set-up gags was now academically beneath them. Now, though, the film is seen as a satirical jab at crooked leadership and is considered a war movie, despite its heavily comedic overtones.
In 1990, Duck Soup was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress. It was also immortalized by another famous quartet some thirty years later - The Beatles used the movie as their inspiration for their movie Help!.
