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Firefly Quote: "You're a brave man. Go and break
through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking
you're life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in be in
here thinking what a sucker you are."
"We're fighting for this woman's honor, which
is more than she ever did."
Because the government of Freedonia had gone through
20 million dollars of Mrs. Teasdale's money already, and came
to ask her for more funds, Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) will
agree to give the government more money only if the sitting President
will step down because of his incompetence. Instead, she wants
Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) appointed as President, not only
because she was sweet on him, but because she thinks Rufus is
the only one that can successfully get the country financially
back on its feet. The audience knows better of course.
However, the Ambassador Trentino (Louis Calhern)
from neighboring Sylvania wants to annex Freedonia, and was planning
to start a revolt among the people of Freedonia because of high
taxes, but Mrs. Teasdale foils this plan by giving more money
to the government of Freedonia and appointing a new president,
Rufus, who is irreverent, rude and very politically incorrect,
but still is "the hope of the nation."
So, the President of Sylvania tries to get a beautiful
dancer, Vera Marcal (Raquel Torres) to tempt Rufus away from Mrs.
Teasdale, so the Ambassador Trentino himself can woe Mrs. Teasdale
& her money. But, that plan falls flat real fast, as Rufus is
loyal to Mrs. Teasdale, because he knows what side his bread is
buttered on. Frustrated, the President of Sylvania hires two men,
Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo Marx), to spy on Rufus
Firefly, trying to find some skeleton in Rufus's closet so the
Ambassador can dishonor him in the eyes of the people of Freedonia.
At the same time, Chicolini is hired by Rufus to be his Secretary
of War. When Rufus gets wind to what the president of Sylvania
is up to, through his loyal assistant, Bob Rolland (Zeppo), he
finds a way to find cause to declare war on Sylvania, to save
his job, his power and a great money supply in the person of Mrs.
Teasdale. Politically, he claims to be upholding her honor and
glorious Freedonia, of course, in his declaration of this war.
This witty, irreverent comedic screenplay that
takes a satirical look at government and human nature, was the
brainchild of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, both who also composed
the musical score and songs, that poke fun at the musicals of
the 1930's. Especially hilarious is the "We're Going to War" number.
This talented duo teamed up together on many other films, writing
the screenplays as well as the music for such films as "Animal
Crackers," " Horse Feathers," "Kentucky Kernels," and " Check
and Double Check." They teamed up to compose just the songs for
such films as "Copacabana," "Cocoanut Grove," and the song in
the 1934 film version of "Beauty and the Beast."
The fine direction was by the great Leo McCarey
who was described as being the most inspired comedy film director
in Hollywood with a talent for effectively telling a story. He
worked with the greatest stars in comedy, including: Laurel and
Hardy, W.C.Fields, the Marx Brothers, Eddie Cantor, Cary Grant,
and Irene Dunne.
Groucho Marx has a lot of fun in his most insane
part ever, portraying Rufus T. Firefly, the hilarious dictator
with not much respect for protocol or his job description, and
paints an unflattering portrait of politicians. The ensemble work
between the various Marx brothers is perfect, with each using
his individual talent to work toward the whole performance, which
is hysterically funny. What a talented bunch of brothers!
The mirror scene is a well-loved classic. Chico
is dressed in the same nighttime attire as Groucho, mirrors Groucho's
every moment pretending to be the mirror image of Groucho. Groucho's
movements, which get wilder and funnier as he tries to trip up
Groucho. Woody Allen used this idea in his movie, "Sleeper."
The Antics of Chico and Harpo together are well-done
and are timeless, comical scenes, depending on the talent of the
participants, the perfect comic timing and execution of physical
humor, and the gifted direction - without the gross-out humor
or potty words typically found in some screenplays written today.
Besides showcasing the talents of the Marx Brothers,
this film also has a fine supporting cast, that does a great job
working together, giving strong support to the zany comedy bits
of all the Marx Brothers, who were experts in the kind of humor
they specialized in, that is timeless and always enjoyable.
Margaret Dumont is the perfect straight woman
to Groucho's comical one-liners, and humorous antics. She was
in many Marx Brothers' films, and always does a stellar job, usually
playing upper class, dignified ladies, who react beautifully to
Groucho Marx's various characters, completing the intended humorous
situation.
Louis Calhern convincingly portrays Groucho's
political rival, the Ambassador of Sylvania who has his eyes on
not only the money of the lovely Mrs. Teasdale, but on the land
of Freedonia as well, willing to try anything to get what he wants
- land, power, money and rid of Rufus, who stands in his way.
He plays his character straight as an arrow, being the perfect
straight man for the comic foil of Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo and Chico.
Besides the mirror sequence of scenes, some favorite,
famous sequences of scenes that are Marx Brothers' classics can
be found in this film.
Edgar Kennedy and Harpo Marx - Be sure to watch
the Lemonade sequence of scenes between Harpo and the Lemonade
Vendor, Edgar Kennedy, a comedian known for being the master of
the "slow burn" when antagonized by the likes of not only the
Marx Brothers, but Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang kids, and others.
Their feud escalates to hysterical proportions, ending with Harpo
doing something pretty outrageous.
The last 20 minutes of the film is a satirical
look at the typical, dramatic climatic battle scene, with the
Marx Brothersâ at their zany best.
Not Rated but is suitable for all ages. It has
something for everyone to laugh at. Both children and adults alike
will love the classic scenes mentioned above.
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