Awkward Marxists
by Will
Kevin and I went to the Film Forum on Sunday to see a double feature of Marx Brothers movies: Horse Feathers and Duck Soup. Much of the comedy has dated badly, but that just makes the stuff that works all the more amazing to me. Although right in the middle of Duck Soup was this joke which I had forgotten about:
Groucho, to Teasdale and a few others: “I guess I am a little headstrong. I come by it honestly, though. My father was a little headstrong. My mother was a little Armstrong. The Headstrongs married the Armstrongs, and that’s how darkies were born!”
Ah yes. “Darkies.” Nice, Groucho. Nothing like a little racism to remind us what decade the movie was made in. I’m not even sure I understand the joke, but it took me out of the enjoyment of the movie. Dyna reminds me that there’s even more blatant racsim in A Day At The Races. Perhaps, but that movie isn’t even funny. So at least the racism there isn’t interfering with something I’d still like to enjoy. Not that I’d want some Board of Wish We Hadn’t Said That to edit it out, but it does take away from the greatness of the film.
Besides that moment, there is still a lot of truly funny stuff in Duck Soup and Horse Feathers. As Kevin pointed out, the jokes themselves are rarely what makes you laugh but the strangely laid-back attitude the Marx Brothers seem to have as they delivered them. Like this:
Poker player to another player: “Cut the cards.”
Harpo enters scene and swings axe at deck, splitting them with a loud crack.
Then he waves at them and leaves the scene.
It’s the wave that’s funny. They give the impression of KNOWING that the jokes are stale, and that somehow makes the whole movie hilarious.
When the plot is inconvenient, they don’t even bother to make sense. Horse Feathers may have my all-time favorite movie ending, since it features — without explanation — three Marx Brothers marrying the female lead at once. Mind you, although there was minor flirtation, there was no evidence of a relationship or even any strong longing from them for this girl. Nor is there an explanation of how three men could marry a woman at once. I guess it just seemed like a proper ending to a comedy to have people get married.
Comments
I also went to go see this double feature and the ending of Horsefeathers really comes out of nowhere. Kirk insisted that there’s a 4th groom (Zeppo?) next to them who they push out of the way to get to the girl, but I didn’t see that. Zeppo’s the only one with any kind of relationship with the woman, who is also a villain in the movie, but he’s not at the wedding/rape of the lady. (Can it be rape if she says “I do?”)
“Palm Beach Story” has a similar ridiculous wedding at the end, but at least they give us a two-sentance crazy explanation. The love triangle of the couple, and then the brother-sister team of millionaires who’s been fighting over them for the last half of the movie are dejected that the couple won’t break up over them get told “oh, but each of us has a twin who we’ve never mentioned before and they’ll marry you.” Voila, triple wedding. Because the twins have nothing better to do.
I just ruined that movie for you, Hines.
My favorite part in the movie is when Groucho says a line like, “I’m the plumber, I’m here to clean her pipes.”
He then turns to the camera and says, “I haven’t told that joke in twenty years.”
Makes me laugh every time.
I also like when, right before Chico plays a song, Groucho turns to the camera and says, “Now, I have to stay here, but there’s no one stopping you from going to the lobby until this whole thing blows over.”
It reminds of me The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when Dr. Scott says (to the camera), “I knew he was in with a bad crowd…”
The audience response is: “Who the fuck are you talking to?!?! (beat) Who the fuck am -I- talking to?!?!”
Also, I am 100% positive there is a fourth groom, but you never see his face.
“Ah yes. “Darkies.” Nice, Groucho. Nothing like a little racism to remind us what decade the movie was made in.”
Ah yes. Nothing like a rather smug comment like that to remind us we’re in the early decade of the 21st century and we now find people too quick to pat them selves on the back for hindsight posturing without even Googling (yes you we can do that now!) for the song he was referring to.
Work it out for your selves if it was funny, I think so.