Duck Soup (1933)
Growing up in Chicagoland, Christmas Eve always meant that It's a Wonderful Life would be shown on the public television station, WTTW. Reverent and pious, the Jimmy Stewart/Donna Reed film reminded us that "No man is a failure who has friends." New Year's Eve, however, meant watching the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup, a non-stop, raucous poke-in-the-eye to the establishment, governments, high society, and just about anyone else whose sanctimonious indignation has ever gotten in the way of a good time. Upstart?!
Duck Soup is pre-code Hollywood at its best. So what if there's a bit of innuendo here ("I could dance with you 'til the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows 'til you came home.") or a Raquel Torres nip-slip there? We're all just having a good time. One of my favorite gags involves Harpo as Paul Revere, a Minuteman's wife, and a horse.
Watching Duck Soup now, it's not difficult to understand why the 1960s counter-culture embraced the all-but-forgotten Marx Brothers. Pompousness is timeless, which explains why there's always a need for jesters and fools. And the zeal with which the brothers skewer every aspect of polite society can truly lighten your heart—especially in the darkest of times.