Laurel and Hardy have a famous routine where each character has their own respective hat being put on the wrong head, and as they try to get the correct hat on, they'll find a lot of different ways for the wrong hat to continue to be worn. He is known for his slow burn reaction and puts it to great use here. A shame Edgar didn't get a shot with The Three Stooges. Edgar Kennedy is to Laurel and Hardy fans what Bud and Vernon are to Stooge fans. The scenes with Harpo, Chico, and Edgar Kennedy are comic gold. OK, politics out of the way, there's a ton of great pure comedy in this one. The more things change, the more they stay the same. She is the one with the money, and Firefly gains power at her insistence because the only way the government gets her money is if Firefly is appointed leader. Want commentary on who holds the true power? That would be Margaret Dumont's Ms. The Fredonia going to war musical bit shows the ridiculous nature of civilians reacting to war.

Forget the fact there are civilians from both sides fighting each other, Firefly has Trentino trapped, war is over. How does the war end? Why, at the end of the film, Trentino's head is stuck in the door and the brothers get to throw produce at him. Not exactly a valid reason to send your son off to die, but therein lies the commentary. Firefly is called an upstart by Trentino, Firefly slaps Trentino with a glove, both men's egos are bruised, and a war begins. First off, the reason they go to war has nothing to do with national defense and everything to do with the egos of two leaders from Fredonia and Sylvania. I don't want to get too political, as I like to keep my comedy and politics separate, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Starting next week we dive into the MGM era, and the frills will be incorporated more into each film, but not this week.

Chico and Harpo have no instrumental solos, and there is no romantic subplot whatsoever. There are musical numbers, but they are all comical. This is as pure comedy as you are ever going to get in a Marx Brothers film. If you have never seen a Marx Brothers movie, start here. Part of me wants to say it's DUCK SOUP, if you've seen it, you already know how great it is. Now that the commercial is done, let's discuss DUCK SOUP. By the way, it also has one short Stooge ladies Marjorie White (WOMAN HATERS), and Phyllis Barry (THREE LITTLE SEW AND SEWS). It's just as bizzare, it's a political satire, it's from the same year, and they both even have Louis Calhern in fairly similar roles. Before I get into the meat of this thing, for any of you guys and occasional gal who wants to do an interesting double feature, pair this one up with the Wheeler and Woolsey comedy, DIPLOMANIACS (1933).

Marx brothers duck soup