Even so it feels painful and even traitorous to put it so low as third on this list! Over the years, as you become steeped in their body of work, it becomes apparent that Duck Soup is a slightly atypical movie for the team, and one that is less original than it may seem upon first exposure. (Ha! Now I think on it, I may be the only person on earth who would ever choose Horse Feathers, but you have my reasons. Once upon a time (indeed for most of my life) I would have immediately named Duck Soup as my favorite Marx Brothers film without question or hesitation, and that remains true of many people, I think, with justification. The Kaufman– Ryskind script is not just a great showcase for the Marx Brothers, but a nice example of the Broadway theatre of the ’20s. The Marx Brothers’ third Broadway show, and second film, it is in many ways the Marx Brothers’ UR-vehicle, the golden template on which their subsequent Paramount films were based, with some of Groucho’s zaniest and most memorable monologues and remarks, the great Dumont front and center, and plenty of madcap business and routines for Chico and Harpo. For these and other reasons, for me Horse Feathers is the best of all possible worlds. The film lacks their traditional foil Margaret Dumont, but substitutes about 50 stooges in beards, caps, and gowns and for me that’s ample consolation.
I think of Horse Feathers as the Marx Brothers’ most well-balanced picture overall, allowing all four brothers (even Zeppo) to shine, great witty songs by Kalmar and Ruby, a mix of surrealism to rival Animal Crackers, satire to match Duck Soup, and Thelma Todd from Monkey Business for pre-code sex comedy to rival Mae West. And go here for close to 100 articles by me on the Marx Brothers! Just click on the links below for much longer explications on the individual films. It is hard to name your favorite Marx Brothers movie, but I gave it the old college try (and there’s your hint right there). I’ve since changed my position on a few of the films, and eliminated the four-way tie that used to hold the first slot, which many people thought was a cheat. This post was originally published on the first day of Marxfest, in May 2014.
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