The Marx brothers had many classic moments and perfect one-liners. Many would say that Duck soup is their finest moment, but what movie is *your *favorite?
Personally, it’s a tie between Horse Feathers and Duck Soup, with *A Night At The Opera * close behind. All have their moments, but there is something about Horse Feathers that kicks just a nose ahead.
“Swordfish!”
I wouldn’t want to give up any of them, but if I had to keep just one, it just might be Duck Soup.
I think Duck Soup is probably a greater work of art, but I have a special place in my heart for Horse Feathers. I once saw Horse Feathers in a crowded theater, and the infectious vitality of the near-constant laughter was astounding. I’ve never felt anything quite like it.
It is Duck Soup for me as well – with Night at the Opera being the closest contender.
I have to admit, I love The Cocoanuts. First, it was basically a filmed version of their stage show, so it’s as close as I’m ever going to come to seeing the Marx Brothers on stage. Second, Harpo is clearly wearing a red wig. He is referred to as a redhead in all the movies, but after this, he’s always wearing a blond wig. (Yes, I know, better camera presence in black and white.)
Plus, I love the scene where the Male Romantic Lead (MRL) is in prison, and the brothers come to see him. Chico is supposed to explain the “plot”, but had been out drinking/dancing/having a very good time and hadn’t actually learned his lines. He makes various irrelevant comments, and the MRL saves the scene by saying, “What? You mean [plot]?” which he could have never figured out from what he knew/had just heard. It totally cracks me up every time I see it.
Duck Soup, closely followed by Monkey Business, and then Horsefeathers, which has most of Harpo’s finest moments.
More votes for Duck Soup, Horsefeathers and Monkey Business. Harborwolf and I always laugh about the part in Duck Soup where Harpo is trying to silently put the combination into the safe, and it turns out to be a radio, and it blares some horribly loud march in the middle of the night. He tries to muffle it with a pillow, but ends up smashing it to peices and throwing it out the window. Maybe you have to see it to appreciate it, but it’s hysterical.
A Night at the Opera is really funny too though . . .
I CAN’T DECIDE!!!
I’ll go with Duck Soup, too . . . Their Paramount stuff is so superior to their MGM stuff, when Mayer and Thalberg had them gelded.
Duck Soup. See my web page for a full discussion of how I rate the Marx Brothers movies.
Sorry to be boring - on the other hand, why stop now? - but Duck Soup is my favorite too. All the insanity without the meandering songs or love story - and Harpo and the horse doesn’t count. 
I think they made five movies that are really great - after Duck Soup, I say it goes A Night at the Opera, Horsefeathers, Monkey Business, Animal Crackers, Night in Casablanca/Day at the Races and the rest can be hard to watch.
A Night at the Opera. THEN Duck Soup. 
My favorite is Animal Crackers (my dad made us watch that at least once a week).
Duck Soup, and then the S J Perelman ones, Horsefeathers and Monkey Business, with Horsefeathers slightly ahead because of the waxing Roth joke. Then it’s a tossup between Animal Crackers (a bit stagey) and A Night at the Opera (a bit Thalbergy.)
I have a CD of Duck Soup as performed on the radio in support of the movie, btw.
I could have sworn I replied to this thread already…
I hold a view that nobody has ever agreed with (or disagreed for that matter - most people just nod politely and change the subject). That is, that the Marx Brothers would have been even greater if they made primarily shorts, rather than features. Imagine the bridge scene in Animal Crackers as the centrepiece of a fifteen/twenty minute absurdist short, rather than padded out by a pretty average plot.
Having said that, I’ll be boring and put in another vote for Duck Soup, although on some days I’d rate Monkey Business higher (Harpo’s moments are better in this than in Duck Soup).
Chuck - had to say that I agree with most of this.
We forgot to mention the other great thing about Duck Soup: Groucho has his best name, and so does Chico. It still makes me grin. “Chicolini?” Are you kidding? And “Chicolini and Pinky” goes together so nicely.
I agree. The Punch and Judy scene in Monkey Business is one of his brightest spots.
It looks like, had Chuck decided to break a few of the ties, our lists would be identical save The Cocoanuts, which I found really slow-moving. I’ll give it another shot one night this week. Getting the Paramount movies on DVD has been a real revelation. I can still remember that when I went to college, we had taped-from-PBS copies of Duck Soup, A Day at the Races and Animal Crackers, and I’d only see find another movie (and see it once) every couple of years. Not exactly Chuck’s story, but I had no idea what I was missing. The thing I really couldn’t believe was Thelma Todd in Monkey Business - the perfect woman for Groucho, after all those Mrs. Rittenhouses he kept running into. I thought it was a shame she didn’t end up with him.
Animal Crackers!!
“Duck Soup”! I think Groucho Marx is the funniest human being… The gags are briliant excellent timed…
Duck Soup, but I love all of 'em. We still do a Marx Bros. Film Festival every New Year’s Eve.
The BBC are repeating their radio adaption of Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel.
For those interested in listening, I can post instructions.