Marx Brothers Movies I Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sewer pipe

The Marx Brothers were masters of absurdity, and Groucho was the master of the masters. In this scene, he is telling Margaret Dumont about an upcoming vote on the kind of sewer pipe to be laid in the new housing development he's proposing. He pulls a piece of pipe from his coat to illustrate this, and tells her that he has "inside information" that "the chief justice is crazy about this kind of pipe".

Answer: Freedonia

Groucho plays Rufus T. Firefly, leader of Freedonia. He selects Chico, who is running a peanut vending cart on the sidewalk, as his Secretary of War. Chico, however, is also spying for Ambassador Trentino, who is hoping to annex Freedonia for his native Sylvania.

The other two countries are not part of "Duck Soup" except with regard to Chico's ever present genuine imitation Italian accent.

Answer: Swordfish

After Chico tells Groucho that the password is the name of a fish, Groucho guesses sturgeon, to which Chico replies, "Sturgeon is a doctor that cuts you open when you're sick". Groucho then guesses haddock, and Chico replies, "That's funny, I got a haddock, too." Groucho asks what he takes for a haddock, and Chico tells him sometimes aspirin and sometimes Calumel.

Answer: They hear them singing "Sweet Adeline"

The brothers are hiding in barrels in the cargo hold, but when crewmembers come into the hold they hear the brothers singing "Sweet Adeline" in either three or four part harmony (there is some discussion as to whether Harpo is heard singing). This is not exactly the best way to stay hidden but, as I said earlier, the Marx Brothers were the masters of the absurd.

Answer: Edgar

I have always wondered if Groucho's "T" standing for Edgar was the inspiration for Bob Denver's character on "Dobie Gillis" claiming that his name was "Maynard G. Krebs, and the G stands for William."

Answer: towels

I wonder if that was Groucho's way of implying that Trentino was "greasy" (a slippery character).

Answer: Outside

It may seem obvious, but Chico said that when you open the door and step outside you are, in fact, outside. When asked what would happen if you wanted to go back inside, Chico muttered, "You had no right to go out in the first place" as if, once outside, it served you right if you never got back in.

Answer: Dog catcher

In spite of an incredible run of luck that includes hitting the jackpot on one of the speakeasy's pay phones, Harpo is not a gambler. Chico is the bootlegger. Harpo does play the harp (in fact, all four brothers perform a version of the song "Everyone Says I Love You" during the film), but he is not a musician. He is, in fact, the town's very zany dog catcher.

Answer: Joe Helton

The brothers do their usual wacky job of protecting "Old Joe Helton" from Alky Briggs, who wants to take over Helton's gang. Harry Woods played Alky Briggs, and Ben Taggart played Captain Corcoran, the ship's skipper.

Answer: His shirt

When Hennessey notices his shirt missing, he becomes rather menacing. Trying to pinpoint what happened and where, Chico and Harpo end up playing a game of tic-tac-toe on Hennessey's undershirt. After a rousing song about why he wants his shirt back (a parody of the "Toreador Song" from Bizet's "Carmen"), Harpo "finds" Hennessey's shirt over his own, and Hennessey leaves happy.