Duck Soup Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rufus T. Firefly

Rufus T. Firefly is the movie's most important character. He is a very clever and comedic politician and is also very focused on what he wants. He will do what he has to do to achieve it and, according to Mrs. Teasdale, is the most able statesman in all of Freedonia.
Through his attempted courtship of Mrs. Teasdale and in dragging his country into war by badly insulting Trentino, he shows how his pride is the most important thing to him.
Firefly, the newly appointed president of Freedonia, is played by Groucho Marx, who often plays the main character in the movies that the brothers star in.
Chicolini, the wise-cracking spy/Secretary of War, is played by Chico (pronounced: Chick-o).
Pinky, the mute spy, is played by Harpo, yet another of his mute roles in their films.
Bob Roland, the personal secretary to the President/Lieutenant, is played by Zeppo, the most serious of the four onscreen and yet the funniest offscreen.

Answer: Like a cat watches her kittens.

"Have you ever had kittens? No, of course not, you're too busy running around playing bridge. Can't you see what I'm trying to tell you, I love you." Firefly says this when he comes to Mrs. Teasdale's house.
The plans are to be kept at Mrs. Teasdale's house because Firefly feels that her home is the safest place to store them. He also finds it to be a profession of his love for her, that he would entrust in her the country's most important documents. Following this handoff, Firefly professes to Gloria how much he loves her and says that they would be great together.
Not long after their conversation is finished, Ambassador Trentino and Vera Marcal, the famous dancer, enter the scene and the two try to make peace with Freedonia's president.
Firefly says he forgets the name that Trentino called him and, when Trentino figures out what it is, with help from Firefly, he repeats it. Firefly again smacks him across the face with his glove.
This action forces the war preparations to recommence on both sides. Later on, Mrs. Teasdale feels that she is not responsible enough to hold onto the plans and requests Firefly to retrieve them.

Answer: Sylvania

Sylvania is the nation that ends up at war with Freedonia. The war begins because Trentino insults Firefly when the two are attempting to court Mrs. Teasdale.
After Firefly throws a few choice words at Trentino, who is supposedly an easily insulted man, Trentino, in turn, calls Firefly a worm, a swine, and, finally, an upstart. This leads to Firefly smacking Trentino across the face with a glove.

Freedonia is the country of which Firefly becomes president. Mufhtan is the home of the honorable Pandooh (briefly mentioned in the film).
Liechtenstein is a small country in central Europe.

Answer: Yes

Though the actors' traditional instruments are not played in the film, Harpo's Pinky does play the piano strings as if they were a harp. He also plays the violin in the "Going to War" musical sequence.

Answer: Smoking and telling a dirty joke and whistling and chewing gum and pleasure

Firefly states these laws when asked to do so by Mrs. Teasdale, the woman who puts him into power. She feels it is necessary that Firefly state the laws he plans to put in place while notables from all countries are present to hear them.
"These are the laws of my administration. No one's allowed to smoke or tell a dirty joke. And whistling is forbidden. If chewing gum is chewed, the chewer is pursued and in the hoosecow hidden. If any form of pleasure is exhibited, report to me and it will be prohibited. I put my foot down, so shall it be. This is the land of the free."

Kidnapping is prohibited in nearly every city in the US.
Talking on an elevator is an old law still on the books in New York City.
Men going topless in public is an old law from Ocean City.

Answer: Edgar Kennedy

The fight between these three characters is a continuation of the fight between Chicolini and Pinky. The two begin fighting in front of the peanut stand over Pinky's inability to relay information about Firefly to Chicolini.
The fight moves over to the lemonade stand, which leads to one of the vendor's customers getting shoved and pickpocketed. The vendor yells at the two and, after Chicolini shows him what Pinky has been doing by kicking him, he eventually gets into the fight with them by yelling at them more.
The fight heads back to the peanut stand and ends with the vendor's hat in the fire.

Edgar Kennedy had a very successful Hollywood career that spanned nearly 40 years and consisted of nearly 500 films. He hit it big when he became involved in several of Charlie Chaplin's comedies and acted in and directed many of the Laurel and Hardy films. His life ended quickly when he died of throat cancer at the age of 58.

Answer: The vendor's bowler hat

During the brief spat between Chicolini, Pinky, and the lemonade vendor, the hat-switching sequence occurs. The hat-switching sequence is one of the funniest parts of the movie.
During the sequence with Chicolini, Pinky, and the lemonade vendor, the hats begin to be tossed around. The vendor angrily shakes Pinky's arm, causing both of their hats to fall to the floor. All the hats get on the right heads eventually, but Pinky takes the bowler and places it in the fire after the lemonade vendor is kicked by Chicolini and his hat falls off.

The only hat that is not in the scene is Firefly's straw hat, which is not seen until the war begins, is never worn and is shown destroyed by enemy gunfire.

Answer: No

His Excellency's car is only requested twice, but Firefly boards it three times.
The first instance takes place when Firefly is headed to the House of Representatives.
Firefly then makes the comment about the number of trips after Pinky leaves him sitting in the side car for the second time, while headed to Mrs. Teasdale's tea party.
In the third and final sequence after the tea party incident, Firefly is informed that his car has arrived, though he does not call for it himself. Firefly requests to drive and states that Pinky should then ride in the side car. When he gets on the motorcycle, the side car detaches and Pinky drives away while the motorcycle remains stagnant.

Answer: World War I service

Firefly's uniform changes along with both his hat and the exterior view of the building he and his officers occupy.

The Boy Scout troop leader uniform is worn when Firefly is seen talking on the telephone with Mrs. Teasdale. Mrs. Teasdale's house is shown to partially explode and she pleads with Firefly for him to come and rescue her. The picture quickly cuts back to Firefly, who is standing there shaving and telling her that it would be for her to come to him since there is no danger where he is.
The Civil War uniform of the Union army is worn in the opening scene that shows the country at war. Firefly is seen pacing the room, followed by four of his men.
The Civil War uniform of the Confederate army is worn in the scene following Pinky's attempt at recruiting new soldiers. In the scene Firefly is wearing this uniform while all other military officials with him are wearing traditional attire.
The British Palace Guard uniform is worn when Firefly, Pinky, Chicolini, and Bob Roland first enter the house Mrs. Teasdale is in. After they enter, they immediately run toward a bowl of fruit and take as much food as they can. Firefly's large fur hat is blown off after it is shot off by the enemy. He also loses his gun, which he accidently throws out the window and he asks Mrs. Teasdale to run out and get it.
A Davy Crockett type uniform, including a raccoon skin hat, is also worn in the final of the war sequence when the four are trapped in a house with Mrs. Teasdale and surrounded by enemy combatants. After Pinky accidently gets locked in a storage closet full of explosives, which he sets off, the Sylvanian troops storm the house and get knocked out.

Answer: Dollars, Taxes

Chicolini jokingly says this while a member of Firefly's cabinet tries to warn him that a war will increase the taxes.
"War would mean a prohibitive increase in our taxes."
"Hey, I got an uncle that lives in Taxes."
"No, I mean taxes, money, dollars."
"That's where my uncle lives Dollars, Taxes."