Duck Soup/Monkey Business

Double helping of the Marx Brothers' slapstick, wisecracking humour. 'Duck Soup' (1933) is Groucho Marx' ultimate political statement - clothed, naturally, in high-grade irreverence and wise-cracks.

The small independent state of Freedonia is facing financial ruin.

A wealthy donor, Mrs. Teasdale, (Margaret Dumont) offers to bail Freedonia out - on one condition - Mr. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) becomes president. Firefly takes to despotism like a duck to water, making reforms that cause general upheaval in the country.

He then sets about pitching woo at Mrs Teasdale, eager to combine their bank accounts mostly, but he has competition in the ambassador of neighbouring Sylvania and the romantic frictions soon ignite a war.

Musical numbers, classic Marx brothers set pieces and general verbal mayhem add fuel to the fire, making it the definitive statement of 'the other Marxism'. 'Monkey Business' (1931) features the Marx Brothers as stowaways on a high-end cruise ship to America, getting into all manner of scrapes as they evade the crew.

Their subterfuge technique however, leaves much to be desired and soon they're staging puppet shows, honking horns, chasing pretty girls and generally making enemies at a great hourly rate.

They are pressed into the service of a mob boss en route and, upon making port, are called upon to save another gangster's daughter.

First they need to get off the ship - and their names are not on the register...