Monkey Business/Horse Feathers/Duck Soup

Classic Marx Brothers triple. In 'Monkey Business' (1931), the Marx Brothers' third film and first original screenplay, the brothers are stowaways aboard a luxury ocean liner.

While Groucho, Chico and Harpo create mayhem attempting to escape the clutches of the captain and crew, Zeppo embarks on a romance with Mary Helton (Ruth Hall), daughter of retired gangster Joe Helton (Rockliffe Fellowes).

When rival gang leader Alky Briggs (Harry Woods) hatches a plot to kidnap Mary and hold her to ransom, it is up to the boys to save the day. 'Horse Feathers' (1932), the Marx Brothers' fourth film, sees them creating havoc on campus in a high school college comedy.

The new president of Huxley college, Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho) soon sets about attending to important school business; namely, winning the school their first football game since 1888.

On the advice of his son (Zeppo), he enters a local speakeasy, intending to bribe a couple of professional players to make the college team.

What he ends up with instead are inept dog catcher Harpo and ice delivery man Chico.

However, the duo prove invaluable when Wagstaff becomes romantically involved with the scheming Connie Bailey (Thelma Todd), a college widow who is secretly in league with Huxley's chief rival, Darwin. 'Duck Soup' (1933), the Marx Brothers' fifth feature, is a zany political satire - which so offended Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini that the film was banned in Italy.

Appointed president of Freedonia under the patronage of the wealthy Mrs Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), Rufus T Firefly (Groucho) sets about starting a war with neighbouring Sylvania.

To this end he trades insults with Sylvanian ambassador Trentino (Louis Calhern), unaware that Trentino's spies Chicolini (Chico) and Pinky (Harpo) are already working to bring down Freedonia from within.