Marx Bros

[gilana]

My dad just called me to ask if I knew which Marx Brothers movie has a scene set in a court room, with a bit about swearing in. Much to my shame, I do not. Do you? (derspatchel, I'm looking at you...)

Comments

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

Duck Soup has a courtroom scene.

[spatch]

There's an old vaudeville courtroom gag that goes like this:

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I do."
"I now pronounce you man and wife."

I thought it was in the trial scene in Duck Soup, but I just watched it and it wasn't there. No swearing-in jokes at all, actually. Chicolini just takes the stand and runs with it. (Groucho: "I say give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Twelveworth." Chico: "I tell you what I do. I'll take five and ten in Woolworth." Groucho: "I wanted to get a writ of habeas corpus, but I shoulda gotten rid of you instead.")

There may have been a courtroom scene in At The Circus since Groucho played a lawyer in that one, but I don't remember it and I don't have a copy readily available to check.

But dang, I remember hearing it, clear as mud. I'm mentally going through comedies that could have used the old wheeze. I can only think of maybe a Crosby/Hope Road picture, or perhaps the trial sequence in The Kentucky Fried Movie where they trot out all the other old courtroom jokes (order in the court, inspecting the briefs, etc.)

[muffyjo]

I found that schtick in this play although I don't think it's what you're talking about. I think they just borrowed it.

[muffyjo]

So "Night at the Opera" also comes up with "Duck Soup" and "At the Circus" as having courtroom scenes. Not sure if that actually helps but it might help narrow things down. Since "Duck Soup" was samples by our good man, I suggest checking out the other two?

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

I seem to recall the phrase, "You can't fool me! There's no such thing as a sanity clause!" Google tells me that was from "A Night at the Opera" ... alas, I'm not sure if it was said in a courtroom or not.

[gilana]

Nope, that was my first thought, too, but it's definitely not in a courtroom. But thanks!