Obama & Marx (Groucho that is)

It is strictly coincidence that I saw Duck Soup (my favorite Marx Brothers film) today, the same week I put Groucho’s face and one of his quotes on the SM banner. But watching the film I caught this number where Groucho, as Rufus T. Firefly the new leader of the nation of Freedonia outlines the high points of his incoming administration.The similarity between Groucho’s comedy and today’s reality is creepy, right down to blaming his predecessor. Here’s a transcript for those who may find it difficult to follow Groucho’s rapid fire delivery.

FIREFLY: 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 hossegow hidden.

If any form of pleasure is exhibited,
Report to me and it will be prohibited.

I’ll put my foot down, so it shall be,
This is the land of the free.

The last man nearly ruined this place,
He didn’t know what to do with it,
If you think this country’s bad off now,
Just wait ‘til I get through with it.

The country’s taxes must be fixed,
And I know what to do with it,
If you think you’re paying too much now,
Just wait ‘til I get through with it.

I will not stand for anything that’s crooked or unfair,
I’m strictly on the up and up, so everyone beware.
If anyone’s caught taking graft and I don’t get my share,
We stand him up against the wall and POP goes the weasel.

If any man should come between a husband and his bride,
We find out which one she prefers by letting her decide,
If she prefers the other man, the husband steps outside,
We stand him up against the wall and POP goes the weasel.

When Obama was elected I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to stop using initials and didn’t want to type out “President Obama” everytime I referred to him. I said I needed to find a shortcut I liked. It may not actually be shorter but President Firefly will do just fine. I found a video that contains the number here. The number starts at about 6:05 of the video.