[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marxsoup_2214.jpg]]
->''"The last man nearly ruined this place, he didn't know what to do with it.''
-> If you think the country's bad off now, just wait till I get through with it!"''

The MarxBrothers' fifth film, and held by many to be their best. Released in 1933, it was also their final film for ParamountPictures. It was one of the first films to openly mock the rising fascism in Europe.

Groucho plays Rufus T. Firefly. Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont's [[GrandeDame character]]) has appointed him ruler of [[{{Ruritania}} Freedonia]]. One of his first acts in office, after promising to be a bad president and insulting her, is to offend the ambassador of Freedonia's neighbor, Sylvania. Chico and Harpo are two Sylvanian spies. They are about as competent as you can expect from characters played by Chico and Harpo. Zeppo (in his last appearance with the act) plays Firefly's secretary.

Twice, Firefly considers making peace with Sylvania. Twice, he chooses to offend the ambassador further. Finally, [[PretextForWar Sylvania declares war]].

HilarityEnsues throughout all these proceedings.
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!!This film contains examples of:

* AntiHero: Rufus T. Firefly, as summed up with the song lyrics included at the top of the page.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: '''Rufus T. Firefly'''.
* [[BannedInChina Banned In]] UsefulNotes/FascistItaly: BenitoMussolini was under the impression that the entire film was a TakeThat at his expense. Ironically, the most common criticism leveled against the movie in America was that it didn't criticize fascism strongly enough.
* BehindTheBlack: Harpo hides in an ordinary bathtub. From the man who's bathing in it.
* CrowdSong: "To war, to war, to war we gotta go!" It eventually devolves into a ''minstrel show''. (No {{Blackface}}, though.)
* CuteMute: Harpo, although this is one of the films that does address the fact that he is mute by choice and used to talk. (Chicolini can't understand why he won't talk to him.)
* DistractedByTheSexy: Firefly sends Pinky out to warn the country that the Sylvanians are coming, which he does, in a Paul Revere-esque manner, until... he sees a woman about to take a bath. And yet he prefers to share her bed ''with his horse.''
* {{Fiction 500}}: Mrs. Teasdale is rich enough to solve a nation's debt, even a small one, ''and'' declare who is to lead it.
* FatGirl: As Firefly says of Mrs. Teasdale:
-->''"I can see you now in the kitchen, bending over a hot stove. But I can't see the stove!"''
** Made all the funnier by the fact that Margaret Dumont is ''not'' fat, especially not by 1933's standards.
* GrandeDame: Mrs. Teasdale.
* HilarityEnsues: It's ''the Marx Brothers''. You could make them fill out taxes and still get this.
-->'''Chico''': Hey, I got an uncle lives in Taxes!\\
'''Government Minister''': No, I'm talking about taxes. Money. Dollars.\\
'''Chico''': Dollars! That's where my uncle lives! Dollars, Taxes!
* HurricaneOfPuns: Chicolini's trial. The above quote is just the tip of the iceberg.
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow
* ImplausibleDeniability: "Who you gonna believe, me or you own eyes?"
* IncessantChorus: The Freedonian national anthem.
* InsultToRocks: After calling the Sylvanian ambassador a baboon, Firefly apologizes, saying "That isn't fair to the rest of the baboons."
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: "That's right, 'upstart'!"
* JoinTheArmyTheySaid: And see the Navy.
* MathematiciansAnswer:
-->'''Prosecuter:''' Chicolini, when were you born?
-->'''Chico:''' I don't remember. I was just a little baby.
* MirrorRoutine
* OneLiner
* PrematureAggravation: Used to provide the page quote.
* PrettyInMink: Mrs. Teasdale wears a couple, given she's rich enough to bail out a bankrupt country.
* ProducePelting: Firefly and company do this to Trentino at the end of the movie. Then they do this to Mrs. Teasdale when she insists on singing the Freedonian national anthem again. 
* PungeonMaster: Firefly is full of them, though Chicolini isn't far behind. See HilarityEnsues.
* RapidFireComedy
* RightOnTheTick: Firefly is supposed to turn up when the clock strikes 10. Subverted for laughs: [[spoiler: he sneaks in from the back]]. 
* RuleOfFunny: The answer to any of the MANY gaps in logic in the film. It works because just about every gap results in a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
* RunningGag: 
** Harpo pulls up in a motorcycle, Groucho gets into the sidecar, Harpo drives off. Invariably, Groucho is left behind.
--> '''Groucho''': This is the third trip I've taken today, and I haven't gone anywhere.
** Later subverted as Groucho gets [[GenreSavvy clever]] and insists on riding on the motorcycle portion. Cue Harpo [[spoiler:driving off ''in the sidecar'']].
---> '''Groucho''': Ah, this is the only way to travel.
** [[spoiler:Groucho's changing uniforms]] during the actual war sequence.
** Harpo's half-kleptomania, where he steals half-items by snipping them off with scissors.
* SenselessViolins: Groucho of all people in the battle sequence. Naturally, he's shooting in the wrong direction.
* SilenceIsGolden: The Mirror Routine is performed entirely without sound.
* SlapStick
* StockFootage: Amusingly deployed when Firefly summons for help during the battle sequence.
* StopHelpingMe: 
** When Freedonia is being bombed, Groucho gets a huge white vase jammed down over his head. Harpo's idea of helping is to draw Groucho's face on the outside of the vase.
** Remember that people still sometimes used chamber pots and Groucho's line becomes Fridge Nausea:
--->"Last time this happened to me I was crawling under a bed!"
* ThatWasObjectionable: During the treason trial. Judge Groucho even sustains it.
* ThisMeansWar: Not the trope creator, but possibly the TropeNamer. Firefly declares war after insulting himself and blaming it on the other country's ambassador. [[RefugeInAudacity And then there's a big musical number about it]]. 
* WholePlotReference: ''{{WesternAnimation/Animaniacs}}'' in one of their most popular episodes, ''Anvilania''.
* YouFool: The Sylvanian ambassador uses a few lines in response to the insults from Groucho. The one that sets off the slap is "You upstart". 
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