Sean went to Boston to visit family. I went to Nashville for a podcasting conference. He and I have had a hectic couple of weeks. But we’re back and better than ever, baby, as we take on a pair of comedies that outline just how insane war can be.
Our first entry is 1933’s Duck Soup, directed by Leo McCarey and starring The Marx Brothers. This was the last film in which Zeppo appeared, and also their last for Paramount Pictures. It not only pokes fun at various forms of nationalism, but the relatively small things that can lead a country into war.
From there we move on to 1970 and Mike Nichols’ Catch-22, starring Alan Arkin and a huge cast of (mostly) newcomers. The viewpoint here is just how out-of-control things can get once you’re in the thick of it, to the point of American planes bombing their own airbase because that’s how the deal went down.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Our next two films take place during the Great Depression, but fortunately they’re not designed to drag you down into a depression of your own. We’re looking at 1941’s Sullivan’s Travels, directed by Preston Sturges. It’s a comedy that takes a weird turn early on. We’re also checking out O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the 2000 entry by the Coen Brothers. It may or may not be a lift from Homer’s Odyssey. (Spoiler: it is.)