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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

These Are the Laws of My Administration

A political quiz! Guess who said this:


...If you think this country's bad off now,
Just wait 'til I get through with it

***



Do you know?


***

Need a hint?


***

Okay, here's one:







From Duck Soup. (Again, another Tangobaby highly recommended flick!)
When you've run out of Daily Show episodes, you can watch this...and be comforted by the fact that people have been making fun of politicians (and doing it well) for a looooonnnnnng time.

***




Here are the lyrics, in case you want to sing along. You might find some of the song eerily familiar to a certain party platform these days...

Spoken:
Lady:
If it's not asking too much,

Sung:
For our information
Just for illustration
Tell us how you intend to run the nation

Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx):
These are the laws of my administration

No one's allowed to smoke
Or tell a dirty joke
And whistling is forbidden

Chorus:
We're not allowed to tell a dirty joke

Hail, hail Freedonia

Rufus:
If chewing gum is chewed
The chewer is pursued
And in the hoosegow hidden

Chorus:
If we choose to chew we'll be pursued

Rufus:
If any form of pleasure is exibited
Report to me and it will be prohibited
I'll put my foot down, so shall it 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 till I get throught with it

*whistle*

I will not stand for anything that's crooked or unfair
I'm strictly on the upper knot, so everyone beware
If any man's caught taking graft, and I don't get my share
We stand'im up against the wall and pop! Goes the weasel

Chorus:
So everyone beware, you're stricken or unfair
-------unless he gets his share

Rufus:
If any man should come between a husband and his bride
We'll 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

Chorus:
The husband steps outside, relinquishes his bride
They stand him up against the wall and take him for white

7 comments:

n a n c y September 9, 2008 at 4:13 PM  

Very cute. I think the word is hoosegow.

http://www.answers.com/topic/hoosegow

You're way too young for all the Saturday cowboy movies I watched as a kid.

tangobaby September 9, 2008 at 4:32 PM  

Hi n a n c y,

You know, I looked at that and thought hoosegow and then left it as is. Thank you for correcting me.

Shoddy lazy blogging, I know!

I may not have seen the westerns but I bet I could impress you with my Laurel and Hardy and Little Rascals Saturday mornings.

;-)

Tess Kincaid September 9, 2008 at 7:19 PM  

Is this the movie where he sings Lydia the Tatooed Lady? I love him singing that!!!!

christina September 9, 2008 at 7:27 PM  

Wow! I have a lot to add to my list, sweetie. I better get on it! : )

tangobaby September 9, 2008 at 9:16 PM  

Hi willow,

Lydia IS an awesome song. That one's from At the Circus (not one of my faves, but the song is great).

Actually, I think my favorite Groucho song is called "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It" from Horsefeathers, which might be my favorite Marx Brothers movie, now that I say that...

("I don't know what they have to say,
it makes no difference anyway -
whatever it is, I'm against it!
No matter what it is or who commenced it,
I'm against it!")

Hi christina,

I'm trying to keep your dvd player busy, aren't I? If you want silly and absurd, you really can't beat Groucho, Harpo and Chico (I don't count Zeppo).

xoxo

Nancy Ewart September 9, 2008 at 11:08 PM  

Let's not forget Coconuts and a Night at the Opera. Both classic, both still funny and both full of very sharp satire of all sorts of institutions, including politics. Thanks for reminding me of them!

tangobaby September 11, 2008 at 4:00 PM  

Hi namastenancy,

I LOVE the scene in Cocoanuts when Harpo and Chico are running around (like they do) making trouble (like they do) in the lobby and Harpo is eating all of the things at the reception desk and ripping up the mail.

And a Night at the Opera! The part with the contract? Hi-larious! (can you tell we have the Marx Brothers box set?)

;-)