The Marx Brothers take to absurdity the negotiation of a contract where neither party understands the meaning or importance of the terms, so they just delete them.įor context, assume the roof of a construction project catches fire at about eighty percent completion. The exchange results in the last clause being thrown to the floor with the rest of the contract. In his over-accented English, Chico says, "You can't fool me, there ain't no sanity clause" (a Santa Clause joke). When they arrive at the last clause, the one declaring that the parties are of sound mind, Chico again objects, but Groucho insists it is a standard sanity clause. With each objection, Groucho and Chico each tear off the clause from their copy of the contract, gradually reducing the contract to a few inches of paper. ![]() ![]() Chico insists, Groucho reads each clause and, as to each clause, Chico objects. Groucho takes out a long form of contract in duplicate, hands one to Chico and tells Chico there's no need to read it because they are duplicates. In the movie, Groucho and Chico are agents negotiating a contract for a performance by a famous opera singer, without naming the singer (each believes he is negotiating for a different singer). ![]() When I negotiate provisions like waivers of subrogation, I sometimes feel like I am living out a scene from A Night at the Opera, my favorite Marx Brothers movie.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |