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Official Blog of the AALS Section on Contracts

Film Clips: The Marx Bros. on contract drafting

[Fiorello and Otis B. Driftwood are going over their proposed contract.]
     Driftwood: Now pay particular attention to this first clause because it’s most important. It says the, uh — “The party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part.”  How do you like that? That’s pretty neat, eh?
     Fiorello: No, that’s no good.
     Driftwood: What’s the matter with it?
     Fiorello: [Thinking.]  I dunno. Let’s hear it again.
     Driftwood: It says the, ah “The party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part.”
     Fiorello: That sounds a little better this time.
     Driftwood: Well, it grows on you. Would you like to hear it once more?
     Fiorello: Er — just the first part.
     Driftwood: What do you mean?  The — the party of the first part?
     Fiorello: No, the first part of the party of the first part.
     Driftwood: All right. It says the, uh, “The first part of the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the first part of the party of the first part shall be known in this contract” — Look, why should we quarrel about a thing like this? We’ll take it right out, eh?

              From:  A Night at the Opera (1935)

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