The Marx Brothers

[ChiO]

My favorite photo: ....

My NEW favorite photo, courtesy the NY Public Library:....

Golly, do you think they were really brothers?

And, if so, did they beat out the Warners?

[JackFavell]

Philosophically and intellectually, at least, they most certainly beat the Warner Brothers. And they ended up retaining the name A Night in Casablanca.

My favorite comedians together:
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[movieman1957]

Since you brought up Jack Benny. I've been listening to Benny's old radio shows on podcasts on my ipod. It sure beats listening to the radio on the way home. If you have itunes you should look for it under "Performing Arts."

Also, here are those responsible for the Brothers -

Sam Marx


Minnie Marx


He was a bad tailor and she was a brilliant stage mother.

[JackFavell]

Frenchie!

[JackFavell]

I don't even have an ipod, Chris.

I do love listening to Jack's radio shows though, I have some recordings, and then you can find others online.

Looking at Frenchie, I am amazed at how dapper he was. Somehow this escaped me when I was a kid. I see a bigger resemblance to Groucho than to any of the other brothers. And he has something about him that reminds me of Charlie Chaplin. The cheekbones maybe?

That's a gorgeous picture of Minnie.

[movieman1957]

I love my pod. I get all my music in my hands. But I digress.

I don't see much of the boys in either one of them. It must be me. Minnie certainly had a lovely smile. She was no woman to try and take advantage of though. She would get after people if she needed to do it.

[JackFavell]

We should all have as much strength and determination as she had. Well, maybe not!

[movieman1957]

If I had that kind of determination both of my kids would be in vaudeville. And a lot of good that would do them.

[JackFavell]

That would be VERY determined, I'd say.... since you'd have to bring back Vaudeville single handedly as well as get them started in it.

Sheesh, I can't even get my daughter to take art classes this summer.

[movieman1957]

I went to see "Monkey Business" on the big screen Saturday. Nice crowd and all seemed to enjoy themselves.

I always thought I was fairly well read on the boys but found out courtesy of the host that they had an older brother die in infancy. The Marx Brothers web site listed him in the family tree. I thought it funny in all the years I've watched and read about them I never saw a word about it. Something new to learn.

The film is still funny.

[RedRiver]

VERY funny!

[pvitari]

A musical about the Marx Brothers' early years in vaudeville ran on Broadway for two months in 1970. It was called Minnie's Boys and starred Shelley Winters and was co-written by Minnie's grandson, Groucho's son, the successful TV writer and playwright, Arthur Marx. It was one of Broadway's more notable flops. :) Ken Mandelbaum describes it in his classic book about Broadway flops, Not Since Carrie (one of the greatest books ever written, IMHO). :)

More about Minnie's Boys:

http://drewfriedman.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... sical.html

[movieman1957]

Thanks for the article. I remember it vaguely as I was young but thought the idea might be fun except that how do you really pull something off about such distinctive characters. I imagine it is either too much like them, though not quite enough, or not enough like them to really have an impact.

I did see an odd theatrical show called "A Day In Hollywood: A Night in The Ukraine." The Marx part was a version of Chekov's "The Bear" as if they had done it as a movie. It would have helped if I knew something about Chekov when I saw it. I don't really remember much about it though.

One show I thought was pretty good is a one man show called "An Evening With Groucho" starring Frank Ferrante. He is very good as Groucho at all ages. I have an old VHS recording.

[JackFavell]

My favorite of their movies.



I didn't know there was an older Marx either, or at least the info didn't really sink in. Did you know that the guy sitting nearby watching the boys wave goodbye to the ship's steward in the movie is Frenchie? He earned 12.50 for two days work as an extra on the film.

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[movieman1957]

Now, I've learned two things. I'll have to find Frenchie. I've seen enough pictures I should have picked up on it.