The Marx Brothers

The Five Marx Brothers (from left to right): Harpo, Zeppo, Chico, Groucho and Gummo (who never appeared in any of the pictures but was a part of their early vaudeville shows.)

I'm a long time fan of the Marx Brothers. And while I do enjoy A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races I've come to realize recently that I DO NOT enjoy them as much as those early Paramount Pictures. The only one I didn't like from the early years was the Coconuts. And that had a lot to do with the obnoxious romantic lead in that film. They could have given the romantic lead to Zeppo and it would have been a much better film. But Animal Crackers all the way through to Duck Soup I absolutely love and could watch a thousand times... and probably have.

But I got thinking about that recently. I used to enjoy both their first endeavors for MGM a lot when I was younger. I still enjoy them. Even At The Circus I don't mind. They both have memorable scenes that make both pictures classics. And yes. They are classics... not including At the Circus, mind you. But I just enjoy those early Paramounts so much more. I thought about that in the last few years and I've come to realize there are a lot of factors that have lead me to feel that they're just not as those earlier pictures. Now here me out!!

One being the Marx Brothers AREN'T the stars of any of the MGM pictures. You might think I'm crazy for saying that. And maybe you're right. But watch both A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races again sometime soon. Or any of the movies the Marx's did for MGM and you'll see what I mean. The focus of the movies are the romantic leads whether it be Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle or Allan Jones and Maureen O'Sullivan. Or even Kenny Baker (not R2D2 Kenny Baker) who looks like someone punched the Pillsbury Doughboy in the face for an entire day.  The Marx Brothers have been relegated to being co-stars of their own movies. This is somewhat more forgivable in Night at the Opera and Day at the Races. Because they had a great director with Sam Wood. A brilliant writer in George S. Kaufman. And a producer who understood and advocated for them in Irving Thalberg.

Once Thalberg died suddenly the wheels fell off the bus. Louis B. Mayer hated the Marx Brothers. As a matter of fact I think Louie B. Mayer hated comedy. MGM ruined the careers of so many big name comedians. One of those people he destroyed was Buster Keaton who worked as a gag writer on At the Circus. BEING PAID SCALE!! That topic is for another post. Keaton's elaborate gags didn't blend well with the Marx's style of comedy. When Groucho called Keaton on the inappropriateness of his gags Keaton's reply was, "I'm only doing what Mr. Mayer asked me to do. You guys don't need help."

I don't think either Groucho or Buster were the bad guys in this particular disagreement. I think they both were the victim of MGM's amazing ability to ruin comedy.

The other thing I've found over the years is I hate musicals!!

You might be saying to yourself, wait a minute!! You said you like the Marx Brothers earlier films an they have musicals! Doesn't that make you a hypocrite? No and you should be ashamed of yourself for asking. Actually, I have a reason for that. You see. While those early Marx Brothers movies DID have musical numbers in the films. A lot of films at that time had the characters for whatever reason breaking out into song. I'm not sure why but it might have a lot to do with the transition from stage to film which had a lot of music acts. And a couple of the early Marx Brothers films WERE adapted from stage plays which had musical acts. So a lot of the mindset could have been taking the theater experience and bringing it to the films. Which actually kept going for many years following. I'm not sure when it all stopped being a mainstay. Might have to look that one up.

But here's the thing. When the Marx Brothers broke into song in those early Paramount Films they were very comical and almost poking fun of the whole concept of the musical number in a film.

When Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle break into song during A Night at the Opera it's very sappy and schmaltzy. You find yourself wanting to fast forward through the number unlike the musical numbers of the early films. To be fair. Of all the surrogate Zeppo's, Allan Jones was one of the better ones.

You knew the Marx Brothers were the stars of the original Paramount Pictures. They were the focus and the romantic characters were the side plot rather than the other way around in the MGM pictures. In Monkey Business and Horse Feathers the romantic lead was more prominent due to the fact that it was being played by Zeppo Marx.

 I admit I've been a bit unfair to one Mr. Herbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx in my younger days. But I feel like although he wasn't the funniest of the four brothers he played a very important part in their early success. Some of the problem might've have been his age compared to Chico, Groucho and Harpo. Who were all considerably older than he was. Some of the problem was the way he was written due in part to the fact he didn't develop a shtick the way his three other brothers did. There are times Groucho has mentioned that off camera Zeppo actually had a sharper wit than Groucho himself.

Zeppo as Groucho

But I suppose because some might say he didn't develop a "character" the way his brothers did, he got relegated to the role as straight man. But he played that role well. Much better than any of his MGM successors. One of his best films was Monkey Business which I feel like he had the best opportunity to shine. He actually added a balance to the act. Because you had three lunatics and Zeppo as the voice of reason. I suppose later on Groucho would be considered the de facto straight man. But not really. Because I don't consider the straight man to be the one to deliver the funny lines. Usually he's the catchers mit for whatever quips the clown in the act throws at him. Like in the case of Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello, Hope and Crosby or to a lesser extent Martin and Lewis.

Talking to my friend and Laurel scribe Brian Nelson, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of classic comedy, Zeppo never really wanted to be in the act in the first place. Very much like Shemp from the Three Stooges. in Zeppo's case he was very intimidated by his older brothers. And also when they were making the move to MGM he decided he had enough of being the straight man and possibly felt that he wasn't going to be written any better for over there than he was for Paramount.

Which is a shame. Some of those later dreadful "romantic leads" might've been better with Zeppo in the role. Groucho, Harpo and Chico were still funny after Zeppo left. But Zeppo definitely added something to the act that just wasn't the same in those later pictures.

The other thing MGM changed was they made the Marx Brothers more helpful to the romantic leads. Whereas in the Paramount pictures nobody was safe from Groucho's barbed comments. They made Groucho's remarks more focused on the "villain" in the movie. The other thing that I enjoyed about the Paramount pictures was the fact they made Harpo and Chico's morals a bit more suspect. I actually find Harpo funnier as a little bit more of a jerk than the "whipped puppy" they made him out to be in the MGM pictures.

The later ones Chico and Harpo were usually old friends of the romantic leads out to help them whereas the Paramounts their characters were possibly criminal. Horse Feathers and Duck Soup were probably the best example of that. And probably my two favorite Marx Brothers films ever made.

The early films were a bit more surreal and abstract a well. Even the titles had nothing to do with the movie. And I never minded that. MGM tried to make their comedy more grounded. Even their two biggest hits there's a less abstract and more grounded approach to the movies. Much like they did with Buster Keaton, they took away creative control and eventually just wore them out.

But if you've never heard of the Marx Brothers or you have heard of them but have never seen their movies I recommend checking ALL OF THEM out!! Even the later ones. You can either start with their first picture the Coconuts and go all the way to Love Happy (their last and by far their worst) or you can start with their best pictures and then work your way down the row. Here's my suggestion. If you want to binge watch all the Marx Brothers films watch them in this order. This will give you a good idea how the styles of comedy changed from when they were at Paramount and when they moved to MGM:

1.) Horse Feathers
2.) A Day a the Races
3.) Duck Soup
4.) Monkey Business
5.) A Night at the Opera
6.) At the Circus
7.) The Coconuts
8.)The Big Store
9.)A Night in Casablanca
10.) Room Service
11.) Go West
12.) Love Happy
13.) Animals Crackers

Go West and Love Happy I feel are their two weakest pictures. I put Animal Crackers last not because I like it's a weak picture. Quite the opposite. I think it's one of their best. I just put it there because after watching two of their worst you would definitely want to see them when they were at the top of their game

Sidney Sheldon

I confess I've never read any of Sidney Sheldon's books. So I couldn't give an honest opinion of his writing style. From what I've been told by friends who have read his work, they've put it in the same catagory as writers like Jackie Collins, Danielle Steele and such. Harmless fluff that might be a bit outdated by today's standards.

Not saying this as a bad thing. We all have our guilty pleasures which I feel we're all entitled to. Nothing wrong with fluff. Given that this is the man who gave us such shows as I Dream of Jeannie and Hart to Hart, I didn't imagine his books being the works of Ivanhoe.

But not everything has to be intellectually driven. If you like Danielle Steele go on liking Danielle Steele. Just because it's not my cup of coffee doesn't mean you have to stop reading it.

Some of the stuff I enjoy you might find silly.

However, I had been interested in perhaps checking out his book Stranger in the Mirror. Mostly because this great biography I read on Grouch Marx by Stefan Kanfer suggested that the novel was a thinly veiled account of Marx's abusive relationship with Erin Fleming.

For those of you unfamiliar with Groucho Marx, he had made a name for himself with his brothers on the screen in the 1930's. Known for his quick wit and barbed insults. Not to mention his black grease-paint mustache and eyebrows as well as his big black cigar. Although he would ditch the grease-paint eyebrows and mustache in later years, he never gave up the cigar.

For someone known for classic comedies like Duck Soup and Night at the Opera, Marx's later years were very depressing. He ended up in what we would term now as a domestic partnership with "actress" Erin Fleming.

Apparently, there were accusations of abuse at the hands of Fleming by the Marx family. By that time Groucho had become very frail and senile and they felt Fleming was taking advantage of Marx's condition.

Sidney Sheldon had been a friend of Groucho and he was horrified with the way Fleming had been treating him. Which prompted him to write the book you see above.

So, being a long-time fan of the Groucho and the Marx Brothers, I have thought about picking up a copy of this book in particular for some time now. Mostly out of curiosity than anything else.

Deputy Seraph (1959)

I had mentioned in my previous blog Love Happy is officially the Marx Brothers last film together. Although, they had appeared in a film titled The Story of Mankind in 1957, the Brothers did not actually appear together in the film.

In 1959, producer decided to try and make a pilot for a new television series starring the Marx Brothers titled Deputy Seraph. Encouraged by the audience reaction to the Brothers briefly appearing together at the end of an episode on General Electric Theater which featured Chico and Harpo titled The Great Jewel Robbery producers proposed a weekly series which would star Harpo and Chico as a pair of guardian angels who would possess people for a short time in order to help them with their problems.

The title itself reflecting the Western shows that were popular on TV at the time.

Groucho was cast as Deputy Seraph who would appear in every third show to help Harpo and Chico out of some pandemonium they created.

The clips below are only fragments of what was filmed of the pilot. When doctors discovered that Chico was suffering from arteriosclerosis (which would kill him two years later) and thus could not be insured, the producers had to cancel the project.

So this is why you hear the brothers answering to nobody or scenes seem fragmented. You're really watching outtakes rather than a full television episode.

I found it somewhat sad to watch seeing that Chico was so sick at the time and forgetting or unable to deliver any of his lines. For someone like me who prefers to remember the Marx's as they were in Monkey Business or Duck Soup, it might be better of the series never aired.

I am glad that Groucho never fell into the trap the Stooges did by continuing with Joe Besser or Curley Joe. Even if he recruited Zeppo or Gummo to fill in for Chico and Harpo after they passed on it wouldn't have the same dynamics as Groucho, Harpo and Chico.

Although, we are all familiar with Zeppo's persona. Which apparently both Groucho ha stated that Zeppo never got a fair shake by producers. To be honest, I'm not sure what kind of personality Gummo possessed when he was with the Brothers on stage.

To be warned, the picture quality and sound is a bit rough. But for Marx fans, it is interesting to watch from a historical point of view.

Love Happy (1949)

Love Happy is the last Marx Brothers film and has the distinction of being their worst. It also has the distinction of being one of the earliest films for a young actress named Marilyn Monroe. Who only appears for a very short scene in the film.

To be (somewhat) fair, it wasn't supposed to be a Marx Brothers film at all. It was designed to be a solo vehicle for Harpo Marx. However, it became a Marx Brothers film in order to once again get Chico out of gamble debts.

The movie itself was co-written with Harpo by former Warner Animation director Frank Tashlin. Which makes sense because there are certain scenes that have the feel of an animated cartoon.

To be honest, Tashlin was my least favorite of the Warner Animators.


For the longest time I have been on the fence on watching. I would prefer to remember the Marx Brothers the way the were early on. Even their farewell film The Big Store and their second farewell film (again only made to get Chico out of gambling debt) A Night in Casablanca, although not as strong as their earlier films, both movies had enough good bits to make them enjoyable and watchable.

It's just not the case with Love Happy. Because it was not meant to be a Marx Brothers film originally you do get this general feeling that Chico and Groucho were stuck in the film very arbitrarily. Especially Groucho who appears in a very small role as Sam Grunion who narrates the tale.

Considering that one of the biggest strengths of the early Marx Brothers films is Groucho's wit and put-downs. Having Groucho in such a limited role is one of the many shortcomings of this film.

Two other things that make it NOT feel like a Marx Brothers film was that Groucho barely appears with his brothers and this is the only Marx movie in which he does not appear in his trademark greasepaint mustache and eyebrows.

You really get the sense that Groucho himself doesn't want to do the film. And there's a reason for that. In later years, Groucho doesn't speak very highly (or at all) about this film.

Without the greasepaint mustache and eyebrows, I feel more like I'm listening to one of my cantankerous great-uncles rather than Groucho from those early films.

By that time all three of the brothers were pushing 60. They weren't particularly young by Hollywood standards when they started out. And now they were much older and trying to recapture much of the same schtick they did earlier in their career.

It would be like Charlie Chaplin trying to play the Tramp into his 60's.

By 1949 when this movie was released, humor had changed dramatically. The Marx's brand of comedy had been replaced by Abbott and Costello's brand of slapstick. I'm not sure if America in general really didn't know what to do with itself at that point.

Jazz music was starting to give way to what would be known as Country and Western. And even though there was this part of Hollywood that wanted to hold on to how they produced comedies in the past. There was something a bit cheaper about some of the movies of the 1950's which desperately tried to emulate the past.

A good example of this is Groucho's later film A Girl in Every Port. I had seen it a couple years ago when I had been really ill and uable to do anything else other than watch television. I blogged about it shortly thereafter.

The way I feel about Love Happy is the same way I feel about The Beatles Let It Be or Monty Python and the Meaning of Life. You can tell it's just not there for them anymore. It's not quite as bad as an aging rock group continuing long after their prime or the Three Stooges continuing to make movies with Joe Besser or Curly Joe.

But you can tell that the magic of those early films were long gone.

If you're a completest like me, I'd recommend watching Love Happy. However, if you're new to the Marx Brothers DON'T make this your first film. I'd recommend watching Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, Night at the Opera or A Day at the Races.

A Night at the Opera was the first one I ever watched. So, that might be my recommendation for your first one.

Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx (2001)

I've found a lot of parallels between two of my favorite comedians Groucho Marx and Peter Sellers. Apart from the fact that Sellers could do a fairly spot-on impersonation of Groucho.

They were both damaged people. They both had domineering stage mothers. And near the end of their respective lives they were both taken in by young women who were accused of using them for their money.

Strangely enough, both cases both these women died horribly in later years.

However, the differences were Groucho came from a large family while Sellers was an only child. Sellers's mother spoiled him rotten and then would ridicule him for being spoiled rotten while Groucho's Mother made it painfully clear that Groucho was not her favorite. There have been claims that Sellers had been physically abusive to his wives and possibly his children while Groucho was just emotionally negligent to both.

Several years back I had read a really well written but very depressing biography on Groucho by Stefan Kanfer titled Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx.

Biographies can be a real mixed bag. Some like Mabel: Hollywood's First I-Don't-Care Girl by Betty Harper Fussell or Peter Sellers: The Authorized Biography by Alexander Walker I found to be very good.

Other notorious entries like The Life and Death of Peter Sellers by Roger Lewis and The Lives of John Lennon by Albert Harry Goldman leave you feeling like these authors really hated the person and the only reason they wrote a biography was just to smear the person's legacy.

Stefan Kanfer's accounts of Groucho is definitely in the "very good" column. Like I said good but depressing. Even after achieving success and stardom you never get the sense in this book Groucho is ever really happy. Although he is sometimes cruel to the people around him, you don't hate Groucho in this account. You feel sorry for him. Strange enough, the part I felt worst for him is when MGM forces him to wear a toupee for movies like At The Circus.

The Marx Brothers were not young men when they broke into Hollywood. They were all in their early 40's. Which I suppose by today's standards would be ancient considering you're a star at 15 and a has-been at 24.

So I probably would be very insulted too if I was constantly being reminded that "I'm getting old".

I found the bio to be both very insightful and informative. But don't expect a "feel good" story. Expect a very well written account.

I highly recommend you check it out. Especially if you're just discovering the Marx Brothers films for the first time and would like to know more about Groucho Marx himself.