The Marx Brothers

The Marx Brothers was the name for a group of American-Jewish comedians from the first half of the 20th century who were actually brothers. Their career started in theatre, but they became world-famous through their films. They are known for their wild, anarchic and often surrealist humour. Their jokes consist of slapstick, but also puns and intelligent dialogue. With their rebellious jokes, they were the forerunners of generations of anti-sentimental comedians. Five brothers together formed The Marx Brothers, even though the five of them never actually performed at the same time: Harpo, Chico, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo.


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 1219. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.


French postcard by Editions La Malibran, Paris / Saint-Dié, no. CA 4. Photo: The Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera (Sam Wood, 1935). Caption: Harpo - Groucho - Chico Marx.


Belgian collectors card by Kwatta, Bois-d'Haine, no. C. 169 (in the series C. 99 - 196). Photo: M.G.M. The Marx Brothers in Go West (Edward Buzzell, 1940).

Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo & Zeppo

The eldest Marx brother, Chico (1887-1961) was born Leonard Marx. Manfred was actually the eldest, but he died as a child. Chico was the one who decided to make musical comedies with his other brothers. At the time, he had learnt an Italian accent to convince any anti-Semites in the neighbourhood that he was Italian and not a Jew. This accent, along with his talent as a piano player, became one of his trademarks. In the films, he usually fulfilled the role of a sly and shady con man, the confidant of Harpo, a confident pianist and the sceptical assistant of Groucho.

Harpo (1888-1964) was born Adolph Marx and changed his name to Arthur in WWI because he found the name too German. As an actor, Harpo played the role of a mute, who never speaks but expresses himself through sign language, whistling and using his horn. Like a cross between a child and a wild beast, he sets everything in motion, harassing everyone, pulling the most peculiar things out of his coat (such as a candle burning on two sides, a coiled rope, a pin-up poster, etc.), and chasing women with his horn. His pseudonym "Harpo" was derived from the fact that he played the harp, for which there was a musical interlude in almost every film.

Groucho (1890-1977) was born Julius Henry Marx. His trademarks were his grin, thick cigar, waddling gait and sarcastic remarks, insults and puns. In the films, he was constantly trying to get money or women, talking everyone under the table with his witty and intelligent remarks. He was also a singer and some of his songs have become classics, such as 'Lydia the Tattooed Lady'.

Gummo (1892-1977) was born Milton Marx and was the least-known Marx brother. He was the one who first performed with Groucho, but before the big Broadway success came he had stopped acting. For years, he was his brother's manager.

Zeppo (1901-1979) was born Herbert Marx and was the youngest of the Marx Brothers. He took over the role of Gummo when the latter quit. Zeppo was the romantic declarer. Though he could take on more versatile roles, he was typecast as the most serious of the four.


Spanish collectors card by Graficas Valencia, Valencia. Photo: Filmofono. The Marx Brothers in Room Service (William A. Seiter, 1938). The Spanish title was El Hotel de los Lios.


Spanish collectors card by I.G. Viladot, Barcelona. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The Marx Brothers in At the Circus (Edward Buzzell, 1939) with Kenny Baker and Florence Rice.


Spanish collectors card by Imp. Suso, Burgos. Photo: Filmofono. The Marx Brothers in A Night in Casablanca (Archie Mayo, 1946).

I'll say she is

The Marx Brothers were the five surviving sons of Sam and Minnie Marx. The family lived in Yorkville on New York's Upper East Side, a neighbourhood sandwiched between the Irish-German and Italian quarters.

Their career already began at the beginning of the century in vaudeville shows, with which their maternal uncle, Al Shean, had already been successful. Groucho Marx was the first to embark on a career on stage, but initially with very little success.

Their mother and sister also appeared on stage with their sons at times. However, the focus soon shifted from music and singing with humorous segues to comedy with musical interludes. The different roles of musicians and comedians crystallised relatively early.

While Chico developed the stereotype of the womaniser with an Italian accent who was always chasing the chicks, Groucho dropped his accent as a German during the First World War due to a lack of popularity. Harpo remained speechless on stage, as he had the greatest successes playing his jokes as a mime in a red or, in films, blond curly wig, or playing his grandmother's old harp.

A classroom sketch in which Groucho tried to teach his brothers evolved into the comedy show 'I'll Say She Is' which became their first success on Bradway and in England. This was followed by two more Broadway hits: 'The Cocoanuts' and 'Animal Crackers'. The Marx Brothers' shows became popular at a time when Hollywood was experiencing the transition from silent film to talkies. The brothers signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and thus launched their film career.


American postcard from the Marx Brothers Postcard Book by Green Wood, no. 1992. Caption: The Four Marx Brothers, Chico, Zeppo, Groucho and Harpo.


Canadian postcard by Canadian Postcard, no. A-57. Caption: Marx Brothers, Groucho, Harpo and Chico.


French postcard by Editions La Malibran, Paris / Saint-Dié, no. CA 5. Caption: Groucho - Harpo - Chico Marx.

Duck soup

The last two Broadway shows of The Marx Brothers became their first films, The Cocoanuts (Robert Florey, 1929) and Animal Crackers (Victor Heerman, 1930). Their next film was Monkey Business (Norman Z. McLeod, 1931). Between 1932 and 1933, a total of 26 episodes of the radio show 'Flywheel, Shyster & Flywheel' were made, with Groucho voicing the lawyer Waldorf T. Flywheel and Chico voicing his sidekick Emmanuel Ravelli. The first three episodes were broadcast under the title 'Beagle, Shyster & Beagle'. The title was then changed after a New York lawyer named "Beagle" threatened to sue. Some of the dialogue from the radio broadcasts was later used in the Marx Brothers films.

Their most successful film of the early period was Horse Feathers (Norman Z. McLeod, 1932), a satire on the American college system. But Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933), generally considered their masterpiece, had much less success. It marked their break with Paramount. Zeppo, who always played serious roles, stopped making films after this. The Marx Brothers' first five films are generally considered their best, expressing their surrealist and anarchic humour in its purest form.

The three remaining brothers moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and changed the formula of their subsequent films. Their remaining films were given romantic plots and serious musical interludes, often intended as resting points between the often hilarious comic sketches. In A Night at the Opera (Sam Wood, 1935), a satire on the opera world, the brothers help two young singers in love. The film was very successful and was followed by the equally popular A Day at the Races (Sam Wood, 1937), where they kicked up a fuss at a race track. Several less memorable films followed until 1941. After the war, two more films A Night in Casablanca (Archie Mayo, 1946) and Love Happy (David Miller, 1949) followed to pay off Chico's gambling debts.

This was followed by the mediocre film The Story of Mankind (Irwin Allen, 1957), and a television special The Incredible Jewel Robbery (1959). These productions were already interludes, while each brother had already picked up a career of his own. Chico and Harpo continued on stage and Groucho had started a career as a radio and television entertainer. With his television and radio show 'You Bet Your Life', he became one of the most popular show hosts of the 1950s in the USA. The first episodes of the show were still broadcast live, as was customary at the time. But because Groucho's unbridled wordplay caused headaches for those in charge of the show, they deviated from this for later episodes and the programme was broadcast as a recording. He also wrote a number of books. Gummo and Zeppo ran a theatre agency together.

A final film project planned for 1960, starring the Marx Brothers once again and directed by Billy Wilder, did not materialise due to Chico's poor health. It was to be an anti-war satire in the style of Duck Soup. Even Groucho, who at the time was no longer very interested in further Marx Brothers films, is said to have been enthusiastic about the project because he considered Billy Wilder to be one of the best directors.


Spanish collectors card by J.G. Viladot, Barcelona. The Marx Brothers in Go West (Edward Buzzell, 1940). The Spanish title was Los Hermanos Marx en el oeste.


American postcard by Ludlow Sales, New York, N.Y, no. FC-105-50. Photo: MGM. The Marx Brothers in A Day at the Races (Sam Wood, 1935).


French postcard by Travelling Editions, Paris, no. CP 84. Harpo Marx.

Sources: Wikipedia (Dutch and German) and IMDb.