15 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About the Marx Brothers
There Were Six Marx Brothers
Photo: Public Domain / Wikimedia CommonsGroucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo made up the main quartet of the Marx Brothers during their comedic peak. However, there was also a fifth brother who performed with the team: Gummo. Born Milton Marx, Gummo was already replaced by Zeppo by the time the brothers became stars on Broadway. He went on to have a lucrative career as a talent agent, and managed his brothers for a time.
There was a sixth brother, Manfred, but he died in infancy.
Groucho Danced On Hitler's Grave
Photo: Paramount PicturesIn the summer of 1958, Groucho took his young daughter Melinda on a trip to Germany to visit Dornum, the town where his Jewish mother was born. They also took a trip to East Germany, where Groucho requested they see the site of the bunker where Hitler committed suicide.
When they arrived at the ruins of Hitler's bunker, Groucho supposedly climbed upon the rubble and performed “a frenetic Charleston, for at least a minute or two, in a gesture of defiance.”
Their Stage Names Were Invented During A Game Of Poker
Photo: Paramount PicturesThe names Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Gummo were supposedly all coined during a single backroom game of poker on May 15th, 1914 in Galesburg, Illinois. The brothers were playing with fellow performer Art Fisher, who gave them nicknames as he dealt the cards.
He named Arthur Marx Harpo, since he'd taught himself the harp. Leonard became Chico, since he loved chasing women - or chicks. Milton's galoshes, or gum shoes, earned him the name Gummo. Fisher nicknamed Julius Groucho, though this name's origin is still under debate. It could have referred to a comic strip character named Groucho the Monk, or Julius's short temper, or the "groucho" bag of money Julius kept around his neck.
Groucho's Mustache Was A Mistake
Photo: Ralph F. Stitt, Rivoli Theatre - New York World-Telegram - Public Domain / Wikimedia CommonsAs the story goes, Groucho arrived to the theater late before one of the performances of the Marx Brothers musical comedy I'll Say She Is. Without time to apply his glued-on mustache, he drew on an oversized mustache with greasepaint instead. Since this was quicker and less irritating than using glue night after night, he continued drawing on his mustache, and the look eventually became his signature.
They Swapped Roles
Photo: Paramount PicturesThe Marx Brothers created plenty of memorable comedic characters, but they were also able to play each other's roles. Out of costume, the brothers looked nearly identical - a fact that they used for on-screen gags and practical jokes. For instance, Chico once impersonated Harpo as a guest on the game show I've Got A Secret - and no one noticed.
Their similar appearances came in handy on set, too. During the filming of the blackout scene in Animal Crackers, Groucho was unavailable, so Zeppo filled in as Captain Spaulding - a role he had played occasionally on stage. Groucho later said, "he was so good as Captain Spaulding that I would have let him play the part indefinitely, if they had allowed me to smoke in the audience."
They Became A Comedy Troupe By Accident
Photo: Tom Margie / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0The Marx Brothers began their careers as a musical vaudeville group. Then one evening in Nacogdoches, Texas, their routine was interrupted by a man who burst into the venue, yelling that a mule had gone loose. The crowd instantly turned their attention away from the brothers.
Groucho - then simply Julius Marx - would not allow himself to be upstaged by a mule. So as the crowd filtered back in, Groucho began insulting the town and its inhabitants with off-the-cuff remarks like, "Nacogdoches is full of roaches!" and "The jackass is the finest flower of Tex-ass!" The audience wasn't offended. In fact, they loved it. The Marxes officially became a comedy troupe soon after.
Their First Film Is Lost
Photo: Top10Zen / via PinterestThe Marx Brothers's very first film is lost. In fact, film historians know relatively little about it. It was filmed in 1921, and either titled Humor Risk or Humorisk. It was the Marx Brothers's only silent film, starring Groucho as the villain and Harpo as the love interest.
Beyond that, only a few other details are known. But rumors persist that it was screened only once, as a matinee for children that was so disastrous that all prints were destroyed. However, years later Groucho claimed that the film was never truly finished in the first place.
Groucho Was Abusive
Photo: Tom Margie / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0Groucho's nickname was rumored to be inspired by his temperament. But since his death in 1977, stories about Groucho have surfaced that show he was more than grouchy - he was reportedly mean spirited, pessimistic, and emotionally abusive.
His first marriage was to Ruth Johnson (he was 29, she was 19). He was extremely controlling and verbally abusive, driving Ruth to alcoholism. His second marriage was to Kay Marvis (he was 54, she was 21). Once again the victim of Groucho's verbal abuse, Kay also became an alcoholic. His third wife was Eden Hartford (he was 63, she was 24). They too would eventually divorce, on the grounds of “extreme cruelty.”
They Almost Made A Billy Wilder Movie
Photo: Yousuf Karsh / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA- 207445 / Wikimedia CommonsThe 1950 film Love Happy would prove to be the Marx Brothers's final starring picture. But in 1960, famed director Billy Wilder made a deal with Gummo - then the brothers's agent - to cast them in one final film together, entitled A Day At The United Nations.
Along with I.A.L. Diamond, his screenwriter on The Apartment and Some Like It Hot, Wilder developed a script treatment about a group of thieves attempting to pull off a heist during a U.N. demonstration. However, production halted when Harpo became ill and Chico died.
The Brothers Thought Zeppo Was The Funniest
Photo: Library of Congress - Public Domain / Wikimedia CommonsZeppo probably wouldn't be anyone's choice for the funniest Marx Brother - except for the other Marx Brothers. Born Herbert Marx, Zeppo played the straight man or romantic lead in their films. But according the the other brothers, he was the quickest wit in the family.
In fact, once Groucho was quoted as saying: "When I had my appendix out, Zeppo took over for me. He was so good that it made me get better quicker."
Mussolini Banned "Duck Soup" In Italy
Photo: Public Domain / Wikimedia CommonsItalian dictator Benito Mussolini believed Duck Soup - the Marx Brothers's satire of war and dictatorships - to be a personal attack on him and his nation, and had the film banned.
The Marx Brothers were not bothered by the fascist's objections, and were also not surprised: all of their films had already been banned in Germany, due to their Jewish heritage.
They Fought With The Real "Freedonia"
Photo: Paramount PicturesDuck Soup is set in the fictional nation of Freedonia. Shortly before the film's premiere, the Marx Brothers were sent a letter from the mayor of the real-life town Fredonia, New York. It read: "The name of Fredonia has been without blot since 1817. I feel it is my duty as mayor to question your intentions in using the name of our city in your picture."
Groucho sent this in response: "Your Excellency: Our advice is that you change the name of your town. It is hurting our picture. Anyhow, what makes you think you're Mayor of Fredonia? Do you wear a black moustache, play a harp, speak with an Italian accent, or chase girls like Harpo? We are certain you do not. Therefore, we must be Mayor of Fredonia, not you. The old gray Mayor ain't what he used to be."
Zeppo Became An Inventor
Photo: NBC Television-photo by Ethel Kirsner, NBC Press - Public Domain / Wikimedia CommonsAfter stepping down as a performer, Zeppo went on to become an engineer, an inventor, and a multimillionaire. In 1941, he founded Marman Products, which created the clamping devices that held the atomic bombs aboard the Enola Gay. He also held very lucrative patents on devices that measured the heart rates of patients.
Harpo Was Secretly Blond
Photo: Doug Kline / Flickr / CC BY 2.0With character names like Rusty and Pinky, it was always implied that Harpo was a redhead. But his red fright wig looked too dark on the black and white film. So in Animal Crackers - and all his subsequent films - Harpo is actually wearing a blonde wig, which appeared more like red hair on the screen.
Their Estates Have Been Feuding For Decades
Photo: Paramount PicturesSince the deaths of the Marx Brothers, legal battles over rights and compensation have been waged between the sons of Harpo, Chico, and Groucho - as well as non-family members who run Groucho Marx Productions, Inc.
When a Marx Brothers animated show was created, the estates of Chico and Harpo sued the estate of Groucho in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles over the unauthorized use of their characters. Things became further complicated when Arthur Marx, Groucho's son, wrote a screenplay about the Marx Brothers - over which the other estates (i.e. his cousins) threatened to sue.
