My kind of Marxism, or The Marx Brothers today

[Quelkron]

After mentioning the works of the Marx Brothers to several of my friends, only to be met with blank stares, and after I helped a friend (one of the few who knows and loves the Marx Brothers comedy) work a scene from one of their movies into a paper (in order to butter up a proffesor who happened to be a fan) and the proffesor was suprised that anyone of our generation had heard of, let alone could site specific sketches, of the Marx Brothers, I began to wonder how many people have seen or at least heard of the Marx Brothers' movies?

[Accer]

I have loved and adored the Marx Brothers since I was about seven. I've seen all of their movies except two (the two crappiest ones).

Actually, I did a report on them in eleventh grade for English.

[Bigity]

I love em, have all the movies on tape (and they are in sad, sad shape).




Here's your Florida call Mr. Whitmoooore!

Hello, I must be going. I'm come to say, I cannot stay, I must be going. (not too sure about the exact wording of this one anymore )

Let's get married! That's bigamy! It's big of me too.




Ah, so good.

I also love W.C. Fields.

[SothThe69th]

I have a picture of my great uncle standing next to them, so I at least know who they are, I can't say I have more knowledge of them than that, however.

[Calus]

Duck Soup is a Great movie. So, No, I don't know who they are.

[Seir]

/me walks in wearing a curly, blonde wig.

*HONK* *HONK*


/me smiles a wide-open toothy grin and nods his head up and down rapidly.

[Martin Blank]

Harpo taught himself to play the harp, but taught himself incorrectly (he sat at the wrong end of the harp). However, because he became such an accomplished harpist, his technique is now considered to be valid.

[Quelkron]

Harpo Marx's first job was at a movie theatre as the piano player (this was back in the silent film era). When he got the job he knew one song on the piano and would play it forwards and backwards at different speeds and octaves to make it sound more varied. When the theatre hired him they fired their previous piano player beause they thought Harpo was better, the piano player that they fired was George Gershwin.

[Bigity]

Harpo was good on the piano, but Chico was better, IMO. To play how he plays while doing all kinds of comic antics is amazing. I wonder if there are any piano players out there somewhere doing similar things?

[Seir]

I think Victor Borge pulls off the pianist/comedian combination nicely.

[Bigity]

I will have to look this guy up

[Accer]

If I remember correctly, when their parents bought a family piano they could only afford to give lessons to one of the boys, and Chico was the one. Chico was supposed to teach Harpo, but didn't much.

[Quelkron]

Chico was in fact supposed to teach all four of his brothers, but he only got around to teaching Harpo (the second oldest) one song.

Bigity - You really should. Besides making hilarious movies, Harpo(I have never read much about the other four brothers) lead a very interesting life. From being on the famed Algoquine Round Table, to his 'musical competition' with Igor Stavinsky as to who could annoy the other enough that they would move to another condo.

I also have a book called 'The Groucho Letters' which is a collection of letters to and from Grouch Marx. My favorite series of letters in the book is when Warner Brothers is trying to get Grouch to change the name of their movie "A Night In Casablanca", and Grouch simply sends them a series of very confusing letters until WB stops replying because they couldn't figure out what he was talking about.

[Bigity]

Well Quelkron, I was talking about this Victor Borge fellow, not Harpo

I've read/watched alot about the Marx brothers, as well as the three stooges, and W.C. Fields. They just don't make comedy like old comedy anymore.

[Quelkron]

Oops, I completely missed the post about Victor Borge, I think I'll have to look him up as well.