Julius Henry Marx, aka, 'Groucho' died 30 years ago today, August 19th, 1977 just 3 days after Elvis died. Of the countless books and article I've read over the years about the Marx Brothers, and seeing all their movies dozens of times, I never seem to get tired of their humor or wit.
While most everyone thinks that Groucho, Chico, Harpo and (sometimes Zeppo, but never Gummo) ad-libbed those seemingly 'throw-away lines' and fast comebacks, prior to their first movie "The Cocoanuts" in 1929 with Paramount, they spent almost 20 years on stage, either on the road perfecting their scripts or performing on Broadway. The honed their stage antics and each line in the scripts so it got the greatest reaction from their live audiences. From these live performances, they were able to give us the perfection we see today in their movies.
Some of my best memories are the trips to the 5th Ave Cinema or Backstage at the Bagdhad to view these classic comedies. Watching them on VHS or DVD at home is just not the same. A great part of the experience was the reaction of fellow audience members, particularly the un-initiated, who were seeing the genius of the Marx Bros. for the first time.
Posted by: Jay Amicarella | August 19, 2007 at 11:35 AM