He had what can conservatively be termed one of the most remarkable careers in show business.
The grounding centerpiece of a chaotic comedy band of five vaudevillians — all brothers of which three formed the performing core — Groucho Marx’s talents spanned the stage, movies, radio, tv and tv syndication. By the time he died in 1977 at age 86, he was a revered show business figure cherished by generations of fans.
It can be argued that the antics on display on the some two dozen Marx Brothers movies are a tad dated today. But Groucho’s tv incarnation remains contemporaneous, living on in DVD (a three-disc set, The Marx Brothers TV Collection, has just been released by Shout! Factory).
Yes, you undoubtedly recall Groucho’s distinctive stage presence, the bushy eyebrows topping a generous mustache, the omnipresent eyeglasses and cigar, the leering double-entendres (with inspiration from the young woman pictured above with our man; can you identify her?) and magnificently literate puns. But how much else do you know about this durable figure?
Thus our Groucho Marx Monday Quiz today, which necessarily covers his more antic freres. Our inspiration here is author Stefan Kanfer’s 2000 tome, GROUCHO: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx. Answers tomorrow.
1) Question: Which one of the following was NOT considered a member of the Marx Brothers? a) Milton (Gummo); b) Adolph (Harpo); c) Leonard (Chico) or d) Herbert (Zeppo).
2) Question: Groucho once affectionately described this non-relative performer as “the fifth Marx Brother.” Can you name this person? a) Ed Wynn; b) Bert Lahr; c) W.C. Fields or d) Margaret Dumont.
3) Question: Groucho’s mother, the former Minna Schoenberg, was the subject of a short lived Broadway musical in 1970. Can you name the show and the actress who played her?
4) Question: Which of the following was Marx Brothers’ final Hollywood movie? a) Love Happy; b) A Night at the Opera; c) A Day at the Races; or d) A Night In Casablanca.
5) Question: Groucho famously shifted his career into high gear as a single by hosting and starring in which one of these tv programs? a) What’s My Line; b) Who Said That?; c) Celebrity Billiards; or d) You Bet Your Life.
6) Question: The announcer for Groucho’s tv program (see question above) was also an actor of minor note. Can you identify him? a) Don Wilson; b) Don Pardo; c) George Fenneman; or d) Ed McMahon.
7) Question: The chief musical number in the Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers later became the theme song for Groucho’s famous tv program (see questions above). a) True; or b) False?
8) Question: Even though he prided himself that MGM was the haven of only the most prestigious Hollywood stars, Louis B. Mayer had a real soft spot for Groucho and his raffish brothers. a) True; or b) False?
9) Question: Groucho’s estate was subject to various legal action upon his death. Why? a) His three children were disinherited in his will; b) His butler stole freely from Groucho’s estate; c) The bank in charge of his estate awarded a judgement against Groucho’s final consort; or d) Unpaid income taxes.
10) Question: Who gave Marx the “Groucho” nickname, which he professed to hate? a) His Uncle Julius, for whom he was actually named; b) A fellow vaudeville performer named Art Fisher; c) His mother Minnie in commenting on Marx’s dour personality; or d) His brother Adolph.
Anyone else care to comment…
OK, let’s try and answer today’s quiz, or rather remember some of the questions and answers from their April 20/21, 2015 Harpo quiz…
1) Answer: a) Milton (Gummo) was really not part of the Marx Brothers act, at least not a core member. For example, he does not appear in any of the Brothers’ movies. Adolph (Harpo), Leonard (Chico) and Herbert (Zeppo) were core members as was, of course, Julius (Groucho).
2) Answer: Minnie’s Boys opened on Broadway in 1970, starring Shelley Winters as Groucho’s mother Minna. The show flopped.
3) Answer: Minnie’s Boys opened on Broadway in 1970, starring Shelley Winters as Groucho’s mother Minna. The show flopped.
4) Answer: a) The final Marx Brothers Hollywood movie is 1949’s Love Happy, a musical comedy featuring Ilona Massey, Vera-Ellen, a young Raymond Burr and an even younger Marilyn Monroe.
5) D
6) C
7) A -“Hooray For Captain Spaulding”
8) B
9) A – Protracted court battles over the disposition of his estate lasted well into the 1980s. Eventually, Arthur Marx and his sisters were awarded the bulk of the estate’s assets, and Erin Fleming was ordered to repay $472,000.
10) Well, every Joe & Frank quiz has it’s ‘trick’ question… And the truth is, Groucho himself gave various answers to confuse the issue.
As to why this nickname was picked, there are two popular explanations and one that for a long time was put forth by Groucho, which few believe. The first is that the name derived from Julius’ not-so-friendly demeanor. Julius denied this for most of his life. The second popular theory is that it had to do with an item he commonly carried with him, a big pouch-type container, popular at the time, called a “grouch bag” (a.k.a. a small purse that goes around your neck and under your shirt), where Groucho kept his money.
The origin story Groucho himself often put forth was that he got the nickname after “Groucho the Monk” from the Knocko the Monk comic strip. However, shortly before he died, Groucho said that he hadn’t been entirely honest about the origin of his name and that Al Fisher had given him the nickname because of a propensity towards moodiness. However, it isn’t clear if this is any more accurate than his “comic strip character” origin story.
And even on Wiki-pedia there’s NO TRUE ANSWER-
“Groucho himself was no help on this point; he was discussing the Brothers’ names during his Carnegie Hall concert, and he said of his own, “My name, of course, I never did understand.” He goes on to mention the possibility that he was named after his unemployed uncle Julius, who lived with his family. The family believed that he was a rich uncle hiding a fortune, and Groucho claimed that he may have been named after him by the family trying to get into the will. “And he finally died, and he left us his will, and in that will he left three razor blades, an 8-ball, a celluloid dicky, and he owed my father $85 beside.”
Comment Error if anyone’s interested…
2) D