The oldest, Manfred, died at six months Leonard who became Chico was born on March 22, , and Julius who became Groucho was born on October 2, Two other brothers - Milton Gummo was born in and Herbert Zeppo was born in My Dad grew up poor in turn of the century New York City.
He wasn't exactly a scholar and he dropped out of school literally when two classmates threw him out the window of his second grade class. But from that moment on he was a true "student of life. He even played piano in a whorehouse!
But the pull of the theater was too strong for him. Or should I say his mother pulled him off a piano stool in a nickelodeon and dragged him into a singing act she'd created with Groucho, Julius , Gummo and another guy.
However it happened, my Dad stayed in show biz pretty much from then on. The singing group became a comedy troupe. Brother Chico joined the act. And so did Brother Zeppo when Brother Gummo left. And at some much earlier point, my dad changed his name from Adolph to Arthur. Those adventures include visiting Russia in the s to become the first American to perform in the Soviet Union after the United States government officially recognized it.
The more ancient among the patrons of the two-a-day will remember the Manhattan Comedy Four of which he was a prankful member and many more will recall the insidious ditty entitled Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean with which this land was cursed a few years ago. Well, that Mr. When Mrs. Marx grimly made a vaudeville act out of her own struggling off spring, her instinct for the difficulties of the game called Pigs-in-Clover made her discreet enough to employ only two of the boys at first.
The thought of him left behind when the act should go on tour proved too much for the ample heart in the bosom of that combined mother and manager, Minnie Marx. At the last moment, she appeared dramatically on the steps of the Seville, flung him into a cab, rushed him to Coney Island where the act was booked for the week and fairly pushed him onto the stage.
As there had been no preparation, he had nothing to do and, like the House of Peers throughout the war, he did it very well. The history of the Marx Brothers in the vaudeville halls of the South and the Middle West is an exhilarating chapter in the story of American vagabondage. For years they were billed as The Four Marx Brothers except on the rare occasions when they would be joined by an aunt or two. I think Mrs. Without batting an eyelash, this great lady announced with an exaggeration amounting almost to perjury that her fifth and last was ready to take his place.
So her set is still unbroken in The Cocoanuts but eighteen years had to slip by before her dream came true. It was not until the Spring of , however, that the workmen began to erect such a sign over the portals of the old Casino Theatre.
For this occasion, Mrs. Marx felt that nothing short of a new gown would do, for she intended to sweep majestically to the proscenium box on the opening night. In anticipation, she was standing on a chair while the dressmaker fluttered about her, when the chair failed basely at its not inconsiderable role and Mrs.
Marx broke an ankle. Bill is in the back row on the left. Was there one thing about his father that left an indelible imprint on his heart and mind? Current Stories. Palm Springs Life. The Guide. Calendar of Events. Submit Events. Our Events. Be Well. Top Dentists. Top Doctors. Things To Do. Day Trips.
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