Gustave Edwards (August 18, 1878 – November 7, 1945) was an American composer, songwriter and film director. He also was a vaudevillian , organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.
74-459: Gus Edwards may refer to: Gus Edwards (vaudevillian) (1878–1945), American songwriter and vaudevillian Harold Edwards (RCAF officer) (1892–1952), Royal Canadian Air Force air marshal, also known as Gus Edwards Gus Edwards (American football) (born 1995), American football running back [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with
148-516: A BBC interview in 1975, Marx called his greatest achievement having a book selected for cultural preservation in the Library of Congress. In a Cavett interview in 1971, Marx said being published in The New Yorker under his own name, Julius Henry Marx, meant more than all the plays he appeared in. As a man who never had formal schooling, to have his writings declared culturally important
222-758: A consolation prize). Throughout his career Marx introduced a number of memorable songs in films, including " Hooray for Captain Spaulding " and " Hello, I Must Be Going ", in Animal Crackers , " Whatever It Is, I'm Against It ", " Everyone Says I Love You " and " Lydia the Tattooed Lady ". Frank Sinatra , who once quipped that the only thing he could do better than Marx was sing, made a film with Marx and Jane Russell in 1951 entitled Double Dynamite . In public and off-camera, Harpo and Chico were hard to recognize without their wigs and costumes, and it
296-469: A curly red wig and became "Patsy Brannigan", a stereotypical Irish character. His discomfort when speaking on stage led to his uncle Al Shean's suggestion that he stop speaking altogether and play the role in mime. Julius Marx's character from "Fun In Hi Skule" was an ethnic German, so Julius played him with a German accent. After the sinking of the RMS ; Lusitania in 1915, public anti-German sentiment
370-813: A few stabs at entry-level office work and jobs suitable for adolescents, Marx took to the stage as a boy singer with the Gene Leroy Trio, debuting at the Ramona Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan , on July 16, 1905. Marx reputedly claimed that he was "hopelessly average" as a vaudevillian, but this was typical Marx, wisecracking in his true form. By 1909, Minnie Marx had assembled her sons into an undistinguished vaudeville singing group billed as "The Four Nightingales". The brothers Julius, Milton ( Gummo Marx ) and Arthur (originally Adolph, but Harpo Marx from 1911) and another boy singer, Lou Levy, traveled
444-465: A huge hit as The Life of Riley with William Bendix in the title role. By that time, the Marx Brothers as film performers had officially retired. Marx was scheduled to appear on a radio show with Bob Hope . Annoyed that he was made to wait in the green room for 40 minutes, he went on the air in a foul mood. Hope started by saying "Why, Groucho Marx! Groucho, what are you doing out here in
518-412: A large family, Mrs. Story is said to have replied, "I love my husband," to which Marx responded, "I love my cigar, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while." The remark was judged too risqué to be aired, according to the anecdote, and was edited out before broadcast. Charlotte Story and her husband Marion, indeed parents of 20 children, were real people who appeared on the program. Audio recordings of
592-527: A lifelong devotee of the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan , appeared as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, in a televised production of The Mikado on NBC 's The Bell Telephone Hour . A clip of this is in rotation on Classic Arts Showcase . Another TV show, Tell It to Groucho , premiered January 11, 1962, on CBS, but only lasted five months. On October 1, 1962, Marx, after acting as occasional guest host of The Tonight Show during
666-564: A neighborhood now known as Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side of the borough of Manhattan. His older brother Harpo , in his memoir Harpo Speaks , called the building "the first real home I knew". It was populated with European immigrants, mostly artisans. Just across the street were the oldest brownstones in the area, owned by people including the well-connected Loew Brothers and William Orth. The Marx family lived there "for about 14 years", Groucho also told Cavett. Marx's family
740-465: A newspaper want ad by a man named Robin Leroy who was looking for a boy to join his group as a singer. Marx was hired along with fellow vaudeville actor Johnny Morris. Through this act, Marx got his first taste of life as a vaudeville performer. In 1909, Marx and his brothers had become a group act, at first called The Three Nightingales and later The Four Nightingales. The brothers' mother, Minnie Marx ,
814-430: A noted vaudeville act of the early 20th century. According to Marx, when Shean visited, he would throw the local waifs a few coins so that when he knocked at the door he would be surrounded by adoring fans. Marx and his brothers respected his opinions and asked him on several occasions to write some material for them. Minnie Marx did not have an entertainment industry career but had intense ambition for her sons to go on
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#1732791431169888-420: A one-man, 90-minute interview. When Elton John was visiting California in 1972, he and Marx became friendly. Marx insisted on calling him "John Elton". According to writer Philip Norman , when Elton John was playing the piano at Marx's home, Marx jokingly pointed his index fingers as if holding a pair of six-shooters; John put up his hands and said, "Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player," thereby giving him
962-532: A one-piece mask consisting of horn-rimmed glasses , a large plastic nose, bushy eyebrows and brush mustache. Julius Henry Marx was born on October 2, 1890, in Manhattan , New York City. Marx stated that he was born in a room above a butcher's shop on East 78th Street, "Between Lexington and Third ", as he told Dick Cavett in a 1969 television interview. The Marx children grew up in a turn-of-the-century building at 179 East 93rd Street off Lexington Avenue in
1036-551: A quiz show!" Undeterred, Guedel proposed that the quiz would be only a backdrop for Marx's interviews of people, and the storm of ad-libbing that they would elicit. Marx replied, "Well, I've had no success in radio, and I can't hold on to a sponsor. At this point, I'll try anything!" You Bet Your Life debuted in October 1947 on ABC radio (which aired it from 1947 to 1949), sponsored by costume jewelry manufacturer Allen Gellman ; and then on CBS (1949–50), and finally NBC. The show
1110-425: A routine as a wisecracking hustler with a distinctive chicken-walking lope, an exaggerated greasepaint mustache and eyebrows and an ever-present cigar, improvising insults to stuffy dowagers (frequently played by Margaret Dumont ) and anyone else who stood in his way. As the Marx Brothers, he and his brothers starred in a series of popular stage shows and movies. Their first movie was a silent film made in 1921 that
1184-414: A short-lived variety show hosted by Bill Cosby . Fleming's influence on Marx was controversial. Some close to Marx believed that she did much to revive his popularity, and the relationship with a younger woman boosted his ego and vitality. Others described her as a Svengali , exploiting an increasingly frail Marx in pursuit of her own stardom. Marx's children, particularly Arthur, felt strongly that Fleming
1258-474: A singer at various lodge halls, on ferry boat lounges, in saloons, and even between bouts at the athletic clubs. As a very young boy, Edwards worked as a song plugger at Koster and Bial's , at Tony Pastor 's theatre, and at the Bowery Theatre . In those old vaudeville days, song publishers would often hire a very young boy to sit in the theatre, and immediately after a vaudeville star had sung one of
1332-417: A snarl, had Marx been Groucho instead of Karl." In his book The Groucho Phile , Marx says "I've been a liberal Democrat all my life", and "I frankly find Democrats a better, more sympathetic crowd.... I'll continue to believe that Democrats have a greater regard for the common man than Republicans do". However, during an episode of Firing Line on July 7, 1967, Marx admitted to voting for Wendell Willkie ,
1406-493: A stage prop. He debuted this new, and now much-older, appearance in Love Happy , the Marx Brothers's last film as a comedy team. Marx did paint the old character mustache over his real one on a few rare occasions, including a TV sketch with Jackie Gleason on the latter's variety show in the 1960s (in which they performed a variation on the song " Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean ", co-written by Marx's uncle Al Shean ) and
1480-614: A story in the February 1981 issue of High Times , relating how Marx prepared for the LSD-themed movie by taking a dose of the drug in Krassner's company, and had a moving, largely pleasant experience. Marx developed friendships with rock star Alice Cooper —the two were photographed together for Rolling Stone magazine—and television host Dick Cavett , becoming a frequent guest on Cavett's late-night talk show, even appearing in
1554-467: A vaudeville agent, saw him performing. He booked a tour for Edwards and four other boys as The Newsboys Quintet act. In 1898, while performing in this act, Edwards wrote his first song, to a lyric by Tom Daly , "All I Want is My Black Baby Back". Edwards could not write music at that time, so he hired Charles Previn to write down the notes. May Irwin sang the song in her act, and helped to popularize it. While entertaining soldiers at Camp Black, during
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#17327914311691628-833: The Lane Sisters , and Ina Ray Hutton . He wrote the Broadway stage scores for "When We Were Forty-One", "Hip Hip Hooray", "The Merry-Go-Round", " School Days ", "Ziegfeld Follies of 1910", "Sunbonnet Sue", and "Show Window". He founded the Gus Edwards Music Hall in New York, and also his own publishing company, then produced special subjects for films, and returned to vaudeville between 1930 and 1937, finally retiring in 1939. His chief musical collaborators included Edward Madden , Will Cobb , and Robert B. Smith . His other popular-song compositions include "Meet Me Under
1702-689: The Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California, to mediocre reviews. Penned by Groucho Marx and Norman Krasna, the play was rewritten and retitled Time for Elizabeth , and opened at the Fulton Theatre in New York City on September 27, 1948, where it closed after only eight performances. By the time You Bet Your Life debuted on TV on October 5, 1950, Marx had grown a real mustache (which he had already sported earlier in
1776-540: The "lousy amateurs". The musicians discovered him conducting the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the overture to Tannhäuser in Hecht's living room. Marx was allowed to join the symphonietta. Later in life, Marx would sometimes note to talk show hosts, not entirely jokingly, that he was unable to actually insult anyone, because the target of his comment would assume that it
1850-598: The 1930s, Edwards had a weekly program, School Days of the Air , on KFWB in Los Angeles, California. Edwards was the brother of composer Leo Edwards , music publisher and talent agent Ben Edwards , and vaudeville songstress Dorothea Edwards. He was the uncle of Joan Edwards and Jack Edwards. Bing Crosby played Edwards in a fictionalized version of his life in the 1939 film The Star Maker , directed by Roy Del Ruth . Edwards himself made few screen appearances,
1924-433: The 1968 Otto Preminger film Skidoo . In his late 70s at the time, Marx remarked on his appearance: "I looked like I was embalmed." He played a mob boss called "God" and, according to Marx, "both my performance and the film were God-awful!" The exaggerated walk, with one hand on the small of his back and his torso bent almost 90 degrees at the waist, was a parody of a fad from the 1880s and 1890s. Fashionable young men of
1998-497: The Broadway circuit. All of this stage work predated their Hollywood career. By the time the Marxes made their first movie, they were already major stars with sharply honed skills; and by the time Groucho was relaunched to stardom in television on You Bet Your Life , he had been performing successfully for half a century. Marx started his career in vaudeville in 1905 when he joined up with an act called The Leroy Trio. He answered
2072-482: The Fenneman role. However, it was poorly received and lasted only 11 weeks. Marx appeared as a gangster named God in the comedy movie Skidoo (1968), directed by Otto Preminger , and starring Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing . It was released by the studio where the Marx Brothers began their film career, Paramount Pictures . The film received almost universally negative reviews. Writer Paul Krassner published
2146-468: The House Chamber for the first time in this trendy, affected gait, somewhat to the amusement of the older and more rural members. Marx exaggerated this fad to a marked degree, and the comedic effect was enhanced by how out of date the fashion was by the 1940s and 1950s. Marx's three marriages ended in divorce. His first wife was chorus girl Ruth Johnson (m. 1920–1942). He was 29 and she was 19 at
2220-505: The Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca , Marx created a storyline that Warner Bros. Pictures threatened to sue him, contending that that title was too similar to their 1942 film Casablanca . Groucho wrote open letters "responding" to the four Warner brothers , including one in which he questions their own use of various words, such as: wondering if "in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, your great-great-grandfather,... stumbled on
2294-494: The Opera . Furious with the Marx Brothers' ad-libs and antics on the set, Wood yelled in disgust: "You can't make an actor out of clay." Marx responded, "Nor a director out of Wood." Marx also worked as a radio comedian and show host. One of his earliest stints was a short-lived series in 1932, Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel , costarring Chico. Though most of the scripts and discs were thought to have been destroyed, all but one of
Gus Edwards - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-451: The Races . Marx made serious efforts to learn to play the guitar. In the 1932 film Horse Feathers , he performs the film's love theme "Everyone Says I Love You" for costar Thelma Todd on a Gibson L-5 . In July 1937, an America-vs.-England pro-celebrity tennis doubles match was organized, featuring Marx and Ellsworth Vines playing against Charlie Chaplin and Fred Perry , to open
2442-469: The Republican candidate for president in 1940, over Franklin D. Roosevelt , stating that he did not believe that any man should run for more than two terms. Marx mentioned in a television interview that he disliked the women's liberation movement . Marx's radio career was not as successful as his work on stage and in film, though historians such as Gerald Nachman and Michael Barson suggest that, in
2516-483: The Spanish–American War, Edwards met lyricist Will Cobb , and they formed "Words and Music", a partnership that lasted for many years. He was a vaudeville singer, and later had his own vaudeville company. He discovered Walter Winchell , Elsie Janis , George Jessel , Eddie Cantor , Groucho Marx , Phil Silvers , Lila Lee , Georgie Price, Eleanor Powell , Hildegarde , Ray Bolger , Sally Rand , Jack Pearl ,
2590-575: The U.S. vaudeville circuits to little fanfare. After exhausting their prospects in the East, the family moved to La Grange, Illinois , to play the Midwest. After a particularly dispiriting performance in Nacogdoches, Texas , Julius, Milton, and Arthur began cracking jokes onstage for their own amusement. Much to their surprise, the audience liked them better as comedians than as singers. They modified
2664-942: The Wisteria", " By the Light of the Silvery Moon ", "I Can't Tell You Why I Love You but I Do", "Goodbye, Little Girl, Goodbye", "I Just Can't Make My Eyes Behave", "I'll Be With You When the Roses Bloom Again", "He's My Pal", "Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield", "In Zanzibar", "If a Girl Like You Loved a Boy Like Me", "Jimmy Valentine", "If I Were a Millionaire", "Laddie Boy" and " In My Merry Oldsmobile ". Some other songs include "America Never Took Water and America Never Will", "Au Revoir", "Good Bye and Luck Be with You Laddie Boy", "He Long and Lean and Lanky", "Keep on A-Going", "Mothers of Men" and "My Rainbow Ribbon Girl". In
2738-404: The case of the single-season Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel (1932), the failure may have been a combination of a poor time slot and the Marx Brothers' returning to Hollywood to make another film. In the mid-1940s, he weathered a depressing lull in his career. His radio show Blue Ribbon Town had failed, and he was unable to sell his proposed sitcom The Flotsam Family only to see it become
2812-460: The desert?" Marx retorted, "Huh, desert, I've been sitting in the dressing room for forty minutes! Some desert alright ...". Marx continued to ignore the script, ad-libbing at length, and took it well beyond its allotted time slot. Listening in on the show was producer John Guedel , who had a brainstorm. He approached Marx about doing a quiz show, to which Marx derisively retorted, "A quiz show? Only actors who are completely washed up resort to
2886-589: The effects of tearing an adhesive bandage off the same patch of skin every night). After applying the greasepaint mustache, a quick glance in the mirror revealed his natural hair eyebrows were too undertoned and did not match the rest of his face, so Marx added the greasepaint to his eyebrows and headed for the stage. The absurdity of the greasepaint was never discussed on-screen, but in a famous scene in Duck Soup , where both Chicolini (Chico) and Pinky (Harpo) disguise themselves as Groucho, they are briefly seen applying
2960-424: The episode as fact, but co-writer Hector Arce relied mostly on sources other than Marx himself—who was by then in his mid eighties, in ill health and mentally compromised—and was probably unaware that Marx had specifically denied making the observation. Head writer Bernie Smith recalled in a 1996 interview that the remark was indeed made—but again, well after the fact. In 1946, as part of the marketing campaign for
3034-548: The films Copacabana and Love Happy ). During a tour of Germany in 1958, accompanied by then-wife Eden, daughter Melinda, Robert Dwan and Dwan's daughter Judith, he climbed a pile of rubble that marked the site of Adolf Hitler 's bunker , the site of Hitler's death, and performed a two-minute Charleston . He later remarked to Richard J. Anobile in The Marx Brothers Scrapbook, "Not much satisfaction after he killed six million Jews!" In 1960, Marx,
Gus Edwards - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-459: The greasepaint, implicitly answering any question a viewer might have had about where he got his mustache and eyebrows. Marx was asked to apply the greasepaint mustache once more for You Bet Your Life when it came to television, but he refused, opting instead to grow a real one, which he wore for the rest of his life. By this time, his eyesight had weakened enough for him to actually need corrective lenses; before then, his eyeglasses had merely been
3182-415: The host of the game show You Bet Your Life . His distinctive appearance, carried over from his days in vaudeville, included quirks such as an exaggerated stooped posture, spectacles, cigar, and a thick greasepaint mustache (later a real mustache) and eyebrows. These exaggerated features resulted in the creation of one of the most recognizable and ubiquitous novelty disguises, known as Groucho glasses :
3256-519: The interview exist, and a reference to cigars is made ("With each new kid, do you go around passing out cigars?"), but there is no evidence of the claimed remark. "I get credit all the time for things I never said," Marx told Roger Ebert in 1972. "You know that line in You Bet Your Life ? The guy says he has seventeen kids and I say, 'I smoke a cigar, but I take it out of my mouth occasionally'? I never said that." Marx's 1976 memoir recounts
3330-455: The letters written by Marx, who donated his letters to the Library of Congress . His daughter Miriam published a collection of his letters to her in 1992 titled Love, Groucho. In Life with Groucho: A Son's Eye View , Arthur Marx relates that in his latter years, Groucho increasingly referred to himself by the name Hackenbush, referring to the character of that name he played in A Day at
3404-487: The mid-1970s, episodes of the show were syndicated and rebroadcast as The Best of Groucho . The program's theme music was an instrumental version of " Hooray for Captain Spaulding ," which became increasingly identified as Marx's personal theme song. A recording of the song with Marx and the Ken Lane singers with an orchestra directed by Victor Young was released in 1952. Another recording made by Marx during this period
3478-484: The most notable being The Hollywood Revue of 1929 , in which he performs as part of a vaudeville act. He also wrote all the music for The Hollywood Revue of 1929 , as credited in the closing credits of the production, with the exception of " Singin' in the Rain " with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown . He also performs a specialty number: " Lon Chaney 's Gonna Get You If You Don't Watch Out". Edwards
3552-479: The network from what was considered risqué, since Marx was a notorious loose cannon and known to say almost anything. The television show ran for 11 seasons until it was canceled in 1961. Ironically longtime major sponsor, automobile marque DeSoto went out of business for declining sales that same year. For the DeSoto ads, Marx would sometimes say: "Tell 'em Groucho sent you", or "Try a DeSoto before you decide." In
3626-576: The new clubhouse at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club. Marx appeared on court with twelve rackets and a suitcase, leaving Chaplin—who took tennis seriously—bemused, before he asked what was in it. Marx asked Chaplin what was in his, with Chaplin responding he didn't have one. Marx replied, "What kind of tennis player are you?" After playing only a few games, Marx sat on the court and unpacked an elaborate picnic lunch from his suitcase. Irving Berlin quipped: "The world would not be in such
3700-540: The publisher's songs, the youngster would stand up in the audience, and pretending to be completely overcome by the song, break out in an "extemporaneous" solo of the same tune. In this way, the young Edwards would often sit in a balcony seat, and then stand and repeat a song that vaudeville stars such as Maggie Cline , Lottie Gilson or Emma Carus had just sung. In 1896, Edwards was 17 years old and appearing at Johnny Palmer's Gaiety Saloon in Brooklyn , when James Hyde,
3774-477: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gus_Edwards&oldid=1182657172 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Gus Edwards (vaudevillian) Edwards
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#17327914311693848-399: The scripts were found in 1988 in the Library of Congress . In 1947, Marx was asked to host a radio quiz program You Bet Your Life . It was broadcast by ABC and then CBS before moving to NBC. It moved from radio to television on October 5, 1950, and ran for eleven years. It was largely sponsored by DeSoto automobiles and Marx sometimes appeared in the commercials. Filmed before an audience,
3922-431: The shores of Africa and... named it Casablanca"; suggesting that " [David] Burbank 's survivors aren't too happy with the fact that" Warner Bros. Burbank, California studios are called their "Burbank studios"; and even suggesting a Marx Brothers legal action addressing "What about 'Warner Brothers'? ... Professionally, we were brothers long before you were." On August 5, 1948, Marx's comedy play April Fool premiered at
3996-510: The show consisted of Marx bantering with the contestants and ad-libbing jokes before briefly quizzing them. The announcer for the show was George Fenneman . The show was responsible for popularizing the phrases "Say the secret word and the duck will come down and give you fifty dollars," "Who's buried in Grant's Tomb ?" and "What color is the White House ?" (asked to reward a losing contestant
4070-530: The six-month interval between Jack Paar and Johnny Carson , introduced Carson as the new host. In 1964, Marx starred in the "Time for Elizabeth" episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre , a truncated version of a play that he and Norman Krasna wrote in 1948. In 1965, Marx starred in a weekly show for British TV titled Groucho , broadcast on ITV . The program was along similar lines to You Bet Your Life , with Keith Fordyce taking on
4144-495: The stage like their uncle. While pushing her second son Leonard ( Chico Marx ) in piano lessons, she found that Julius had a pleasant soprano voice and the ability to remain on key. Julius's early career goal was to become a doctor, but the family's need for income forced him out of school at the age of twelve. By that time Julius had become a voracious reader, particularly fond of Horatio Alger . Marx continued to overcome his lack of formal education by becoming very well-read. After
4218-532: The then-popular Gus Edwards comedy skit "School Days" and renamed it "Fun In Hi Skule". The Marx Brothers performed variations on this routine for the next seven years. For a time in Vaudeville, all the brothers performed using ethnic accents. Leonard, the oldest, developed the Italian accent he used as Chico Marx to convince some roving bullies that he was Italian, not Jewish. Arthur, the next oldest, donned
4292-437: The time of their wedding. The couple had two children, Arthur Marx and Miriam Marx . His second wife was Kay Marvis (m. 1945–1951), née Catherine Dittig, former wife of Leo Gorcey . Marx was 54 and Kay was 21 at the time of their marriage. They had a daughter, Melinda Marx , whose daughter Jade Berti was formerly married to Dominic Ruiz, brother of Dina Eastwood . His third wife was actress Eden Hartford (m. 1954–1969). He
4366-711: The title of the album he had just completed . A film poster for the Marx Bros. film Go West is visible on the album cover photograph as an homage to Marx. Elton John accompanied Marx to a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar . As the lights went down, Marx called out, "Does it have a happy ending?" And during the Crucifixion scene, he declared, "This is sure to offend the Jews." Marx's previous work regained popularity; new books of transcribed conversations were published by Richard J. Anobile and Charlotte Chandler . In
4440-470: The upper classes would affect a walk with their right hand held fast to the base of their spines, and with a slight lean forward at the waist and a very slight twist toward the right with the left shoulder, allowing the left hand to swing free with the gait. Edmund Morris, in his biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt , describes a young Roosevelt, newly elected to the State Assembly, walking into
4514-529: Was "The Funniest Song in the World," released on the Young People's Records label in 1949. It was a series of five original children's songs with a connecting narrative about a monkey and his fellow zoo creatures. One of Marx's most oft-quoted remarks may have occurred during a 1947 radio episode. Marx was interviewing Charlotte Story, who had borne 20 children. When Marx asked why she had chosen to raise such
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#17327914311694588-444: Was 64 and she was 24 at the time of their wedding. During the early 1950s, Marx described his perfect woman: "Someone who looks like Marilyn Monroe and talks like George S. Kaufman ." Marx was denied membership in an informal symphonietta of friends (including Harpo) organized by Ben Hecht , because he could play only the mandolin. When the group began its first rehearsal at Hecht's home, Marx rushed in and demanded silence from
4662-510: Was Jewish. His mother was Miene "Minnie" Schoenberg , whose family came from Dornum in northern Germany when she was 16 years old. His father was Simon "Sam" Marx , who changed his name from Marrix, and was called "Frenchie" by his sons throughout his life, because he and his family came from Alsace in France. Minnie's brother was Al Schoenberg, who shortened his name to Al Shean when he went into show business as half of Gallagher and Shean ,
4736-454: Was a Groucho-esque joke, and would laugh. Despite his lack of formal education, he wrote many books, including his autobiography, Groucho and Me , (1959) and Memoirs of a Mangy Lover (1963). He was a friend of such literary figures as Booth Tarkington , T. S. Eliot , and Carl Sandburg . Much of his personal correspondence with those and other figures is featured in the book The Groucho Letters (1967) with an introduction and commentary on
4810-746: Was a founding member of ASCAP in 1914 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. Edwards was married to the former Lillian Boulanger, who worked with him in putting on revues and cultivating performers. He died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California, on November 7, 1945, aged 66. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. Note: All shows are musicals unless otherwise stated. Posthumously : Groucho Marx Julius Henry " Groucho " Marx ( / ˈ ɡ r aʊ tʃ oʊ / ; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977)
4884-509: Was a point of great satisfaction. As he passed his 81st birthday in 1971, Marx became increasingly frail, physically and mentally, as a result of a succession of minor strokes and other health issues. In 1972, largely at the behest of his companion Erin Fleming , Marx staged a live one-man show at Carnegie Hall that was later released as a double album, An Evening with Groucho , on A&M Records . He also made an appearance in 1973 on
4958-405: Was almost impossible for fans to recognize Groucho without his trademark eyeglasses, fake eyebrows, and mustache. The greasepaint mustache and eyebrows originated spontaneously prior to a vaudeville performance in the early 1920s when he did not have time to apply the pasted-on mustache he had been using (or, according to his autobiography, simply did not enjoy the removal of the mustache because of
5032-504: Was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He was a master of quick wit and is considered one of America's greatest comedians. Marx made 13 feature films as a team with his brothers, who performed under the name the Marx Brothers , of whom he was the third born. He also had a successful solo career, primarily on radio and television, most notably as
5106-404: Was mostly ad-libbed and unscripted — although writers did pre-interview the guests and feed Marx ready-made lines in advance — the producers insisted that the network prerecord it instead of it being broadcast live. There were three reasons for this: prerecording provided Marx with time to fish around for funny exchanges, any intervening dead spots could be edited out; and most importantly to protect
5180-431: Was on radio only from 1947 to 1950; on both radio and television from 1950 to 1960; and on television only, from 1960 to 1961. The show proved a huge hit, being one of the most popular on television by the mid-1950s, garnering a number one rating in 1953. With George Fenneman as his announcer and straight man, Marx entertained his audiences with rapier wit and improvised conversation with his guests. Since You Bet Your Life
5254-460: Was only shown once, in the Bronx, and is believed to have been destroyed shortly afterward. A decade later, the team made their last two Broadway shows— The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers —into movies. Other successful films were Monkey Business , Horse Feathers , Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera . One quip from Marx concerned his response to Sam Wood , the director of A Night at
5328-564: Was the group's manager, putting them together and booking their shows. The group had a rocky start, performing in less than adequate venues and rarely, if ever, being paid for their performances. Eventually brother Milton (Gummo) left the act to serve in World War I and was replaced by Herbert (Zeppo) , and the group became known as the Marx Brothers . Their first successful show was Fun In Hi Skule (1910). Marx made 26 movies, including 13 with his brothers Chico and Harpo. Marx developed
5402-606: Was the son of Morris and Johanna Simon. He was born Gustav Schmelowsky in Inowrazlaw, German Empire (present-day Inowrocław, Poland). His family boarded the steamship Spaarndam as steerage passengers; they arrived at the Port of New York on 29 July 1891 ending up in Williamsburg . During the day, he worked in the family cigar store, and in the evenings, he wandered looking for any sort of show business job. He found work as
5476-486: Was widespread, and Marx's German character was booed, so he dropped the accent and developed the fast-talking wise-guy character that became his trademark. The Marx Brothers became the biggest comedic stars of the Palace Theatre in New York, which billed itself as the "Valhalla of Vaudeville". Brother Chico's deal-making skills resulted in three hit plays on Broadway . No other comedy routine had ever so infected
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