110-530: Marquette Apartments is a historic apartment building located at 701 Main Street in Peoria , Illinois . The building was built in 1924 to help meet the need for housing in downtown Peoria, as the number of downtown workers looking for housing near their jobs was growing rapidly. Peoria architects Hewitt & Emerson designed the apartments; while the firm was known for its classically inspired designs, they produced
220-516: 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
330-602: A property in Peoria County, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( / p i ˈ ɔːr i ə / pee- OR -ee-ə ) is a city in and county seat of Peoria County, Illinois , United States. Located on the Illinois River , the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 census , making it
440-505: A $ 55 million renovation and expansion by 2007. The Hotel Pere Marquette finished renovations in 2013 with a skyway linking to the Peoria Civic Center. A new 10-story Courtyard has been built adjacent to this hotel, completing a hotel campus for larger conventions. The Civic Center hosts a variety of events in its arena, convention center, and theatre, including Bradley Braves men's basketball , Peoria Rivermen (SPHL) ,
550-758: 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
660-469: 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
770-655: A dog park. Peoria has five public golf courses , as well as several private and semi-private golf courses. The Peoria Park District, the first and still largest park district in Illinois, was the 2001 Winner of the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation for Class II Parks. Various cultural institutions are located in Glen Oak Park. The Peoria Zoo , formerly Glen Oak Zoo,
880-813: 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
990-462: A grade school, middle school, and high school. In addition, Concordia Lutheran School, Peoria Academy, Christ Lutheran School, Peoria Hebrew Day School , and several smaller private schools exist. Bradley University , Methodist College , OSF St. Francis College of Nursing, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, and the north campus of Illinois Central College are based in
1100-465: 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
1210-412: 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
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#17327731212161320-527: 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
1430-533: A more modern design for the building. The building has a three-story mixed-use layout, with commercial space on the first floor and residential space on the upper two; unlike smaller mixed-use buildings, the apartments have internal corridors and common entrances for residents. It is the only building of its type remaining in downtown Peoria. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 2016. This article about
1540-698: A museum and visitor center showcasing Caterpillar past, present, and future. It is located in downtown Peoria along the Illinois River at the site formerly known as the Sears Block or Washington Square. The Block broke ground on September 7, 2010 and opened in October 2012. The Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum opened in June 2015 in the Glen Oak Pavilion. The Heart of Illinois Fair
1650-564: 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
1760-465: 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 ,
1870-430: 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
1980-420: 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
2090-532: 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
2200-583: A performer on North Washington Street in the early 1960s. In 2021, Rita Ali became Peoria's first female and African American mayor. According to the 2010 census, Peoria has a total area of 50.23 square miles (130.10 km ), of which 48.01 square miles (124.35 km ) (or 95.58%) is land and 2.22 square miles (5.75 km ) (or 4.42%) is water. Peoria has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ), with cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers. Monthly daily mean temperatures range from 22.5 °F (−5.3 °C) to 75.2 °F (24.0 °C). Snowfall
2310-496: 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
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#17327731212162420-425: 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
2530-414: 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
2640-417: 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 ,
2750-493: 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
2860-614: 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
2970-518: Is common in the winter, averaging 26.3 inches (67 cm), but this figure varies considerably from year to year. Precipitation, averaging 36 inches (914 mm), peaks in the spring and summer, and is the lowest in winter. Extremes have ranged from −27 °F (−33 °C) in January 1884 to 113 °F (45 °C) in July 1936. According to the 2021 American Community Survey , Peoria's poverty rate
3080-638: Is conducted in Peoria annually. While the Renaissance Park research park project never came to full fruition, many of the original ideas from the original Renaissance Park concept still continue on a smaller level via The Renaissance Park Community Association. Businesses in Peoria with significant presence include: According to the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council's data, the top employers in
3190-579: Is continually rated as one of the 100 top art fairs in the nation. The Peoria Park District also partners with a variety of organizations to annually host Fiesta en el Rio, Peoria Irish Fest, River City Soul Fest and Gospel Fest, India Fest, Peoria Irish Fest, and Oktoberfest. The Peoria Symphony Orchestra is the 14th oldest in the nation. Peoria is also home to the Peoria Municipal Band, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale,
3300-647: Is divided into five districts. Five council members are elected at-large via cumulative voting . The Township of the City of Peoria (also City of Peoria Township) is a separate government from the City of Peoria, and performs the functions of civil township government in most of the city. The township was created by the Peoria County Board to match the boundaries of the City of Peoria, which until then had overlapped portions of Peoria Township (now West Peoria Township ) and Richwoods Township . The border of
3410-473: Is located in Peoria. This is one of the labs where mass production of penicillin was developed. Northwoods Mall is the largest shopping mall in both Peoria and the Tri-County area. Other retail centers include The Shoppes at Grand Prairie , Junction City Shopping Center, Campustown Shopping Center, Sheridan Village, Metro Centre, Willow Knolls Court, and Westlake Shopping Center. Renaissance Park
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3520-403: Is planned to be completed by the end of 2025. The world headquarters for Caterpillar Inc. was based in Peoria for over 110 years until the company announced it was moving to Deerfield, Illinois in late-2017. It still remains a significant economic driver in the city, and is Peoria's the second-biggest employer. Health care has become a major part of Peoria's economy. Peoria was ranked as
3630-613: The Children's Hospital of Illinois . In 2023, Carle Health finalized a deal to purchase Methodist and Proctor Hospitals from UnityPoint. It is currently the third-biggest employer in the city, behind OSF HealthCare and Caterpillar Inc. In addition to the three major hospitals, the USDA 's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research , formerly called the USDA Northern Regional Research Lab,
3740-689: 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
3850-528: The eighth-most populous city in Illinois . It is the principal city of the Peoria metropolitan area in Central Illinois , consisting of the counties of Fulton , Marshall , Peoria , Stark , Tazewell , and Woodford which had a population of 402,391 in 2020. Established in 1691 by the French explorer Henri de Tonti , Peoria is the oldest permanent European settlement in Illinois, according to
3960-447: The poverty line . Peoria's first major industry was started in 1830 by John Hamlin and John Sharp, who constructed the flour mill on Kickapoo Creek . In 1837, another industry was begun with E.F. Nowland's pork planting industry. Many other industries started slowly in Peoria including carriage factories, pottery makers, wholesale warehousing, casting foundries, glucose factories, ice harvesting, and furniture makers. Peoria became
4070-779: The vaudeville era and is often spuriously attributed to Groucho Marx . Museums in the city include the Peoria Riverfront Museum , the Pettengill–Morron House and the John C. Flanagan House (both of which are managed by the Peoria Historical Society), and the Peoria Playhouse Children's Museum. Wheels o' Time Museum is near Peoria. Peoria is the oldest European settlement in Illinois, as explorers first ventured up
4180-540: 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
4290-478: The "world's most beautiful drive" during a 1910 visit, runs through both Peoria and Peoria Heights . In addition to Grandview Drive, the Peoria Park District contains 9,000 acres (36 km ) of parks and trails, making it the largest park system in Illinois. The Illinois River Bluff Trail connects four Peoria Park District parks: Camp Wokanda, Robinson Park, Green Valley Camp, and Detweiller Park;
4400-433: 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
4510-553: 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
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4620-613: The Civil War came from Peoria's district, largely due to distilleries and breweries. Peoria also was one of the major bootlegging areas during Prohibition and home to the famed mobsters, the Shelton brothers . That great success placed Peoria into a building boom of beautiful private homes, schools, parks, churches, as well as municipal buildings. In addition to the distilleries came farm machinery manufacturing by William Nurse in 1837. Also, two men called Toby and Anderson brought
4730-482: 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
4840-468: 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
4950-666: The IHSA State Chess Championship. Which claims to be the largest chess team tournament in the United States: Beginning in 2018, the teams were narrowed to 128 by the use of sectional elimination competitions, and as of 2018 the tournament has about 1500 players, including up to 8 players and 4 alternates per team. Library services in Peoria originated in 1855 with two rival libraries, the Peoria Mercantile Library and
5060-544: The Illinois River from the Mississippi. The lands that eventually would become Peoria were first settled by Europeans in 1680, when French explorers René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Henri de Tonti constructed Fort Crevecoeur . This fort would later burn to the ground, and in 1813, Fort Clark, Illinois was built. When the County of Peoria was organized in 1825, Fort Clark was officially named Peoria. Peoria
5170-652: The Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Originally known as Fort Clark, it received its current name when the County of Peoria was organized in 1825. The city was named after the Peoria people , a member of the Illinois Confederation . On October 16, 1854, Abraham Lincoln made his Peoria speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act . Prior to prohibition, Peoria was the center of the whiskey industry in
5280-505: 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
5390-494: 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
5500-788: The Peoria Library, which consolidated in 1856 as the Peoria City Library, and contained over 1,500 volumes. The Peoria Public Library has five locations, including the Main Library in downtown Peoria, the Lincoln Branch , a Carnegie library opened in 1911, the Lakeview Branch, McClure Branch, and North Branch. (Rugby Football Club) Robertson Field House Professional Baseball League Grandview Drive , which Theodore Roosevelt purportedly called
5610-451: 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
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#17327731212165720-469: 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
5830-692: The Rock Island Greenway (13 miles) connects the State of Illinois Rock Island trail traveling north to Toulon, IL and also connects southeast to East Peoria, IL and to the Morton Community Bikeway. Other parks include the Forest Park Nature Center , which features seven miles of hiking trails through prairie openings and forested woodlands, Glen Oak Park, and Bradley Park, which features disc golf as well as
5940-575: 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
6050-636: The United States. More than 12 distilleries operated in Peoria by the end of the 19th century, more than any other city in the U.S. A major port on the Illinois River , Peoria is a trading and shipping center for a large agricultural area that produces corn, soybeans, and livestock. Although the economy is well diversified, the city's traditional manufacturing industries remain important and produce earthmoving equipment, metal products, lawn-care equipment, labels, steel towers, farm equipment, building materials, steel, wire, and chemicals. Until 2018, Peoria
6160-598: The Youth Music Illinois (formerly known as Central Illinois Youth Symphony), Central Illinois Ballet, and the Peoria Ballet. Several community and professional theaters have their home in and around Peoria, including the Peoria Players, which is the fourth-oldest community theater in the nation and the oldest in Illinois. Corn Stock Theatre is another community theater company in Peoria, and is
6270-423: The age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. Individuals made up 33.2% of all households, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04. The age distribution of city population was the following: 25.7% under
6380-407: The age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 36,397. The per capita income for the city was $ 20,512. Some 18.8% of the population was below
6490-404: 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
6600-820: The city are: Museums in Peoria include the Pettengill-Morron House , the John C Flanagan House of the Peoria Historical Society, and the Wheels o' Time Museum . The Museum Block, opened on October 12, 2012, houses the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Caterpillar World Visitors Center. The Museum Block, also known as Museum Square, is a $ 100+ million project that contains the Peoria Riverfront Museum and The Caterpillar Experience,
6710-842: The city. The former Peoria campus of Roosevelt University is now closed. Additionally, Eureka College and the main campus of Illinois Central College are located nearby in Eureka and East Peoria , respectively. As of 2024 Nielsen ratings , Peoria is the 157th largest radio market in the United States and Peoria-Bloomington is the 122nd largest television market in the United States. The area has 14 commercial radio stations with six owners among them; four non-commercial full-power radio stations, each separately owned; five commercial television stations with two operating owners among them; one non-commercial television station; and one daily newspaper ( Peoria Journal Star ). Groucho Marx Julius Henry " Groucho " Marx ( / ˈ ɡ r aʊ tʃ oʊ / ; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977)
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#17327731212166820-507: The city. The population density was 2,543 inhabitants per square mile (982/km ). There were 52,621 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 62.4% White , 26.9% Black or African American , 0.3% Native American , 4.6% Asian , and 3.6% of mixed races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population. The city has a sizable, established Lebanese population with a long history in local business and government. There were 45,199 households, out of which 29.0% had children under
6930-586: The cycle manufacturers, developed the first commercially available gasoline-powered automobile in the U.S. in 1893. At the time agricultural implement production declined, which led the earth moving and tractor equipment companies to skyrocket and make Peoria in this field the world leader. In 1925, Caterpillar Tractor Co. was formed from California-based companies, Benjamin Holt Co. and the C.L. Best Tractor Co. Robert G. LeTourneau 's earth moving company began its production of new scrapers and dozers in 1935, which evolved into Komatsu-Dresser, Haulpak Division. Today,
7040-460: 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
7150-534: 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
7260-424: 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
7370-468: 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,
7480-401: The first world leader for distilleries thanks to Andrew Eitle (1837), Almiron S. Cole (1844), and Joseph B. Greenhut. Between 1837 and 1919, Peoria held over 24 distilleries and 73 breweries. Together, they produced the highest amount of internal revenue tax on alcohol (also known as ' Sin Tax ') of any single revenue district in the entire United States; as much as 50% of tax revenue during
7590-441: The former area of Richwoods and what is now West Peoria Township . This township has the following neighborhoods: * - unincorporated towns that were assimilated by the City of Peoria: Peoria is divided between several public K-12 school districts: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria runs six schools in the city: five grade schools and Peoria Notre Dame High School . Non-denominational Peoria Christian School operates
7700-459: 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
7810-415: 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 :
7920-519: 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
8030-488: The joint venture between Komatsu and Dresser Industries has long since passed; Komatsu bought out Dresser in 1996. The entity that remains is the off-highway truck manufacturing division for Komatsu America Corporation . In September 2024, Komatsu Limited announced that it was "enhancing its Peoria operations by constructing a new office building that will provide a collaborative space for engineering, sales, manufacturing, management and other functions." The new building
8140-455: 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
8250-487: 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
8360-479: 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
8470-576: 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
8580-518: The only outdoor theater company in Central Illinois. Peoria has hosted the Heart of Illinois Fair every year since 1949. The fair features livestock competitions, rides, concessions, motor contests, and concerts. The Peoria Civic Center includes an arena, convention center, and theater, and opened June 6, 1982, was designed by the famed late architect Philip Johnson . It completed
8690-399: 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,
8800-431: 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
8910-510: 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
9020-530: 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
9130-424: The sixth midsize healthcare hub in the country by Business Facilities in 2021. Since 2021, OSF HealthCare has been the city's top employer, rising from fourth in 2014. Headquartered in Peoria since its founding in 1877, and it relocated its headquarters to a newly-renovated building in downtown Peoria in 2022. In February 2024, OSF Healthcare opened the $ 250 million OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute. It also includes
9240-495: 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
9350-484: The steel plow circa 1843, which gained immediate success. The dominant manufacturing companies in Peoria were Kingman Plow Co., Acme Harvester Co., Selby, Starr & Co., and Avery Manufacturing Co. In 1889, Keystone Steel & Wire developed the first wire fence and has since been the nation's leading manufacturer. Around the 1880s, businesses such as Rouse Hazard Co. in Peoria, were dealers and importers of bicycles and accessories worldwide. Charles Duryea , one of
9460-532: 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
9570-437: 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
9680-711: 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
9790-465: The township grew with the Peoria city limits until 1990, when it was frozen at its current boundaries, containing about 53 sq mi (140 km ); the City of Peoria itself has continued expanding outside the City of Peoria Township borders into Kickapoo , Limestone , Medina , and Radnor township. In the years before the freeze, the Township of the City of Peoria had grown to take up most of
9900-470: 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
10010-529: 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
10120-466: Was 19.7 percent. Median household income was estimated to be 53,568 in 2022. Population was estimated to have decreased approximately 1.9% from 113,176 to 111,021 between 2020 and 2022. According to 24/7 Wall St, in 2018 Peoria ranked as the 5th worst city for Black Americans based on income, educational, and unemployment disparities between Black and white residents. As of the census of 2010, there were 115,021 people and 47,202 households residing in
10230-444: 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
10340-510: 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 ,
10450-454: 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
10560-509: 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
10670-405: 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
10780-504: 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
10890-411: Was appointed in 1837. The city was incorporated on April 21, 1845. This was the end of a village president and the start of the mayoral system, with the first mayor being William Hale. Peoria , Arizona , a suburb of Phoenix , was named after Peoria, Illinois because the two men who founded it in 1890 − Joseph B. Greenhut and Deloss S. Brown − wished to name it after their hometown. Peoria
11000-472: Was established in 1949 and has run annually since. The Steamboat Classic , held every summer, is the world's largest four-mile (6 km) running race and draws international runners. The Peoria Santa Claus Parade, which started in 1888, is the oldest running holiday parade in the United States. The Peoria Art Guild, in partnership with the Peoria Park District, hosts the Annual Art Fair, which
11110-433: Was expanded and refurbished in recent years. Finished in 2009, the new zoo improvements more than triple the size of the zoo and feature a major African safari exhibit. Luthy Garden , established in 1951, is 5 acres (2.0 ha) and offers over a dozen theme gardens and a Conservatory. Peoria is a home rule municipality with a mayor and ten city council members. It has a council-manager form of government. The city
11220-404: 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
11330-464: Was named after the Peoria tribe , a member of the Illinois Confederation . The original meaning of the word is uncertain. A 21st-century proposal suggests a derivation from a Proto-Algonquian word meaning "to dream with the help of a manitou ." Peoria was incorporated as a village on March 11, 1835. The city did not have a mayor, though they had a village president, Rudolphus Rouse, who served from 1835 to 1836. The first Chief of Police, John B Lishk,
11440-431: 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
11550-460: 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
11660-706: Was originally designated as a research park, originally established in May 2003 as the Peoria Medical and Technology District. It consisted of nine residential neighborhoods, Bradley University , the medical district, and the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research . The Peoria NEXT Innovation Center opened in August 2007 and provides both dry and wet labs, as well as conference and office space for emerging start-up companies. Over $ 2 billion in research
11770-498: Was significant in the world of bicycle racing during the late 19th century. Held at Lake View Park, its U.S. bicycle racing stop hosted such notable names as Marshall "Major" Taylor, who would later become world champion. Taylor described Peoria as the "Mecca" for the sport. For much of the 20th century, a red-light district of brothels and bars known as the Merry-Go-Round was part of Peoria. Richard Pryor got his start as
11880-557: Was the global and national headquarters for heavy equipment and engine manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. , one of the 30 companies composing the Dow Jones Industrial Average , and listed on the Fortune 100; the company relocated its headquarters to Deerfield, Illinois in 2018, and then Irving, Texas , in 2022. The city is associated with the phrase " Will it play in Peoria? ", which may have originated from
11990-564: 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
12100-542: 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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