One of the stars of Vaudeville and the early film era, part of Groucho Marx's schtick was his appearance: he smoked a cigar, sported bushy eyebrows and his distinct (often painted-on with greasepaint) mustache with pride, and had a stooped-over walk. He was known for his one-liners, which were often double entendres, and his high-pitched voice.
Source: (IMDb/colorized).
Julius Henry Marx, who would become Groucho Marx, was born in Manhattan on October 2, 1890. His mother, Minnie Marx, had immigrated from northern Germany and his father came from France. Marx’s maternal uncle was Al Schoenberg, who had changed his name to Al Shean when he started performing on vaudeville. On some occasions, Shean wrote material for Groucho and his brothers. Minnie Marx, Groucho’s mother wanted her children to be on the stage, just like their uncle. When she pushed Chico (her oldest son Leonard) into learning to play piano, she discovered Groucho had a talent for singing; later, one of the things Groucho would be known for was singing “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” in the Marx brothers’ film, At the Circus.
He And His Brothers Started As A Singing Group
Groucho Marx had wanted to become a doctor when he was young, but he had to drop out of school at 12, as the family was facing financial difficulties. His formal education may have ended early, but he became a voracious reader. He tried to work in an office unsuccessfully and then joined the Gene Leroy Trio, which debuted at the Ramona Theatre in Grand Rapids, MI on July 16, 1905. In 1909, Minnie Marx created a singing group, “The Four Nightingales,” comprised of her sons. It wasn’t long before the boys started cracking jokes on stage during their shows.
Moving To Comedy And Film
The Marx brothers. Source: (Wikipedia).
The brothers used ethnic accents for a period of time, with Leonard developing the Italian accent he used as Chico Marx. Arthur donned a curly red wig and attempted to become a stereotypical Irish character, but he struggled with speaking onstage, and started to mime instead. Groucho spoke with a German accent, but anti-German sentiment increased after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915, so Groucho dropped the accent. At this point, he adopted his trademark fast-talking wise guy character. After the Marx brothers became comedic stars at the Palace Theater in New York, they landed three hit plays on Broadway; by the time they made their first movie in 1921, Humor Risk, they were already stars. This film was never released and was lost. Their film The Cocoanuts was released in 1929, and became one of the most successful early talking films.
His Later Career
In The Mikado. Source: (Wikipedia).
Together with his brothers, Groucho Marx made 13 films, including Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933), and A Night at the Opera (1935). Five of the Marx brothers’ films were selected by the American Film Institute as among the top 100 comedy films. The Marx brothers continued to make movies in the ‘30s, and Groucho also had some solo performances during this time, as he brothers were not very active in show business anymore. Groucho Marx also had a successful solo career in radio early on, but he had some disappointments in the 1940s, including the failure of his radio show, Blue Ribbon Town. However, by the late 1940s, his career was revived when he started to host the quiz show You Bet Your Life, which debuted on ABC Radio on October 27, 1947. Because of its format, it was broadcast simultaneously on radio and television, and ran for several years. His career continued, and he was in his late 70s when he appeared in I Dream of Jeannie (1967), Skidoo (1968), and Julia (1968). In 1974, he received an honorary Academy Award.
He Was Not So Successful In Love
In Copacabana (1947). Source: (Wikipedia).
Although he had career success, he was not as successful in his personal life. He married Ruth Johnson in 1920, and they had two children, Arthur and Miriam. The couple divorced in 1922. His second marriage came in 1945, when he was 54. His second wife, Kay, was 21 at the time. They had a daughter, Melinda, and divorced in 1951. His final marriage came in 1954 to Eden Hartford. It, too, ended in divorce in 1969.
On June 22, 1977, three years after he received his Academy Award, he contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. On August 19, 1977, two months after he was hospitalized, he died.
