Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (October 2, 1890 -- August 19,
1977) was an
American comedian and film and television star. He is known as a master of quick wit and widely considered one of the best comedians of the modern era. His rapid-fire, often impromptu delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers and imitators. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the
Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born. He also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game show
You Bet Your Life. His distinctive appearance, carried over from his days in vaudeville, included quirks such as an exaggerated stooped posture, glasses, cigar, and a thick greasepaint mustache and eyebrows. These exaggerated features resulted in the creation of one of the world's most ubiquitous and recognizable novelty disguises, known as "
Groucho glasses", a one-piece mask consisting of horn-rimmed glasses, large plastic nose, bushy eyebrows and mustache.
Groucho Marx was, and is, the most recognizable and well-known of the Marx Brothers. Groucho-like characters and references have appeared in popular culture both during and after his life, some aimed at audiences who may never have seen a Marx Brothers movie.
Groucho's trademark eye glasses, nose, mustache, and cigar have become icons of comedy—glasses with fake noses and mustaches (referred to as "Groucho glasses", "nose-glasses," and other names) are sold by novelty and costume shops around the world.
Nat Perrin, close friend of Groucho Marx and writer of several
Marx Brothers films, inspired
John Astin's portrayal of
Gomez Addams on the
1960s TV series The Addams Family with similarly thick mustache, eyebrows, sardonic remarks, backward logic, and ever-present cigar (pulled from his breast pocket already lit).
Alan Alda often vamped in the manner of Groucho on
M*A*S*H. In one episode, "
Yankee Doodle Doctor",
Hawkeye and Trapper put on a Marx Brothers act at the 4077, with Hawkeye playing Groucho and Trapper playing
Harpo. In three other episodes, a character appeared who was named
Captain Calvin Spalding (played by
Loudon Wainwright III). Groucho's character in
Animal Crackers was Captain
Geoffrey T. Spaulding.
On many occasions,
on the 1970s television sitcom
All In The Family,
Michael Stivic (
Rob Reiner), would briefly imitate Groucho Marx and his mannerisms.
Two albums by
British rock band
Queen,
A Night at the Opera (
1975) and
A Day at the Races (
1976), are named after Marx Brothers films. In
March 1977, Groucho invited Queen to visit him in his
Los Angeles home; there they performed "'39" a capella. A long-running ad campaign for
Vlasic Pickles features an animated stork that imitates Groucho's mannerisms and voice. On the famous
Hollywood Sign in
California, one of the "O"s is dedicated to Groucho.
Alice Cooper contributed over $27,
000 to remodel the
sign, in memory of his friend.
In
1982,
Gabe Kaplan portrayed
Marx in the film Groucho, in a one-man stage production. He also imitated Marx occasionally on his previous TV sitcom
Welcome Back, Kotter.
Actor Frank Ferrante has performed as Groucho Marx on stage for more than two decades. He continues to tour under rights granted by the Marx family in a one-man show entitled
An Evening With Groucho in theaters throughout the
United States and Canada with piano accompanist Jim Furmston
. In the late
1980s Ferrante starred as Groucho in the off-Broadway and
London show Groucho: A
Life in
Revue penned by Groucho's son
Arthur. Ferrante portrayed the comedian from age 15 to 85. The show was later filmed for
PBS in
2001.
Woody Allen's
1996 musical
Everyone Says I Love You, in addition to being named for one of Groucho's signature songs, ends with a Groucho-themed
New Year's Eve party in
Paris, which some of the stars, including
Allen and
Goldie Hawn, attend in full Groucho costume. The highlight of the scene is an ensemble song-and-dance performance of "
Hooray for Captain Spaulding"—done entirely in
French.
In the last of the
Tintin comics,
Tintin and the Picaros, a balloon shaped like the face of Groucho could be seen in the
Annual Carnival.
In the
Italian horror comic
Dylan Dog, the protagonist's sidekick is a Groucho impersonator whose character became his permanent personality.
The BBC remade the radio sitcom
Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel, with contemporary actors playing the parts of the original cast. The series was repeated on digital radio station
BBC7.
Scottish playwright
Louise Oliver wrote a play named
Waiting For Groucho about
Chico and Harpo waiting for Groucho to turn up for the filming of their last project together. This was performed by
Glasgow theatre company Rhymes with
Purple Productions at the
Edinburgh Fringe and in Glasgow and
Hamilton in 2007-08. Groucho was played by Scottish actor
Frodo McDaniel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groucho
- published: 10 Dec 2012
- views: 42239