Groucho Marx Collection

Groucho Marx
(1890 – 1977)

"Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough."
- Groucho Marx

Born Julius Henry Marx, the third son of Minnie Shoenberg Marx and Sam Marx, Groucho Marx was one of the best loved comedians of all time. His signature look included absurd greasepaint mustache and eyebrows, glasses, cigar, and a hunched over chicken gait. His quick wit and rapid fire jokes were loaded with innuendos and tongue and cheek humor.

Although, Groucho Marx originally wanted to become a doctor, he quit school at age of 12 to help him family earn money. He became a boy singer and his mom soon got her other sons in on the act creating the vaudevillian singing group "The Four Nightingales." In a performance in Texas, brother Groucho, Milton (Gummo), and Arthur (Harpo) began cracking jokes with Groucho saying "The jackass is the flower of Tex-ass". Groucho originally performed with a German accent, but after the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, he was booed on stage and switched to his trademark wise-guy style.

Groucho Marx appeared in twenty six movies and was the most successful of all the Marx Brothers. The slapstick movies made with his brothers Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo were the most famous of all his films including The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, and A Night on the Opera.

In 1947, Groucho Marx was hired to host the old time radio quiz program, You Bet Your Life. The show included funny banter with the contestants . George Fenneman was the announcer on You Bet Your Life and played Groucho's straightman. The show was prerecorded in front of a studio audience and the directors would edit the show to highlight the funniest jokes.

Groucho Marx had a resurgence of popularity in the 1970s making appearances on award shows and performances. Groucho Marx had a sense of humor until his last days. At the hospital, George Fenneman needed to help Groucho walk out of a wheelchair and into a chair. Groucho quipped, "You always were a lousy dance partner, Fenneman."

This extensive collection contains Groucho Marx's hilarious guest apperances in comedy and variety shows (Vol. 1-2) and You Bet Your Life (Vol. 3-6)

See also: Chico Marx and Harpo Marx Collection.