Groucho and me

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Groucho Marx in 1958, a year before his autobiography was published

Groucho and I (also School of Smile (1961); English Original: Groucho and Me ) is the autobiography of the American actor and entertainer Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (1890–1977), published in 1959 in English and from 1961 on appeared in German.

Marx's rise from rags to riches and the artistic development and style of the Marx Brothers are told by him in the absurdly humorous way that is typical for him: events and situations from his youth in a parental home with constant financial shortages, the early, hard years at the vaudeville theater , The Marx Brothers' successes on Broadway stages , in the Hollywood film industry , and finally his post- war solo career on radio and television.

Marx also self-ironically describes his weaknesses, passions, preferences, world views and opinions on controversial topics such as prostitution, and gives insights into his private and family life with his wives and children.

Autobiography

dedication

Groucho Marx dedicated this book to Robert Benchley , George S. Kaufman , Ring Lardner , SJ Perelman , James Thurber, and EB White , who in his opinion "six masters ... of wise and witty words".

Preface

James Thurber (1945)

James Thurber (1894–1961) wrote the foreword . According to the book title, he plays with the actor's two personalities and tells how he first met Julius Henry Marx and later Groucho. The book shows not only "the enjoyable side of arduousness, but also the arduous side of pleasure". Thurber concludes with the words: "[it] is an important contribution to the history of show business and the saga of American comedy and comedians , humorists and comedy."

Overview

The English version consists of 28 chapters. The first German translation by Ursula von Wiese from 1961 partially omits text and combines chapters; the second translation by Sven Böttcher (1995) is based closely on the original. To get some of Groucho's pun, the titles of the chapters are given in English here in the article. Below that are the German-language titles, both the Sanssouci edition (1961) and the btb edition (1995).

The first chapter acts as an introduction, as a justification for the author. In chapters 2 to 5, Marx tells of his youth in the sometimes chaotic parental household around the turn of the century in New York. In chapters 6 to 12, the young Julius makes his first attempts - later also together with his brothers - and the brothers establish themselves at the vaudeville theater.

With the success of I'll Say, She Is! (1924; Chapter 13) the Marx Brothers achieve fame and first wealth, which is, however, diminished again by the stock market crash of 1929 (Chapters 14 to 17). The next two chapters deal with the time of the Marx Brothers films in Hollywood.

In chapters 20 to 27, the now successful actor quarrels with his surroundings, admits weaknesses, passions and aversions, and reports family stories from this time.

In the last chapter he describes his current situation and the joy he has as a well-known television personality, his last station as an artist.

The name "Delaney" runs through several chapters as a running gag : Whenever Groucho wants to hide a name in a story for reasons of discretion - or out of concern about a lawsuit - he refers to a person, a company or a club as "Delaney ". Groucho explains some of these Delaney himself, while others were researched by Sven Böttcher.

content

1. Why Write when You Can Telegraph Your Punches?

Why write when you can telegraph jokes? (1961); Why write when you can telegraph your jokes? (1995).

Groucho struggles with the fact that his publisher has persuaded him to write another book and also with the particular difficulty of writing an autobiography. Nobody is interested - and there are so many other books already. Cookbooks get him to mousetraps and farm subsidies - and how avoiding them could help the sale of Groucho and Me .

It prepares the reader that "90% of 90% of the book is fictitious". He could write an authentic autobiography, but it would not be published until after his death - which would no longer be of any use to him. In conclusion, he advises that it might be better to just “read a dictionary or prune fruit trees” instead of dealing with this “Groucho substitute”.

2. Who Needs Money (We Did)

Who needs money (We Really Needed It) (1961); Better Change Than No Money (1995).
Minnie Marx (before 1923)

Groucho tells of his youth with four brothers and "a constant stream of poor relatives" in a household with chronic financial shortages and frequent moves in east New York. He describes his mother Minnie as the center and the cohesion of the family, who was also an advisor for neighbors and friends and who, for example, arranged a marriage, the planning of which is described up to a completely chaotic wedding.

Groucho characterizes his father Simon as a fun-loving, enthusiastic but incompetent card player and “the most incompetent tailor that Yorkville has ever produced”. Two stories follow as evidence: that of the suit for the rich, fat confectioner Stookfleisch, whose trousers were brought to the pawnshop by Chico before delivery , and that of the US $ 50 investment in a trouser ironing machine for US $ 800 , which at the end nobody needed.

3. Home is Where You Hang Your Head

It's cozy to be at home (1961); Home Sweet Home Alone: ​​No Happiness (1995)

The grandparents immigrated to the United States around the age of 50 and lived with the family. Louis “Lafe” Schönberg had been a ventriloquist, loved whiskey (made from the residue of a distillery) and smoked cigars and a pipe all his life (“which gave off scents as if thick, old underwear was being burned in a damp cellar”) until he was 101 Years ago. Since he didn't speak English, he repaired umbrellas. His wife Fanny was a yodelling harpist, on whose harp Harpo taught himself to play. Harpo was "the solid man of the family" who volunteered to practice piano, while Chico, who had a great gift for mathematics, was only interested in card and dice games and horse betting , for him the combination of mobile family property with one nearby located pawnshop played an important role. Chico could only be forced to practice the piano by force.

It concludes with descriptions of a boat trip by Groucho (5) and Chico (8) with Minnie (30) to Europe - where she was harassed by a horse dealer because of her appearance - as well as Minnie Marx's clothing and hair-dyeing habits.

4. Out on a Limb of My Family Tree

On a branch of my family tree (1961); On a rotten branch of my family tree (1995)
Al Shean (1940), Groucho's favorite uncle

Groucho explains how he came up with the first names "Julius" and "Henry": Both can be traced back to two professionally unsuccessful uncles and an unproductive inheritance strategy of his mother Minnie. Another uncle, Dr. Carl Krinkler, was a corn surgeon and spent five years in prison for arson . Groucho's most successful (and favorite) uncle was Al Shean (1868–1949), Minnie's brother, who was successful in show business at the vaudeville theater and as a film actor. He was also an imposing figure, appeared on family visits in tails and top hats and threw a handful of nickels to the neighbors' children when they parted - a glamorous behavior that infected Groucho with the “show business virus” and discouraged them from studying medicine.

5. My Youth - and You Can Have it

My youth - which I gladly give away (1961); My youth - you get them for free (1995)

Groucho's youth stories are about meager pocket money , jawbreakers (where you should hide them - and where not), a skimpy teacher whom you “were allowed” to get the food, the very first love at the age of twelve (“Lucy ... teeth as even as that Grains on a healthy corn on the cob ”) - and how macaroons for 5 cents and a snowstorm destroyed this love, why Chico, Harpo and he himself gave exactly the same bar mitzvah speech every two years , and how he went to school afterwards left to work as an office helper for US $ 3.50 a week, but was fired for absenteeism - and went back to school.

6. Have Nothing, Will Travel

When You Take a Trip (1961); What you don't have in your wallet you have to have in your legs (1995)

15-year-old Julius left school and was hired for variety shows at Grand Rapids after auditioning . During the performance he had to wear women's clothes and when Robin Larong, who designed the number (and also wore women's clothes), disappeared without a trace with the income after a few performances, Julius was left with no money on the street. He sold his costume, had a job as a coachman for a few hours, and returned home when his mother sent him money. There he got his second engagement as a break singer for the beautiful but untalented Englishwoman Irene Furbelow. This theater experience was also unexpected: Furbelow gives Julius a return ticket to New York and runs away with a lion tamer - and Julius' salary of 65 US $. He quit another job as a wig cleaner at Heppner on Broadway after a week.

7. The First Act is the Hardest

The first act is the hardest (1961); It always hurts the first act (1995)

Chico lost his hotel job as a piano player (evening) and lifeguard (daytime) when he almost drowned with a guest. This was followed by a job in a company that manufactured blotters. When Chico had gambled away his weekly wages (US $ 4) and was unable to contribute to the family finances, he instead handed his parents 4,000 blotters over the weekend.

Harpo lost his delivery boy job at a butcher's after helping himself too much on a delivery. In a job as a page - Groucho explains in detail what bellboys used to stand for - he lost the pet of the English tragedian Cecilia Langhorne , a young panther who first killed a dog and then was killed himself.

At this point, Minnie Marx took the initiative to put her four teenage boys in sailor suits and gave them as a vocal group The Four Nightingales ( The Four Nightingales ) commitment, what proved to be more or less successfully proved over four years. Only one showing, in which Minnie and her 55-year-old sister also appeared as school girls, was out of the ordinary.

8. A Wand'ring Minstrel, I.

I am a traveling singer (1961); I am a traveling minstrel (1995)

Groucho begins the chapter with a discourse about the meaning of the comedy and how he slowly grew into the role of the comedian when his and his brothers' voices deteriorated after their voices broke . Together they led the hard life of the variety artists and little actors, whose lives were played out between cheap, overcrowded pensions and dingy changing rooms in basements with up to five performances per day in so-called “10-cent variety shows” and without union protection: “Was Heinrich The eighth of English history and Torquemada of the Spanish Inquisition meant that he was the theater director for the vaudeville. ”Added to this was the low reputation of traveling artists among the city's population, which was partly caused by the behavior of some actors.

Shortly before Christmas, the brothers came into conflict with a theater director because of a fine - Groucho had smoked backstage - and went on a "strike" 15 minutes before the performance. Harpo negotiated the compromise that both sides had to pay US $ 5 each to the Salvation Army . The Theater Director's Revenge: When their engagement ended, they received their fee, US $ 895, in sacks full of change.

9. A Slight Case of Auto-eroticism

A mild case of auto-eroticism (1961, 1995)
A Chalmers from 1913

The whole family moved to Chicago around 1910 . In the summer months from July to September, the theaters were closed due to the heat. To make it easier for them to visit their friends, Groucho and Gummo bought an open Chalmers for US $ 200 , but it was in poor condition and did not want to start that evening. Even the mechanically gifted Zeppo couldn't (ie didn't want to) repair it and the two "Romeos" took the elevated train. The car then drove again, but it used an unusually high amount of gasoline, and the brothers noticed that before Zeppo had a rendezvous, the car gave them starting difficulties (Zeppo briefly removed an ignition part on those days and then used the car himself when his brothers were absent ). Eventually they sold the car for US $ 100 to Zeppo, who refurbished it completely - and then rented it to his brothers for US $ 2 a day.

Other episodes include a Scripps booth that lost its tappets - and later (through an automatic door opener) Groucho's lady of the heart - while driving , and a brand new Studebaker that was delivered in Philadelphia during a break from the theater and the one after Groucho took it in one Napoleon costume had been test driven, was stolen.

10. Tank Towns, Ptomaine and Tomfoolery

  Sometimes it turns out differently (1961); Nests, food shortages and fools (1995)

Groucho explains instructively that during a tour of the Orpheum Circuit, a colleague only ate in the cheapest restaurants out of thrift; as a “secret recipe” he consumed two spoons of soda after each meal . A few years later, Groucho read in his obituary that he died of kidney stones and that his estate was US $ 200,000.

In a guesthouse, the Marx Brothers were denied the turkey dinner reserved for regulars on Christmas Eve - and instead served a mackerel . After the performance, they searched the kitchen at night, found half a roast turkey, leaving only bones and a slip of paper with Guess who? back.

Another theme is Groucho's passion for smoking. The quality of his cigars followed the level of his income, and La Preferentia (slogan: "Smoke La Preferentia . Thirty Minutes in Havana for Only Fifteen Cents!") Remained his favorite brand for a long time.

The last episode tells of a flirtation with an allegedly unmarried young lady in Muncie (Indiana) , during which Groucho, around 20 years old, first made himself comfortable on a sofa (with the lady), then (without the lady, but because of her) Husband) hid in a wardrobe and finally - also without the lady - had to jump out of the window from a height of four meters.

11. A Homey Essay on Housemanship

  A Homely Treatise on Male Secrecy (1995)
Groucho first saw Charlie Chaplin in the one-act play An Evening at the Club .

In the “social life” of the traveling actors, several institutions that could be found in all cities played an important role: the “ sporting houses ”, where the brothers were welcome guests because of their singing and piano playing, and the pool halls where Chico was competed against the local pool sharks to earn a few dollars.

During the Pantages tour in Winnipeg , Groucho happened to see a comedian in the one-act play An Evening in the Club : A "petite man with a mustache, walking stick, bowler hat and huge shoes" in a small theater . He enthusiastically told his brothers who had spent the time in a gaming room. Soon all of the brothers in Vancouver saw him - and were thrilled by Charlie Chaplin . They became friends and invited him to a brothel in Salt Lake City , but the shy young Chaplin preferred to play with the owner's English bulldog all evening , although Madam seemed to have had an eye on him. Years later, after Chaplin was also successful in films, he invited the Marx Brothers to a grandiose dinner.

At the end of the chapter, Groucho lists all of the comedians who were great in his opinion but who never made it to film. Personally, he sees Red Skelton as Chaplin's comedic successor.

12. Some Clowning That Wasn't in the Act

  Joke that was not in the text (1961); Jokes On and Off the Stage (1995)

During a performance, Groucho and Harpo made an appointment (pantomime) and with two young women. Their address was given - Harpo let himself be pulled up from the curtain to the box and received a note there - and in order not to appear at the rendezvous without a gift, the brothers bought the remaining offer from a street vendor: four dozen oranges for 40 cents. When the women arrived, the fruit was distributed playfully by rolling over the floor, which ended in a heated "orange fight", in which the young women also took part.

For a friend's bachelorette party , Groucho and Harpo had the plan to undress in the hotel elevator and only appear with straw hats in Adam's costume when opening the elevator door. In the eagerness and excitement they pressed the wrong button and the door opened in the hall where the bride celebrated with her friends. Neither Groucho nor Harpo were invited to the wedding.

In the university town of Williamstown, Massachusetts , very attractive (but untalented) twin sisters stole the show from the brothers on stage with the students. After the performance, Groucho examined their dressing room and discovered " symmetricals " hung on a hook. He stole these accessories and the next evening the brothers had the stage to themselves. But since the twins were in tears, Groucho secretly brought back the symmetricals the next day .

13. Out of Our Little Minds and Into the Big Time

  Man grows ... (1961); Not in the right mind anymore, but in good cash (1995)

In Ann Arbor , the student variety-goers at the stage exit demanded the choir singers so persistently that the director called the fire brigade for help, who scared them away with water.

In Champaign, Illinois , Manny Linden, a singer hired by the brothers themselves, who performed his songs in the popular Al-Jolson manner , demanded a larger portion of the total fee. Aware of the risk, the brothers threw him out and presented Linden's songs themselves in combination with wild slapstick . The performance was such a success that the audience asked for it to be repeated. In retrospect, Groucho describes this performance as the self-confident growing together of the “ Marx Brothers ” who had found their style and from now on set the tone themselves.

Groucho's later trademark, his mustache made up, arose out of an “emergency”.

Groucho's obligatory mustache became a problem as he had to glue it on with mastic several times a day and then painfully remove it again. In New York, the brothers almost missed the start of their performance after too long a dinner and Groucho improvised the beard with make-up. The audience responded as usual with storms of laughter and Groucho had invented his painted-on trademark.

Chico's self-confidence and business acumen drove the Marx Brothers to venture into a Broadway revue. The starting capital of US $ 25,000 for I'll Say She Is! (1924) delivered Herman Brody, a pretzel manufacturer from Hackensack, New Jersey , on condition that his girlfriend Ginny got a role in the revue. The Marx Brothers provided the backdrops and dancers with this minimal budget. Ginny's lack of music was an additional challenge. At the premiere because of the critics, Ginny was incapacitated by a special potion. In later performances she sometimes got more laughs than the comedians and soon afterwards left the ensemble with one of the dancers.

14. Rich is better

  Wealth is Better (1961); Rich is Better (1995)

Groucho describes how the financial success of I'll Say She! on the Marx family and how he started writing articles for magazines without having completed elementary school.

This was followed by the stage version of The Cocoanuts under the producer Sam H. Harris , who also hired the composer Irving Berlin (1888-1989), to whom Groucho attached a running gag that went on for years by telling him every time he met Irving (from him unloved) anti-war song Stay Down Here Where You Belong sang.

In a swipe at theater critics , Groucho blames them for the current (1959) state of American theater - too much drama, too little comedy. He also criticizes the theater operators in New York City very sharply: They pettyly controlled the theater and revue scene and examples are given of how the "little rulers" performed and rebellious actors put themselves on "black lists".

Groucho was visited three times several years apart by a childhood friend - now a lawyer - who advised him to finally stop fidgeting on the stage and in the film and to do something serious, each time proud of his legal salary mentioned. At their last meeting they both earned about US $ 18,000, the lawyer annually, Groucho weekly (which he kept quiet).

15. How I Starred in the Follies of 1929

  My great success in the memorable year 1929 (1961); The confusion of 1929 and my star role in it (1995)

From 1926, Groucho began speculating on the stock market - which was easy, since by that time almost every stock was rising in value and the economy was booming. In good times, Groucho earned more on the stock market than on stage - and even took a stock market tip from a lift boy . Whether a colleague, director or butcher, everyone took part in the “run” for what were probably the best stocks, until Groucho was informed by his stockbroker on the phone in October 1929 : “Marx, the jig is up!”. After that, the line was dead. Groucho Marx “was lucky”: he lost “only” US $ 240,000 in this stock market crash , and some of his friends lost millions.

16. White Nights, Why are You Blue?

  White nights, why are you blue? (1961); Nightmares of My Sleepless Nights (1995)

As a result of the stock market crash, the topic of " insomnia " became socially acceptable and Groucho reports a few episodes from his environment.

Now it was time to replenish the account. A representative of the well-known "Delaney" cigarette brand (Old Gold Cigarettes), looking "like an academic education with a good shot of big-business", visited Groucho and tried to persuade him to use his name for cigarette advertising for US $ 1,500. Outraged, Groucho rejected this and the sum rose to $ 2,000, then to $ 5,000. At US $ 7,500, Groucho went weak and signed the contract, whereupon his negotiating partner immediately pulled a pre-filled check for US $ 7,500 out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Groucho. Surprised, he asked how he had known that this amount would be agreed upon - whereupon the man pulled another already issued check for US $ 10,000 from his pocket and stated that he had been willing to go up to this amount . This led to further insomnia (out of anger at himself) for Groucho - and he was not very weird on stage that evening.

17. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch House

  Something About Weeping That Makes You Cry (1961); What Happened Meanwhile on the Ranch (1995)

Groucho married Ruth Josephine Johnson (1898–1972) and in 1921 Arthur Marx was born. During this time, the Marx Brothers performed at the Orpheum Theater in Vancouver , and the family traveled with them. On the return trip to the USA, where prohibition had ruled since 1920 , two bottles of whiskey were hidden in the long robes of the 3-month-old baby, which made Arthur Marx the “youngest alcohol smuggler in America”.

Before Prohibition, Groucho had not drunk alcohol, during Prohibition - he condemns the effect this law extension had on crime in the United States and the quality of alcohol consumed nonetheless - alcohol was part of the good manners of any party.

When Groucho lived with his family in Great Neck (New York), his father Simon, a native of Alsace, suggested that he make wine from raisins, malt and a secret ingredient. Simon carried out this project in the rat-infested cellar. Three weeks later, one day before Father Simon's another visit, the filled wine bottles exploded at night. Father's export dreams of “Marx-Wein” came to nothing - but the plague of rats in the cellar was over.

18. They Call it the Golden State

  It is called the golden state (1961); The so-called "Golden State" (1995)

In 1931 the family moved from Great Neck to Los Angeles because of a film contract . The journey from the east coast to the west coast took several days by train. Hollywood was the actor's “fairy tale land”, the sound film began to establish itself and “some artists knew the producers much better than their wives were allowed to”.

Groucho reports on a colleague actor "Delaney", who portrayed the intrepid fighter pilot in films, but was actually afraid of flying , and how this colleague crossed the USA on one day from West night East because of a love adventure - and how he did the same Time after that had to be brought back to urgent film work.

The shooting of At the Circus (1939) was preceded by difficulties, because you absolutely needed a gorilla, there were two trained gorillas in Hollywood, but both were booked out for years. So they sought contact with the agent of a gorilla character who, as it turned out, did not have a gorilla costume . Finally an agent was found “who represented a gorilla costume”, but who lacked the corresponding gorilla character. Negotiations with both agents were not easy as both agents “represented the interests of their clients”. On the day of shooting, it was not only heated up by the headlights, but also very hot, which meant that the actor in the unfamiliar gorilla costume first passed out and then refused to continue working in this costume without fresh air. But, according to Marx, unusual solutions were found that made the film's famous final gorilla-on-trapeze scene possible.

19. Inside Hollywood

  Inside Hollywood (1961); Hollywood intern (1995)
According to Groucho, the film producer Irving Thalberg, here in 1929, must be called a “genius”.

Groucho describes the genius of the film producer Irving Thalberg (1899-1936) and the bizarre way the Marx Brothers treated him during the shooting of the two very successful films A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937).

Other producers and studio bosses, all with the name "Delaney" (BP Shulberg, Paramount; Herman Mankiewicz ), made with their superficiality, incompetence, gossip addiction, malice, their choleric temperament and alcohol consumption and - in one case - with their admiration and citation skills a far less good impression on Groucho regarding Abraham Lincoln .

The Warner Brothers , whose legal department wanted to prohibit the Marx Brothers from using the title A Night in Casablanca (1946) for a film because of the rights to Casablanca (1942), are also given special emphasis . Groucho reproduces the correspondence in which he calls up completely absurd scenarios and drives his game so far that Warner Brothers finally gives up and simply no longer answers.

From the way Groucho describes the sequence of the following film work, it becomes clear that the then 56-year-old wanted to end his film career with A Night in Casablanca .

20. Come Back Next Thursday with a Specimen of Your Money

  A Patient's Dilemma (1961); Patient at the Crossroads (1995)

Groucho takes on the professional group of doctors - specifically: general practitioners , allergists , chiropractors , osteopaths , gynecologists , proctologists and dentists - who hide behind “amazing pseudonyms”, all of whom are only after the patients' money (... so that they drive expensive cars can), have openly sadistic tendencies and are mainly occupied with "x-raying their office hours assistant, who by a strange coincidence turns out to be a very beautiful girl with dimensions like Sophia Loren ".

21. Why Do They Call it Love When They Mean Sex?

  Why do you call it love when you mean erotic? (1961); Why speak of love when you mean sex? (1995)
George Bernhard Shaw (1936), with whom Groucho agrees on love and marriage.

Groucho's first marriage to Ruth Johnson, which was concluded in Chicago in 1920 - whereby only the sixth priest was ready to marry this (a) mixed marriage among (b) actors - is an occasion to philosophize about "love". Groucho agrees with George Bernhard Shaw : “When two people are under the influence of the most violent, nonsensical, deceptive, and ephemeral passion, they are required to take an oath to remain in this whipped, abnormal, and wearisome state until they die Divorces. ”Groucho considers eroticism (ie sex) - and secondly loneliness - to be the main reason couples come together. He substantiates his claim with the description of a carefully planned but unsuccessful rendezvous - between two of his marriages - in which both hoped-for sex and acute loneliness played a role.

22. Melinda and Me

  Melinda and I (1961, 1995)

Groucho describes discussions with his teenage daughter Melinda (daughter from marriage to Kay Marvis) who wants to throw a party. After the initial approval of the father, Melinda increases the demands on food, decorations and music in every conversation - and the well-meaning father, who, according to Melinda's wish, should not be present during the party, agrees. On the evening of the party - the young guests are romping around and making an indescribable racket - Groucho goes into the party room anyway and urges moderation. Melinda whispers to him: “Go to your room, Daddy! The children resent it when you are here. ”His answer:“ I am also resentful that they are here… ”When after a while it becomes“ suspiciously quiet ”in the party room, Groucho checks again: While the girls Dancing in a corner, the boys play a game of flicking burning matches under the sofa. Once again, Groucho makes a warning speech.

When all the guests have left, the repentant father asks the daughter for forgiveness. But she is enthusiastic about the course of the party - and his visits to the room were also successes, because "They all know you from television and know that you are always just kidding".

23. My Personal Decathlon

  My personal decathlon (1961, 1995)
With Groucho at his side, even Wimbledon winner Fred Perry couldn't win against two 13-year-olds.

Groucho admits that unlike his children, he is a poor athlete. Weight training was never possible because of his slim figure. Real swimming - Melinda and her friends swam like fish in the pool of the Marx family - he only learned to swim at the YMCA when he was 17 . His son Arthur was so good at tennis at the age of 13 that he was able to beat Groucho and Fred Perry (1909-1995) in doubles with a friend of the same age : The boys designed their game in such a way that they always played Groucho. Also in doubles against Groucho and the golfer and tennis player Ellsworth Vines (1911-1994) they were successful with the same tactics. Groucho's last tennis competition was a double: Britons Charlie Chaplin and Fred Perry against Americans Groucho Marx and Ellsworth Vines. During the match, the two comedians decided to sit on the tennis court while the athletes fought among themselves.

Groucho also had no success in golf . Despite 30 years of practice, a bookshelf full of golf textbooks and clubs from Scotland and England, his handicap never fell below 101 at 18 holes. But he was able to record a success: on the Lincoln Park Municipal Course in San Francisco he succeeded on the seventh green a hole-in-one and two newspapers the next day brought his picture under the title Groucho Marx Joins the Immortals . The following day, Groucho agreed to play the seventh green again in the presence of cameras: he managed to pocket with 21 strokes.

24. Yo Heave Ho, and over the rail

  Ship ahoy! (1961); Up with it and get over the railing! (1995)

Groucho traveled the United States in every kind of airplane, but as soon as he got on a ship he became sick with seasickness or, as he put it, “fighting a battle with Neptune.” He gives examples of his maritime ordeal, but admits that It hit an unnamed friend even worse, who bought a yacht for US $ 300,000 and only then discovered that he himself was not seaworthy - and could only enjoy this yacht anchored in port.

25. Go Fish

  Petriheil (1961); Fish, Pull Leash (1995)

Groucho suspects that passionate anglers have the same motivation as passionate golfers: These men regularly want to distance themselves from women and children for longer periods of time. While Groucho also enjoys this motivation, fishing is not necessarily his sport. He describes a fishing trip into the wilderness proposed and organized by his friend “Delaney”, in which the following elements played important roles: an old, rented Buick; no gasoline in the tank; a burst tire; one Peter disciple in the group who kept fainting; heavy baggage; an almost impenetrable swamp; hungry deer-fly brakes ; a stoic Indian fishing guide; indigestible, fatty sausages (and the consequences thereof); freezing cold at night and a bear. They went fishing anyway, but during the three days nobody in the group caught a single fish.

26. Foot-in-Mouth Disease

  The Fool's Eye (1995)

Groucho cites a total of eight situations in which he very quickly (i.e. too quickly) made a comment that he thought was funny, but which was by no means found "funny" by those present or those affected. Three of them may be considered exemplary:

  • After a few intellectually very disappointing evenings in the “Delaney” club, Groucho telegraphed his departure with the famous words: “Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member. "
  • During a film festival in Mexico, the actors were told that they would personally greet President "Delaney" the next day at 4 pm. Groucho picked up the microphone and asked what guarantee could be given that the president would actually be president the next day at 4 p.m. After this statement, none of those present wanted to show up with him and he always sat at a separate table at the banquets.
  • Of the Paramount Studios on a pre premiere of Samson and Delilah with Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr invited and then asked about his opinion about the movie, Groucho note that "no picture can hold my interest where the leading man's bust is larger than the leading lady's. “It was years before Paramount invited him again.

27. What Price Pumpernickel?

  What does pumpernickel cost? (1961; 1995)

Groucho confesses to his constant fear of becoming destitute in old age. A key experience was a day of shooting A Day at the Races (1937), on which the director Sam Wood told him in confidence that 12 of the 14 middle-aged extras in a sanatorium scene were still stars with good salaries ten years ago. That same day, Groucho took out old-age insurance that would guarantee him a minimum of US $ 80 per week in the event of loss of income.

After their film careers, Groucho and Chico made entertaining radio programs for sponsors such as Standard Oil , American Oil Company and Kellogg's Cornflakes . After that, Groucho worked alone, but only for one year, for the "Delaney" brewery ( Pabst Brewing Company ). This was followed by guest shots , brief appearances at company celebrations. It was not until 1947 that Groucho got the chance for a radio and television career.

28. You Bet My Life

  You Bet my Life (1995)

After a 5-minute radio commercial with Bob Hope (1903-2003) for the Walgreen Drug Company , Groucho received an offer from radio and television producer John Guedel (1913-2001) to do a very special quiz show that was tailored to his needs. in which he should talk to the candidates about their lives and also ask them quiz questions. You Bet Your Life was on the radio from 1947 to 1956 and was also televised from 1950 - and until 1961. The show was very popular, winning the Peabody Award in 1948 and consistently nominated for an Emmy Award from 1952 to 1956 . Groucho mentions bizarre incidents with some of his roughly 2,500 show candidates.

He enjoyed fame through the new medium and closes with the episode of a married couple who recognized him on the street in Chicago and lapped him several times. Finally the woman spoke to him: “You're him, aren't you? You're Groucho? ", And then asked:" Please don't die. Just keep on living. "

comment

“The only thing you can't do is sing, and that gave me an opening. But he can do everything else. I envy him this book, most of his wives and all of his talent. "

“The only thing this man can't do is sing, and that was my chance. But he can do everything else. I envy him for this book, for most of his wives and for all of his talent. "

reception

From October 4, 1959 to January 24, 1960, Groucho and me was on the New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks in the non-fiction category . The best price was position 8 on October 25, 1959.

Book references

The book was published in both English and German in several different editions, some of which differ in content and illustrations. It was also published in Basque ( Groucho eta ni ), Danish ( Groucho og mig ), Finnish ( Groucho ja minä: omaelämäkerta ), French ( Mémoires capitales ), Italian ( Groucho e io ) and Spanish ( Groucho y yo ) - with several publishers .

English editions
German editions
  • Groucho Marx: School of Smiles , translation of Ursula von Wiese's American autobiography
    • Sanssouci Verlag AG Zurich (1961). Compared to the 1959 edition, this edition contains no photographs; the foreword and the dedication are also missing. Furthermore, Chapter 11 ( A Homey Essay on Housemanship , Groucho's remarks on prostitution) was cut down on four pages, “An evening in the club” . The chapter What Price Pumpernickel? and You Bet My Life are summarized in one chapter ( What does Pumpernickel cost? ). The chapter Foot-in-Mouth Disease is missing.
    • Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag , Frankfurt 1981 (1–10 thousand), 1984 (11–25 thousand), 1986 (26–28 thousand), 1987 (29–31 thousand), 1990 (32–33 thousand), ISBN 3-596- 23667-3
  • Groucho Marx: Groucho and I , transfer of Sven Böttcher's American autobiography
    • btb Rogner & Bernhard , Hamburg (1995), ISBN 3-442-72227-6 . In addition to the dedication and all photographs, this edition contains a very detailed No Afterword , in which on 31 pages explanations of puns, people and references to literary titles, etc. spoiled by Marx are given. In addition, the book contains a three-page chronology on the life of Groucho Marx.
  • Groucho Marx: Groucho & Marx; two autobiographies
    • Atrium-Verlag, Zurich (2010) 1st ed

Web links

Explanations and individual evidence

  1. blurb of the engl. Edition (German about "from rags to riches").
  2. ^ In the original: "For What it's Worth This Book is Gratefully Dedicated to These Six Masters Without Whose Wise and Witty Words My Life Would have been Even Duller."
  3. Free translation; in the original "... shows not only the funny side of trouble, but also the troublesome side of fun."
  4. Free translation; in the original "is an important contribution to the history of show business and to the saga of American comedy and comedians, comics and comicality."
  5. a b c d Comments by Sven Böttcher on Groucho and I , pp. 348–378.
  6. If one compares the year or age given by Groucho Marx, a certain artistic freedom can be assumed - objectively, not everything always fits together exactly.
  7. In the original text, the spelling "Schoenberg" is used.
  8. Admission was only 10 cents.
  9. Parts of this chapter are missing in the German-language edition from 1961; only the section on Chaplin ("An Evening at the Club") is presented as a short chapter.
  10. At the beginning of his remarks, Groucho compares prostitution in America around 1910/20 with the current (1959) situation and notes a deterioration in the situation of prostitutes and increasing hypocrisy in society.
  11. Symmetricals was the earlier name for body suits that were worn under clothing and padded at crucial points, especially worn by dancing women in the theater.
  12. In the text Groucho emphasizes twice that he is not proud of this theft, but that an artist can only bear it to a certain extent when someone else is more successful on stage than you are.
  13. In this context, Groucho repeatedly mentions how common it was for vaudeville artists to always carry a stick with them between and after the performances.
  14. Groucho explains that the pretty choir members usually played an important role in raising money for revues from donors. Even back then, Broadway revues required an initial budget of between US $ 100,000 and US $ 300,000.
  15. Instead of tall dancers, they opted for ponies ; this is what smaller, more energetic dancers were called.
  16. Groucho: "... she danced as if she had borrowed her grandfather's legs."
  17. ^ The revue ran for three years in different cities.
  18. The reason for this "ordeal" was that none of the Cocoanut songs written by Berlin became a real hit. Berlin is said to have apologized - according to Groucho - because he offered Harris the later famous song Always , but Harris did not find it suitable.
  19. A play on words: Not the revue follies on stage are meant, but the craziness in the year of the stock market crash.
  20. For example: “Marx, everything is over.” Jig is the name of a kind of lively folk dance. The jig is up literally means "The wild dance is over."
  21. The reason for the presence of the rats was that there was a sewer near the house.
  22. Groucho describes it as an "earthquake at night".
  23. Groucho compares the Hollywood of the 1930s with the one at the end of the 1950s and notes how "good and boring" the place has become.
  24. The flight time at that time was around 17 hours because of the stopovers.
  25. Video: Marx Brothers At The Circus (Trapeze Finish)
  26. In Love Happy , Groucho only played a supporting role at the request of his brothers.
  27. George Bernard Shaw: The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more . e-artnow, April 12, 2015, ISBN 978-80-268-3390-1 , p. 2577 (quoted here in the original).
  28. Other episodes - how Groucho met mobsters on the golf course and how Gummo burst a car window and a room window with two hits - are missing in the German edition of 1961.
  29. German: Groucho Marx joins the immortals.
  30. Groucho himself identifies this "Delaney" as the screenwriter Irving Brecher .
  31. This chapter is missing from the German-language edition from 1961.
  32. The title of the chapter is a play on words: foot and mouth disease is the English name for foot and mouth disease ; put one's foot in one's mouth means 'to say something embarrassing or inappropriate'.
  33. Freely translated as: “Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members. "
  34. Elizabeth Knowles: Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations . OUP Oxford, 23 August 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-920895-1 , p. 216.
  35. ^ Miguel Alemán Valdés (1900–1983), President of Mexico.
  36. Freely translated: "No film can hold my interest for long if the Leading Man's chest is larger than that of the Leading Lady ."
  37. a b The chapter What Price Pumpernickel? and You Bet My Life are summarized in the 1961 issue in the What Costs Pumpernickel chapter .
  38. In the original: "..., the one thing that continually haunted me was the fear of being destitute in my old age."
  39. The chapter reference to “Pumpernickel” is based on the rising pumpernickel prices observed by Groucho, which represent the rise in the cost of living.
  40. ^ New York Times Best Seller List 1959 ; accessed on June 28, 2017.
  41. ^ New York Times Best Seller List 1960 ; accessed on June 28, 2017.
  42. WorldCat: Editions of Groucho and Me