Groucho and Me
About this ebook
With impeccable timing, outrageous humor, irreverent wit, and a superb sense of the ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York’s Upper East Side; the crooked world of small-time vaudeville (where they learned to carry blackjacks); how a pretzel magnate and the graceless dancer of his dreams led to the Marx Brothers’ first Broadway hit, I’ll Say She Is!, how the stock market crash in 1929 proved a godsend for Groucho (even though he lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars); the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their hilarious films, and Groucho’s triumphant television series, You Bet Your Life!. Here is the life and lunatic times of the great eccentric genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.
“The book is never less than readable and its glimpses of American show business at its least glamorous are simple, true and sometimes rather touching.”—Times Literary Supplement
“My advice is to ration yourself to a chapter a night—it’s that delectable.”—Chicago Sunday Tribune
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About the author
Groucho Marx (born Julius Henry Marx, October 2, 1890 - August 19, 1977) was an American writer, comedian, stage, film and television star. He was known as a master of quick wit and is 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 (Harpo Marx and Chico Marx), 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.
He authored the books Groucho and Me (1959), Memoirs of a Mangy Lover (1963), The Groucho Letters: Letters From and To Groucho Marx (1967) and Beds.
Groucho Marx died in Los Angeles, California in 1977, aged 86.
