Showing posts with label Marx Bros.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marx Bros.. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Straight Lady: The Life and Times of Margaret Dumont, "The Fifth Marx Brother"


Straight Lady
The Life and Times of Margaret Dumont, "The Fifth Marx Brother" 
by Chris Enss and Howard Kazanjian
Lyons Press
Hardcover ISBN: 9781493060405
208 pages
October 2022


“For more than four decades, the statuesque funny lady played the role of an austere dowager and grande dame of the social set on stage and screen... Margaret [Dumont] suffered each insult or physical assault with a classic assurance that made her the greatest grande dame in the history of filmed comedy.” — Chris Enss and Howard Kazanjian


The Marx Brothers had a winning formula for their success as a comedy team. Each brother had their own individual persona and when put together with their physical antics and whip smart verbal jabs—they really had some of the best comebacks of all time—they created this magnificent maelstrom of chaos that left audiences in stitches. Before making a movie, they'd take their story concept to the stage to perfect their antics before a live audience. By the time the cameras started rolling, they were primed and ready to make movie magic. But one of the most important elements of their formula was having a straight man or lady. Whether it was their brother Zeppo Marx or a comedienne like Thelma Todd, their performances were enhanced by the presence of someone who could keep their composure. Arguably their best comedic partner was Margaret Dumont, a talented actress who excelled at this role and became an important member of the Marx Brothers troupe.

In their book Straight Lady: The Life and Times of Margaret Dumont, "The Fifth Marx Brother", authors Chris Enss and Howard Kazanjian make the case that Margaret Dumont not only played a pivotal role in the Marx Brothers' success but that her own success was intrinsically tied to theirs. Dumont and the Marx Brothers had a sort of symbiotic relationship and while they would work on projects separately, there some something special about their collaborations.

This biography is fairly short with about 159 reading pages. It's clear that there isn't that much information about Margaret Dumont and the authors did a great job filling in the timeline with interesting information about the Marx Brothers and the movies they made with and without Dumont. It reads very much like a Dumont-Marx biographical hybrid. 


Here are some interesting facts about Margaret Dumont from the book:
  • She changed her name from Daisy Juliette Baker to Daisy Dumont and eventually to Margaret Dumont. Her past was riddled with scandal—she was born out of wedlock and the result of an extra marital affair—so changing her name was crucial if she was going to have any success in the theater. She changed Daisy to Margaret when she graduated from ingenue roles to dowager ones.
  • She briefly gave up acting when she married John Moller Jr. and became a society woman. He died in 1918 during the influenza pandemic and after his death she returned to the stage.
  • After the success of The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), the public became convinced that Margaret Dumont was secretly married to Groucho Marx and the two had a difficult time trying to dispel the rumor.
  • Dumont suffered many injuries as a result of the Marx Brothers' physical antics. She was notably injured during the making of Duck Soup (1933) and by the time she made A Day at the Races (1937) she wore a harness "to prevent from having her ribs broken."
  • The Marx Brothers loved to pull pranks on Dumont off-screen. In one instance, they went too far when they called the cops to report Dumont was working as a hotel prostitute. After the incident, Groucho Marx apologized to Dumont and promised that they'd never do anything to hurt her again.
  • Margaret Dumont was passed over for several Marx Brothers pictures. Most notably for Go West (1940) because the thought was that a Western setting wouldn't suit her established persona of a society woman.
  • Dumont collaborated with many comedians including W.C. Fields, Danny Kaye, Laurel and Hardy, Red Skelton and Jack Benny. She was permanently typecast as a straight lady and "pompous dowager" despite her great range as an actress and singer.
  • Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont reunited for a skit on a TV variety show in early 1965. Dumont died shortly after this reunion and their episode aired one month after her death.

Straight Lady: The Life and Times of Margaret Dumont, "The Fifth Marx Brother" is an enjoyable read and recommended for Marx Brothers enthusiasts who want to know a bit more about Dumont. The book is very matter-of-fact and it's straightforward and simplistic approach will appeal to readers who want to focus on the information rather than read something with more editorial interjections. The edition I read was a slightly oversized but slim hardcover edition with a beautiful dust jacket and plenty of black-and-white photographs within. 

Thank you to Lyons Press for sending me a copy of this book for review.



This is my first review for the 2023 Classic Film Reading Challenge.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Interview with Bill Marx, author of Son of Harpo Speaks!

I've had the absolute pleasure of getting to interview Bill Marx, the adopted son of actors Harpo Marx and Susan Fleming and the author of the book Son of Harpo Speaks! which I reviewed yesterday.


I tried to keep the questions spoiler-free so that you all will be encouraged to pick up the book yourselves and dive on in! A big thank you to Jaime from Hal Leonard for coordinating the interview and also to him and to Bill Marx for allowing me to post one of the never-before-published images from the book. I hope you enjoy the interview!


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Raquelle: What is your favorite memory of your dad, Harpo Marx?

Bill: I have no real singular "favorite" memory of dad. He always made you feel comfortable with him, even on the occasion when he was angry with my behavior. (Of course, those times were fortunately very rare...heh, heh). So really, all of my memories are all my "favorites" because if you knew him, there were no surprises. Whatever it was, he always came straight from his heart. I suppose my most ingrained image of him was the vision of him after breakfast, practicing his music in front of the living room bay window, his harp resting gently on his shoulder as he transported himself to his other kind of surreal world.

Raquelle: What is your favorite memory of your mom, Susan Fleming?

Bill: Lots of good memories of mom as well. Aside from her natural beauty, I remember she had the toughest gig in the family as the Sergeant At Arms of the household. She was more practical than an idealist, strangely unsentimental, though with a great sense of humor, and had an opinion on just about everything, except that she would never talk about herself and her own feelings. But whenever I think of her, I think of the time that dad would come home at the end of the day, I can still remember the sight of the two of them performing their daily ritual of a big kiss on the lips, one that you could also hear the sound of way down the hall. The memory that is my most bittersweet is the time she suffered her final heart attack, and as the paramedics were wheeling her out to the ambulance, she looked up at me, with a loving smile and whispered, "Take good care of yourself, Willie......It's your turn now."

Raquelle: Out of all or your famous uncles, who were you the most close to and why?

Bill: Gummo was the easiest to be with. He was soft spoken and pretty mellow. Groucho was the most intriguing of my uncles because he was a very unpredictable character. You had to be on your game at all times with Groucho. Though I toured with Chico and dad when I was but twelve, I believe maybe because of the 50 year generation gap between us, he was more or less indifferent to me, as he was usually in his own world with his peers, and rarely in good health, except when re-energized by any available Gin or Poker game. Zeppo, too, was usually in his own world with his peers and was difficult to get to know. However, my mom did have a wonderful relationship with his first wife, Marion.

Raquelle: Tell us about a little about your dad’s musical talents as a harpist?

Bill: Dad was a self-taught musician. No academic training. He had to pick up everything either by ear or reading a system of musical notation that I created for him to be able to learn new songs or arrangements. I would write out the letters of the alphabet in place of the corresponding musical notes. Aside from the harp, he could play piano, clarinet, and chromatic harmonica, learned by the hunt and peck, search and destroy methods he used for his constant, creative discoveries.

Raquelle: For those who haven’t read your book yet (which they should soon!), could you tell us a bit about your own musical career?

Bill: Nutshell career as a musician: Juilliard trained in composition; composed concerti for violin, flute, alto saxophone, piano, harp, and double harps, plus various other symphonic works, Motion Pictures, Television, Records, and concertized all over the country as a jazz pianist. More than anything else in music, I enjoy the energy and excitement of live performance when playing the piano, being able to communicate with audiences right then and there, instantly.


Raquelle: How did Son of Harpo Marx Speaks! come together and why did you decide to write it?

Bill: I wrote Son of Harpo Speaks! for two reasons. Siblings of Groucho's and Chico had written books about their father, but no one from Harpo's family had done so. I thought it was time to complete the trifecta. Yes, there are new stories about the Marx Brothers never before published, and the close father/son and professional relationship dad and I shared together. But the book has another story that I hope people find very compelling; that of the "too Hollywood to believe" way I came to become a part of Harpo's and Susan's lives. I chose to write about that only after mom's passing in 2002, carefully respecting her lifetime role as my mom, the parent. It is a weird story about rejection, abandonment, adoption, and acceptance that I believe many can relate to and understand the accompanying feelings attached to these issues that can affect a lifetime of one's behavior.

Raquelle: You have so many wonderful photographs in your book. I especially love the one of your dad Harpo with yourself and your three siblings at Christmas time. You are all wearing big grins and look so happy to be together. How did you select which pictures to include and did these pictures come from your own collection or from other sources?

Bill: All of the photographs and images come from my collection and have never previously been published. I selected them for the book primarily to connect with and/or advance the plot lines. I also wanted easy access for the reader to see the people and things I was referring to at the time they were reading about them.


Raquelle: You have met a lot of famous people in your life. I loved reading about how you worked with Doris Day and when you played piano at a party with Jack Lemmon. Who was your favorite celebrity (besides your Dad and your uncles of course!)?

Bill: I suppose George Burns was the most remarkable celebrity I have ever met. The last time I saw him he was about 98 years old. He saw me and walked toward me with conviction, and then we hugged each other for at least a good 15 seconds. I shall never forget the moment, nor the feeling I had in my arms while holding his frail, skeletal body to me. He was unique, special, a comedic genius.
Maybe the most gifted celebrity that I would see from time to time was Jack Lemmon. Not only a superb actor, he was a very good piano player, and great fun to be around, just like my secret idol, Steve Allen, who I had the great pleasure of working with for a number of charity events.

Raquelle: In your book, you mention that your mother and actress Gloria Stuart were best friends. You even likened them to Oscar and Felix from The Odd Couple (which is one of my favorite TV shows!). Could you tell us a little more about their friendship?

Bill: The Odd Couple (1968) was a wonderful movie with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and later became a smash TV sitcom. It revolved around the comedic formula of putting two people of opposite behaviors together, (the slob, Felix Unger, and the anal retentive, Oscar Madison) hoping they will somehow eventually learn to live together by tolerating one another, and maybe ultimately even get to become loving friends. Mom's look at life was closer to Felix's, more orderly. Gloria Stuart, mom's dearest friend for over fifty years, was pretty much the free spirited, creative but non-domesticated Oscar. In other words, as I write in my book, pretty much exact opposites...and they did attract.


Raquelle: What do you hope readers come away with when they read your book?


Bill: I hope that there will be something for everyone in Son of Harpo Speaks! that will strike a positive note about Fate, and how it can play a profound part in our lives on this tiny planet in our universe. It sure has with me, and I hope everyone will finish my book with a big smile and warmth in their heart.

P.S. For more about Harpo Marx and his family, go to: harposplace.com 

Thank you Bill!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Son of Harpo Speaks by Bill Marx


Son of Harpo Speaks!
by Bill Marx
February 2007
Applause Books – Hal Leonard
Paperback
$19.99
315 pages



My dad’s wonderful impact on people’s lives had given me an entree into a world I’m sure I would have otherwise never known.- Bill Marx


Whenever I think of classic film biographies written by the children of famous stars, books like Mommy Dearest and My Mother’s Keeper pop into mind. Those books, which may or may not exaggerate the truth, do not put the classic film stars in a good light. Son of Harpo Speaks! is not like that at all. Bill Marx, the oldest adopted son of Harpo Marx and actress Susan Fleming, wrote an autobiography which does double duty in that he talks about his own life journey while also paying tribute to his beloved father and mother. It’s a very charming book, written with a lot of respect and admiration and you can’t help but fall in love with Harpo Marx after reading it.


Harpo Marx married Susan Fleming in 1936 after much chasing on Fleming’s part because Harpo was very content to remain a bachelor. They had a long happy marriage which lasted until 1964 when Harpo Marx passed away. In 1938, Harpo and Susan adopted Bill in 1938 and adopted three more children (all at the same time!) several years later. They decided to adopt children when it was discovered Susan couldn’t bear children.


In the Son of Harpo Speaks! (a play on the title of his dad’s autobiography Harpo Speaks!), Bill Marx chronicles his life with his adopted parents Harpo and Susan, his adult life, career in the music industry and the story of his birth parents. I wouldn’t call it an autobiography per se but more a memoir. Although it reads chronologically and covers his life from beginning up until the present time (circa 2007), it’s focus is very geared towards Harpo Marx’s influence on Bill as a parent, friend and musical inspiration. Bill went on to become a composer and pianist. He even arranged and conducted the song "Please Don’t Eat the Daisies" which was the theme for the movie with the same name and sung by Doris Day!


To be honest, at first the book was a bit difficult to read. I felt that Bill Marx was trying too hard to be as funny as his dad. Also, at several points in the book the ghost of Harpo Marx speaks to his son and at first I found this odd but eventually I came to realize that this was Bill’s way of remembering his dad, dealing with some of his abandonment issues and imagining what he would have thought of Bill’s life after Harpo left it. A few chapters in, Bill Marx really finds his voice and the writing becomes a lot more natural and a lot less forced. It’s a quirky, charming book and it’s very clear that Bill loved his dad. Harpo wasn’t perfect, Bill acknowledges his dad’s his character strengths and flaws in a portrait that makes Harpo look like a loving father, talented and devoted performer and a good friend.

When I was young, [my dad] told me that it wasn’t what you do in life that’s important; it’s how you feel about yourself while you are doing whatever it is you are doing. As long as you aren’t hurting someone else in the quest of your dreams, always look for things to do that can bring you pleasure and personal fulfillment. – Bill Marx

I loved reading stories about Harpo, Susan and Bill. I laughed out while reading about the story of Harpo playing golf in the nude. Reading about Harpo’s death broke my heart. You’ll need to keep some tissues handy when you get to that part. The book is filled with never-before-published family photographs of Harpo, Susan, Bill, the Marx Bros., Harpo’s celebrity friends and many more. There are plenty of these pictures and they are a delight to look at. They are found throughout the book and placed in the appropriate context within the text rather than all grouped in the middle. There is not a lot about Bill’s adopted siblings in the book and there are a few parts of Bill's life that feel left out (although he acknowledges certain omissions like his second marriage). It’s not a salacious read by any means although Bill does devote one chapter to the Marx Bros.’ penchant for nudity and the ladies. In other parts of the book he discusses dating actress Marlo Thomas, some crazy stalkers he had and some interesting events that happened during his life travels. But if you are looking for gossip, look elsewhere.

There is a lot in this memoir to cherish and if you are a Marx Bros. fan with a particular love for Harpo, you need to read this book!

Full Disclosure: Thank you so much to Jaime from Hal Leonard for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will be posting an interview with Bill Marx himself!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Hail, Hail, Euphoria! by Roy Blount Jr.


Presenting the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup
The Greatest War Movie Ever Made
by Roy Blount Jr. 
HarperCollins/It Books
9780061808166
October 2010
$19.99 US

I recently read a review that claimed this book was a scene-by-scene look at the classic Marx Bros. movie Duck Soup (1933). First of all, that reviewer must have jumped to that conclusion and written the review before reading the actual book because his statement couldn't be further from the truth. Hail, Hail, Euphoria! is more than just a book about a movie. It's also about the lives of the Marx Bros., Leo McCarey (the director of the movie), the cultural and historical circumstances that allowed for the movie's inception, the methods of comedic style employed by each of the brothers and lots of other fun tidbits and trivia. This is a book that any classic film fan would love to devour and it's a lot of fun to read. Roy Blount Jr., of NPR fame, has a natural sense of humor that lends itself to writing a book about a funny movie made by some funny guys.

The book is both structured and structureless. While it's not a scene-by-scene play on the movie, it does follow the flow of the movie discussing scenes in the order in which they appear. The text flows with information stopping along the way to look closely on a scene before it moves on. There are no chapters and not a lot of breaks. The book is relatively short, 145 pages, and you could easily read it in one sitting. Make sure when you start it that you are near a computer because there is a YouTube clip, an online radio recording of Harpo plus a few other links you'll need to check out before you can proceed.

The book's subtitle claims that Duck Soup was the greatest war movie ever made. While this is never really explained in the book, the author does give us various insights into why Duck Soup was an effective anti-war film and why it's a good example of the time period it represents. What I liked about the book is that reading it was like going on a treasure hunt, finding goodies along the way including: links to various clips (you have to type the URLs out on your computer because no you can't click on the page!), the reason why the book is called Hail, Hail, Euphoria! instead of Freedonia!, the meaning of the phrase "duck soup", etc.

Duck Soup is not my favorite Marx Bros. movie but I do enjoy parts of it (mirror scene anyone?). What bothers me about it is how it treats war. Basically, war is a huge joke. Two countries go to battle for ridiculous reasons and people die as a result. It hits a little too close to home. So maybe, in that way, it is the greatest war movie ever made because it can make people think about the absurdity of war in a way that no other film has done: through comedy.

Make sure you stop by On Point Radio and listen to the podcast interview with the author, Roy Blount Jr.

Special thank you to HarperCollins, who is my second favorite publisher after the company I work for currently, for sending me this book for review. They are an amazing powerhouse of book publishing and they come out with some great books!


Browse Inside this book
Get this for your site


Other reviews of the book:

Classic Film Freak
Classic Movies

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

New Year's with the Marx Bros.

As I've said before, watching the Marx Bros. on New Year's has been an annual tradition that I thoroughly enjoy. Last year I invited my good friend Kevin to watch one of them with me on the big screen at the Brattle Theatre. Unfortunately, he got stuck in a snowstorm on his way back from Vermont and couldn't make it. No worries, because we made up for it with a 4:30pm viewing of Monkey Business (1931) on New Year's 2009! Kevin hadn't seen a Marx Bros. movie before and Monkey Business was new to me, so we were both in for a treat. And in the way only the Marx Bros. could do, hilarity ensued. We laughed as Groucho delivered his rapid-fire one-liners, as Harpo chased women and honked, as Chico misinterpreted and schemed and as Zeppo romanced. The audience seemed to enjoy Groucho and Harpo's antics and didn't necessarily appreciate Chico's famous misinterpretations. Maybe because they take a few seconds for the brain to process where as Groucho's jokes are instantly funny. However, it was very good to see so many people in the audience, many of whom bought all-day passes for the Marx Bros. marathon and had settled in for an afternoon of popcorn and laughs. It was really great to share the Marx Bros. with Kevin and I recommended he watch The Night at the Opera (1935) for even more laughs. And two hard-boiled eggs.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Marx Bros. on Jeopardy!... and two hard-boiled eggs

On last night's Jeopardy! Teen Tournament, host Alex Trebek asked contestant Rachel Horn, 15, about her passion for the Marx Bros. movies. I was so impressed, not only by this girl's smarts but by the fact that she even knows who the Marx Bros. are, let alone be a fan of theirs. It fills me with pride to know that there are young people out there who value intelligence as well as classic films. Go Rachel! I'll be rooting for her tonight.


Sunday, January 6, 2008

A Night at the Opera in a Whirpool with some Duck Soup. And two hard-boiled eggs. ::honk!: Make that three hard-boiled eggs.

I finally got to watch A Night at the Opera (1935) last week. Rip-roaring good time was had. My favorite scenes include Groucho and Chico discussing a sanity claus, Groucho ordering food from the ship's steward and Harpo swinging from the ropes backstage during the Opera. I highly recommend it! (Although Duck Soup (1933) is still my favorite).

You know you've watched too many movies when you rent the same movie twice! I didn't realize that I had already seen Whirlpool (1950) until I rented it again recently and when I watched the very first scene, I told myself the ending of the whole movie! Egads.

Here is a clip from Duck Soup (1933) for your viewing pleasure.


Saturday, December 29, 2007

For Auld Lang Syne

New Year's means two things to me (movie-wise). The Marx Bros. and Ginger Rogers in Bachelor Mother (1939).

The ritual of watching The Marx Bros. movies around New Years started a couple of years ago with a Marx Bros. marathon on TCM (I'm convinced TCM is less a channel and more a lifestyle). I had so much fun, counting down the hours to a brand New Year, by watching the hilarious antics of Groucho, Harpo and Chico (sometimes Zeppo). Duck Soup (1933), A Day at the Races (1937), Horse Feathers (1932), just to name a few. All of the films made during Thalberg's lifetime of course. Irving Thalberg was a big supporter of the Marx Bros, and films made after Thalberg's death in 1936, lack the luster of the great originals.

I have yet to see the Holy Grail of the Marx Bros. movies, A Night at the Opera (1935), and saved that for this New Years. Fingers-crossed, I'll get to watch that in a real-life theatre, on a big screen on New Year's day. What better way to ring in the New Year with the hilarious romps of those silly brothers!

Bachelor Mother (1939) is a personal pleasure of mine. Ginger Rogers plays a young, independent women who loses her job at the toy deparment of a major department store. She stumbles upon an old lady leaving a baby on the steps of a foundling home, only to be confused later as the mother of the baby. She cannot convince anyone that the baby is not hers, especially David Niven, who plays one of the head of the department store, who gives her, her job back and consquently falls for her and the baby.

Its a wonderful movie. There is one particular scene when Niven asks Rogers out for New Years (as a last minute option) and she hasn't a thing to wear. He gets a brand new dress, scarf, shoes, stockings and even a mink coat from the store for her. They go out to a fancy dinner and she pretends to be Swedish so she won't have to talk to his society friends. He can't get a moment with her because all of his friends whisk her away to the dance floor. He finally wrangles her out of the restaurant they go out to Times Square to ring in the New Year. They get lost in the chaotic arms only to find each other at the moment the clock strucks midnight and they kiss. It's just a wonderful wonderful part of a spectacular movie. It epitomizes New Years. Going out, living it up and having a ball so that you can start a new year afresh!

Happy New Years to you and yours!

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