Harpo said in his autobiography "Harpo Speaks!" he was named after an acrobatic chimpanzee named Zippo. There are two versions of why the youngest brother, Herbert, was nicknamed Zeppo. Gus Mager had a popular comic strip then called "Sherlocko the Monk" and Fisher gave each brother a nickname related to their personalities.Ĭhico (pronounced Chick-o) chased women, Harpo played the Harp, Gummo wore gumshoes and Groucho wore a "grouch" bag around his neck to keep his money and personal items. The story goes that Leonard, Adolph, Julius and Milton Marx got their nicknames - Chico, Harpo, Groucho and Gummo, respectively - in 1914 while playing poker with vaudevillian Art Fisher in Galesburg, Ill. The restrictions - political, religious and every other kind - have killed satire.' " When I launched The Realist in 1958, I took as my marching orders Groucho's quote, 'Satire is verboten today. I would find myself delivering an especially appropriate observation while wiggling my eyebrows, crouching forward, speaking with his attitude and rhythm, and tapping the ashes off an imaginary cigar. "Groucho would often pop up in my performances. "They exuded an aura of irreverence - their only sacred cow - inspiring stand-up comedians and sit-down satirists alike. "The Marx Bros.' movies consisted of slapstick, sarcasm, ridicule and, most of all, absurdity in action," said Krassner. influenced modern humor and Groucho inspired his stand-up comedy. mirth.ĬGH advisory board member Paul Krassner, a Desert Hot Springs-based satirist who introduced Groucho to LSD - at Groucho's request - in the 1960s, said the Marx Bros. Richmond posted signs of "good vibes" around his house and immersed himself in Marx Bros. Richmond, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis before his death at 94 in 2012, sought to promote the Marx Bros.' "good vibes" after reading Norman Cousins' "Anatomy Of An Illness As Perceived By the Patient: Reflections on Healing." Cousins said he fought reactive arthritis by taking massive doses of Vitamin C and inducing laughter with Marx Bros. It also will celebrate the Marx Bros.' contribution to alternative health. CGH Advisory Board members, Marx brothers chroniclers and vaudeville veteran Kaye Ballard also will appear in a program featuring clips from Marx Bros. Besides Andy, Bill and Bob Marx, Barbara Sinatra and Harpo's daughter, Minnie Marx, are expected to attend the weekend celebration at the Rancho Mirage Public Library. New York City will celebrate the 100th anniversary with a month-long "Marxfest" in May, but Andy Marx, Groucho's grandson, said the Rancho Mirage event will be a rare get-together of the extended Marx family. But, because Chico, Groucho and Harpo are the best known, Harpo's son, Bill, and the late Songwriters Hall of Fame co-founder Howie Richmond formed the nonprofit CGH Society to celebrate their centennial in the city that has declared itself the society's official home. Gummo died in Rancho Mirage in 1977 and Zeppo, who married the future Barbara Sinatra, died there in 1979. Watch Video: VIDEO: Rancho Mirage celebrates the Marx Brothers "She went over to him and said, 'What were you doing kissing that girl?' He said, 'I wasn't kissing that girl. "He was back stage kissing one of the girls in the show when his wife walked in," said Bob Marx, son of Gummo. His nephews still tell tales of his pursuit of showgirls.
Along with their eldest brother, Chico, they golfed, played cards and enjoyed the sun - Harpo often in the nude.Ĭhico, the only brother who didn't own a desert home, was the group's womanizer. Groucho, Harpo, Gummo and Zeppo Marx all had homes at Tamarisk.
act, launched with their well-known stage names 100 years ago this spring, it's hard to believe the leering, acerbic Groucho and his siblings led relatively normal, domestic lives in Rancho Mirage from the 1940s through the 1970s. Looking back at the zany, anarchic Marx Bros. Watch Video: VIDEO: Bill Marx talks about his comedyĪ Rancho Mirage resident recalled driving down Palmdale Road near Tamarisk Country Club in the 1960s and seeing the one, the only Groucho Marx on a bicycle.