True . . . so true . . . but the directors and screenwriters who worked with the Brothers frequently tore their hair (and perhaps each other's) in despair at the way the train went off the tracks. Anarchy, sheer anarchy . . . and HOW glorious it was!
Harpo Speaks is how I got to know the Marx Brothers. What luck I picked it up and from the first page I was hooked, its still the best autobiography I have ever read. RIP Harpo
It is difficult to do something purposely wrong. I tried to show a trainee what a cold solder joint looked like. I couldn't do it, came out perfect every time.
The face that has launched a thousand laughs in my life. He still does. What a comedic genius! ...and his musicianship...the only being in human history that has successfully combined classical and punk and made it work every time!
I wrecked my first motorcycle in 1980 and stayed on Jay&Sharon's couch for 3 months. KTLA 5 ran a Marx Bros marathon that week and Jay recorded all the movies on audio cassette so we knew all the jokes; and of course the music. I'm currently practicing this on a KORG synthesizer using the big pipes setting. Probably never get there, but anyway..
The piano was adlib of course as it was a prop, but the hidden gem was the recording he played to was his own,as was the perfectly tuned harp recording . Comedic / virtuoso.
Rachmaninoff hated that prelude, and once Harpo, sick of enduring Rachmaninoff's practicing in an adjacent bungalow, began playing it on the harp, fortissimo. Rachmaninoff went to the rental office and demanded to be moved to the furthest cabin away from "that dreadful harpist." Way to go, Harpo!
It was just that people always insisted that Rachmaninoff play that one prelude without acknowledging that he played other pieces...they always asked for that same thing. He just got tired of it.
I also heard he disliked the piece because he only copyrighted it in Russia and didn’t get paid for its popularity elsewhere in the world. That cost him long term, but as I recall, he wrote it when pretty young so at least he learned early!
Rachmaninoff did not need to practice that piece. Maybe it was Rachmaninof doing technical practice of some sort which I hear he did excruciatingly and annoyingly slow.
Has anyone ever watched Harpo's face while he plays the harp? After about twenty seconds into the song, there is not a trace of humour left in his expression, it's pure intent concentration.
I love this scene. Did you know Beethoven actually played the piano so hard and with such complicated and passionate pieces that he would have them fall apart during concerts? Not to this extent, obviously, but they would break nonetheless. In fact, he was so displeased by the weaknesses he found, that he reinvented the piano to have a more robust frame and triple strings for most of the notes. Essentially, he invented the modern piano because he kicked too much ass for the old ones.
So...I've seen Harpo play the harp, the clarinet and the piano in various clips. What amazing musical talent, aside for being a comic genius! Even more amazing is that he, apparently, never actually learned to read music. And, though his harp playing was beautiful, his technique was, apparently, very unorthodox...because, though he did eventually have so formal lessons, by that time he had already acquired playing habits/style that was built into himself. It's probably the same with every instrument he played!
He is not actually playing this piano though. As it disintegrates you can see there is no action connecting the keys to the strings. Also the harp within the piano case would not also function as a piano plate and strings.
I saw this movie last night and I laughed so hard at this scene! The piano disintegrated as he played it and then he made a harp out of it. It's common that Harpo plays a wacky piece on the piano first before going to a harp and playing something more beautiful.
Virginia Connor nope. Piano uses striking and harp uses plucking. Though I guess there's nothing stopping you from striking a harp... a harp is more closely related to a harpsichord. Hence the name.
@@mrmaniac3 You have no idea what you are talking about DO you? Damn man, pull your hand out of your ass where you are pulling those stupid shit answers from!
Hiya! Harp player here. The piano is actually an "evolved" harp, that's why we have the harpsichord as the evolutionary step in between. It's also why the harmonic curve on the top of the harp is so similar to the harmonic curve at the end of a grand piano. I can go on about this for a while, so I'll spare you the full lecture and just leave it at that!
What people didn't know was that Harpo could play the piano. He actually got the first job among his brothers playing in a brothel at age 13 in New York's lower East side.
@@rimmersbryggeriThe Marx Brothers. They made movies primarily in the 30s and 40s, and you have to look into them. Nearly a century later and they're still well known as some of the best comedy movies of all time! Some of their most famous are A Night in Casablanca, Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, and The Cocoanuts, though most of their others are also gold.
I played that while I was in high school. I also won a chance to play for, at that time, the annual high school AFS (American Field Service) fund raiser had in our 1,200 school auditorium. I did a "tricked up" version of that, ala' Victor Borge and Liberace. They wouldn't allow me to abuse the piano, however!
@TomBarristerX I didn't know about the de-synching. I'm confused about Harpo's piano abilities. In a couple of places, it is stated that he only knew two pieces. But I don't understand -- so he wasn't allowed to play it, then what he did play here doesn't count as playing it? It's heavily butchered obviously. :-)
@NewhamMatt This clip is out of sync. I have the dvd and it's in sync. Harpo could actually play the piano, though not as well as Chico, so it's possible that he may have played it for the movie, but I tend to think it was pre-recorded. To all Marx Bros fans, if you haven't read the book "Harpo Speaks" I highly recommend it!! It is such a great autobiography!!
@CuddlyBadger I doubt that this was really Harpo playing (his playing certainly doesn't sync with the music, although he could have pre-recorded it himself). In answer to your question, yes, he uses the naked piano strings as a harp.
@HazukiOfMutsu My guess is that Harpo was being modest -- or just telling a good story. Harpo reportedly could play several instruments, all self-taught. We do see him in various movies playing a clarinet, a saxiphone and a trumpet, although admittedly not seriously. He had a wide collection of instruments in his home and played them all. I would like to find a copy of "Harpo Speaks." It should be good reading, although I would take a few details with a few grains of salt. ;-)
My father used to play "Prelude in C-sharp minor" by Sergei Rachmaninov on our piano - and he played it quite well. If played well, it's a very nice piece.
I hadn't seen this before. Thanks for posting. A classic in the Marx Bros repertoire. And yes, he is foreshadowing Pete Townshend here. I used to be a big Groucho fan as a teenager in the 70s (yes I was a Marx Brothers geek) but I find his shtick gets old. Those awful puns, those lame put downs. Sure, there are funny for a while, but the hamming is just too much. Harpo is still funny because he doesn't talk. He is the child in all of us. Sorry for the analysis, but I love the guy!
When I was a child, Harpo's humor was the only one that I understood, and it was funny. As an adult, I understand it more and that makes it even funnier.
I'm amazed that so many people believe Hollywood magic. It's not a real piano, it's a very good prop. Also the "harp" that Harpo supposedly plays after he wrecks the prop piano is not the same one that's inside the prop. Piano strings, or wires, are very different to harp strings. When he picks up the piano string frame..which would be incredibly heavy by the way, the camera then cuts to a closeup of him holding an actual harp where the strings are different colours (in black and white), which pianos don't have. This is where he plays a real harp. At the end of the number the camera cuts back to the longshot where he's holding the prop piano string frame. Two entirely different things. As for the piano, it's a very good prop that's been constructed to pull away at given times. the keys flying out is a separate automated prop which can be seen sitting on top of the piano. very clever and brilliantly done, but that ain't no real piano.
Also, piano strings dont' run up and down in one straight line. They are two overlapping sets of wires. The pegs holding the strings is another give away. There aren't nearly enough pegs. But..what a great prop and wonderful trickery.
@EvenEvenOdd Too funny! My dad would sometimes play a piece (late into the evening) and step away from the piano before the last phrase was played --- oh did that get my mothers fur up. hahaha
Before Hendrix set his guitar on fire 🎸 we had Jerry Lee Lewis torching his keyboard.🎹And before Jerry Lee there was Harpo demolishing the entire piano.
Ahhh...Harpo! He breaks the piano and makes it into a Harp! The clip gets cut off before it. Harpo could play piano. Music was a big part of the Marx Brothers lives.
Harpo could play the piano but he wasn 't playing in this clip. a couple of times he was seen to move his hands to his right, while the sounds were of lower notes. I spotted it twice.
The harp which Harpo plays is the movie is different to the movie studio built prop that we see here. When they cut in for the closeups of Harpo playing, it's an actual harp he plays, not the prop one that he holds up before the cut.
I've said it before: it is the greatest scene in motion picture history. Ok, I may be a bit prejudice, I went to music school and I couldn't stand all the piano majors. (I was a composition major.)
You cut the very best part.... He continues to play it on the piano wires even more impressively -- like a harp -- which was his main instrument. The man was a *phenomenally* talented musician.
Lightweight materials held together with hinged catches. The "hammers" were spring-loaded. That wasn't a real piano harp that Harpo plucked out of the ruins . . . they weigh about 300 pounds.
2 месяца назад
ruclips.net/video/WwMSDSzTzdo/видео.html Full scene and in synch.
Harpo never gets enough credit for how comedically brilliant he was
Not to mention his musical prowess.
Are you kidding me? What are you? Like 12 years old?
😮@@jameswest8280
True . . . so true . . . but the directors and screenwriters who worked with the Brothers frequently tore their hair (and perhaps each other's) in despair at the way the train went off the tracks. Anarchy, sheer anarchy . . . and HOW glorious it was!
Of course he gets credit... in the mail offering low APR and balance transfers!
Harpo Speaks is how I got to know the Marx Brothers. What luck I picked it up and from the first page I was hooked, its still the best autobiography I have ever read. RIP Harpo
Harpo playing any of his instruments never never gets old. I love him he was brilliant
To do this is genius. To know something and purposely do it wrong, is NOT easy! This is a fabulous post of Harpo. Thank you for this!
It is difficult to do something purposely wrong. I tried to show a trainee what a cold solder joint looked like. I couldn't do it, came out perfect every time.
NB Darlene Edward's and jo stafford🎉😂❤
poor piano tho
Where Keith Emerson received his inspiration
The face that has launched a thousand laughs in my life. He still does. What a comedic genius!
...and his musicianship...the only being in human history that has successfully combined classical and punk and made it work every time!
I wrecked my first motorcycle in 1980 and stayed on Jay&Sharon's couch for 3 months. KTLA 5 ran a Marx Bros marathon that week and Jay recorded all the movies on audio cassette so we knew all the jokes; and of course the music. I'm currently practicing this on a KORG synthesizer using the big pipes setting. Probably never get there, but anyway..
The piano was adlib of course as it was a prop, but the hidden gem was the recording he played to was his own,as was the perfectly tuned harp recording . Comedic / virtuoso.
Yeah people forget that he was a legit musician! (Harp, obviously- But also piano!)
The practical effect of its eruption is brilliant. It all just comes apart perfectly. I doubt they had a backup for any second take.
Rachmaninoff hated that prelude, and once Harpo, sick of enduring Rachmaninoff's practicing in an adjacent bungalow, began playing it on the harp, fortissimo. Rachmaninoff went to the rental office and demanded to be moved to the furthest cabin away from "that dreadful harpist." Way to go, Harpo!
It was just that people always insisted that Rachmaninoff play that one prelude without acknowledging that he played other pieces...they always asked for that same thing. He just got tired of it.
I also heard he disliked the piece because he only copyrighted it in Russia and didn’t get paid for its popularity elsewhere in the world. That cost him long term, but as I recall, he wrote it when pretty young so at least he learned early!
Most people don't realize that Rachmaninoff composed his most famous piano piece at the age of 19.
"One on One" by Craig Brown - excellent read
Rachmaninoff did not need to practice that piece. Maybe it was Rachmaninof doing technical practice of some sort which I hear he did excruciatingly and annoyingly slow.
"That's a priceless Steinway!!"
"NOT... anymore."
inspector Cluso
Priceless prop! 😂
THANK YOU!!!
Too bad this video clip doesn't go on to show how Harpo picks up the piano harp and starts to play it beautifully. The man was a genius.
Look when he starts crossing his legs at 1:09. It's the subtle things Harpo did that made him such a genius. Young comedic actors, PAY ATTENTION.
I am amazed at both Harpo's and Chico's musical talents. This clip made me LOL. Bloody funny . LOL. LOL. BRILLIANT. 20 STARS.
Has anyone ever watched Harpo's face while he plays the harp? After about twenty seconds into the song, there is not a trace of humour left in his expression, it's pure intent concentration.
I love this scene. Did you know Beethoven actually played the piano so hard and with such complicated and passionate pieces that he would have them fall apart during concerts? Not to this extent, obviously, but they would break nonetheless. In fact, he was so displeased by the weaknesses he found, that he reinvented the piano to have a more robust frame and triple strings for most of the notes. Essentially, he invented the modern piano because he kicked too much ass for the old ones.
True that. But also, before Beethoven ameliorated the piano, he accidentally invented the harp.
Yeah, ol' Ludwig was a true rock-n-roller in his day. Ever see Jerry Lee Lewis rip the ivory off of the keys with his glissandos? It's a real sight!
Piano-Forte pianos were much more delicate than modern pianos.
The reason Beethoven played the piano so hard was because he was going deaf. He was completely deaf by the time he composed his ninth symphony.
Happy Birthday, Harpo! You were and are my favourite!
Marx Brothers were ahead of their time. Harpo Speaks is a great read. Harpo - US on RUclips is a touching tribute to the life of Harpo and his family.
Correction , the Marx Brothers were ahead of YOUR time !
C'mon now, you're killin' me...you left out the BRILLIANT punch line-Harpo plays the frame like a harp! I cry every time!
Great movie! Love watching Harpo playing the harp! Thanks 😊
They were highly talented, exceptionally versatile.
Amazing vídeo!
He actually plays the harp for real. The best part is edited out.
Agreed
Harpo could talk without saying a word. He was and still is the most lovable man in the world.
So...I've seen Harpo play the harp, the clarinet and the piano in various clips. What amazing musical talent, aside for being a comic genius! Even more amazing is that he, apparently, never actually learned to read music. And, though his harp playing was beautiful, his technique was, apparently, very unorthodox...because, though he did eventually have so formal lessons, by that time he had already acquired playing habits/style that was built into himself. It's probably the same with every instrument he played!
Yes, Harpo was absolutely an amazing talent! Truly love him!💞
I heard that when Harpo tried to take formal lessons his teachers were more entranced at Harpo's style than trying to teach him the proper style!
He is not actually playing this piano though. As it disintegrates you can see there is no action connecting the keys to the strings. Also the harp within the piano case would not also function as a piano plate and strings.
Haven't seen this clip in years. It's even more hilariously brilliant.
darn i wanted to see him play that harp
ahhhh!!!!I love him so! He`s the best! This scene is soooo funny! Folks,if you haven`t seen any Marx movie----DO IT!!
love him. amazing person.
I saw this movie last night and I laughed so hard at this scene! The piano disintegrated as he played it and then he made a harp out of it.
It's common that Harpo plays a wacky piece on the piano first before going to a harp and playing something more beautiful.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Harpo just taught me something I never knew. A piano is basically a harp laid in its side?!?!?
ziggy morris They both use strings
And both are more or less percussion instruments. That's the relationship if you don't count the keys in the piano.
Virginia Connor nope. Piano uses striking and harp uses plucking. Though I guess there's nothing stopping you from striking a harp... a harp is more closely related to a harpsichord. Hence the name.
The only time I strike a harp is with a sledge hammer!
@@mrmaniac3 You have no idea what you are talking about DO you? Damn man, pull your hand out of your ass where you are pulling those stupid shit answers from!
Hiya! Harp player here. The piano is actually an "evolved" harp, that's why we have the harpsichord as the evolutionary step in between. It's also why the harmonic curve on the top of the harp is so similar to the harmonic curve at the end of a grand piano. I can go on about this for a while, so I'll spare you the full lecture and just leave it at that!
What people didn't know was that Harpo could play the piano. He actually got the first job among his brothers playing in a brothel at age 13 in New York's lower East side.
Yep. he was a musician first.
Who are these people?
@@rimmersbryggeriThe Marx Brothers. They made movies primarily in the 30s and 40s, and you have to look into them. Nearly a century later and they're still well known as some of the best comedy movies of all time!
Some of their most famous are A Night in Casablanca, Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, and The Cocoanuts, though most of their others are also gold.
@@micahphilson I meant the people who allegedly know about the marx brothers but not that harpo was an accomplished musician.
I played that while I was in high school.
I also won a chance to play for, at that time, the annual high school AFS (American Field Service) fund raiser had in our 1,200 school auditorium. I did a "tricked up" version of that, ala' Victor Borge and Liberace.
They wouldn't allow me to abuse the piano, however!
I'm cringing and laughing at the same time.
I love them so much.
@TomBarristerX I didn't know about the de-synching. I'm confused about Harpo's piano abilities. In a couple of places, it is stated that he only knew two pieces. But I don't understand -- so he wasn't allowed to play it, then what he did play here doesn't count as playing it? It's heavily butchered obviously. :-)
Both a comedic and musical genius, Harpo is. Beep - Beep
@NewhamMatt This clip is out of sync. I have the dvd and it's in sync. Harpo could actually play the piano, though not as well as Chico, so it's possible that he may have played it for the movie, but I tend to think it was pre-recorded.
To all Marx Bros fans, if you haven't read the book "Harpo Speaks" I highly recommend it!! It is such a great autobiography!!
Harpo is a plethora of Genius Brilliance!
definitely one of the best musical moments in the marx bros mvoies.
Not only was he technically excellent, he had a real heart for music and the piano.
R.I.P. Piano ( 1945-2020)😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔
@CuddlyBadger I doubt that this was really Harpo playing (his playing certainly doesn't sync with the music, although he could have pre-recorded it himself). In answer to your question, yes, he uses the naked piano strings as a harp.
It's a great scene. I can't stop laughing every time I see it.
Great breakaway piano prop. The hammer explosion is inspired.
Fabulous, Gareth!
✴️
OMG… 🔥🔥🔥
Thank You Golden Artist 🙏🏻
🤍🕊️🤍🕊️🤍🕊️🤍🕊️🤍🕊️
@HazukiOfMutsu My guess is that Harpo was being modest -- or just telling a good story. Harpo reportedly could play several instruments, all self-taught. We do see him in various movies playing a clarinet, a saxiphone and a trumpet, although admittedly not seriously. He had a wide collection of instruments in his home and played them all. I would like to find a copy of "Harpo Speaks." It should be good reading, although I would take a few details with a few grains of salt. ;-)
Finally. The explanation for Keith Moon.
My father used to play "Prelude in C-sharp minor" by Sergei Rachmaninov on our piano - and he played it quite well. If played well, it's a very nice piece.
@suzy170980 I always take it on flights,....never gets old!....speaking of which,neither does "The Groucho Letters" knowwhaddimean?
I hadn't seen this before. Thanks for posting. A classic in the Marx Bros repertoire. And yes, he is foreshadowing Pete Townshend here.
I used to be a big Groucho fan as a teenager in the 70s (yes I was a Marx Brothers geek) but I find his shtick gets old. Those awful puns, those lame put downs. Sure, there are funny for a while, but the hamming is just too much. Harpo is still funny because he doesn't talk. He is the child in all of us. Sorry for the analysis, but I love the guy!
the brothers were great musicians...chico , harpo and even groucho
That explosion at 1:23 looks DANGEROUS
It’s the funniest transition of an instrument ever
When I was a child, Harpo's humor was the only one that I understood, and it was funny. As an adult, I understand it more and that makes it even funnier.
How's my life going? Well, thanks for this handy link.
How many times I wanted to bust the piano up during a damn concert! 😅
I'm amazed that so many people believe Hollywood magic. It's not a real piano, it's a very good prop. Also the "harp" that Harpo supposedly plays after he wrecks the prop piano is not the same one that's inside the prop. Piano strings, or wires, are very different to harp strings. When he picks up the piano string frame..which would be incredibly heavy by the way, the camera then cuts to a closeup of him holding an actual harp where the strings are different colours (in black and white), which pianos don't have. This is where he plays a real harp. At the end of the number the camera cuts back to the longshot where he's holding the prop piano string frame. Two entirely different things. As for the piano, it's a very good prop that's been constructed to pull away at given times. the keys flying out is a separate automated prop which can be seen sitting on top of the piano. very clever and brilliantly done, but that ain't no real piano.
Also, piano strings dont' run up and down in one straight line. They are two overlapping sets of wires. The pegs holding the strings is another give away. There aren't nearly enough pegs. But..what a great prop and wonderful trickery.
How do you leave out the best part...
The cadenza???
No, the crescendo! It was preceded by the "crash-into".
ROTFLMAO!!!
Harpo played the hell out of that piano.
I think it’s because he was copyrighted in Russia for stupid fucking reasons.
Des genies comme lui, il n'y en a plus!
@EvenEvenOdd Too funny! My dad would sometimes play a piece (late into the evening) and step away from the piano before the last phrase was played --- oh did that get my mothers fur up. hahaha
@Magspie7 The title is "A Night at the Opera." It was Groucho's favorite.
Before Hendrix set his guitar on fire 🎸 we had Jerry Lee Lewis torching his keyboard.🎹And before Jerry Lee there was Harpo demolishing the entire piano.
Liszt was famous for wrecking instruments; also, he had to get a restraining order on Pelosi.
0:57 DAMN IT, HARPO!
Ahhh...Harpo! He breaks the piano and makes it into a Harp! The clip gets cut off before it. Harpo could play piano. Music was a big part of the Marx Brothers lives.
@alan1963 I'm not in the least bit surprised.
People don't seem to realize that Minnie's boys were intellectuals.
Harpo could play the piano but he wasn 't playing in this clip. a couple of times he was seen to move his hands to his right, while the sounds were of lower notes. I spotted it twice.
killer recommendation, thx
You show 'em, Adolf.
You can understand why he changed his name can't you?
Ironically, he actually changed it in 1911, years before the Nazi party arose. He just didn't like the name. Can't say I blame him.
Rachmaninoff, prelude in c# minor opus 3 nr. 2.
They don't make pianos like they used to...which as this clip indicates is probably a good thing!
@thechristian01999 That was hilarious. And Harpo even ends up with a harp.
Rachmaninov was living at the time this film was made . . . wonder what he thought of it!
I was thinking the exact same thing!
The harp which Harpo plays is the movie is different to the movie studio built prop that we see here. When they cut in for the closeups of Harpo playing, it's an actual harp he plays, not the prop one that he holds up before the cut.
Harpo inspires 'The Who'
:o)
I love listening to Great songs like is and I love it
Harpo went METAL on this shit🔥🤘
just imagine what it must look like after a rimsky-korsakov concert...
Bravo Maestro . Charles Mugleston Omar Khayyam Theatre Company
I flashed back to the Haunted Mansion organist watching this.
Thus it was that Rach music was born.
@godsloved3 Don't worry, it's not the same piano if you watch the cuts. Look at the harp!
Well done!!!
Whats funny are his facial expressions and the fact that his tuxedo chestpiece is falling out. LOL
That’s the REAL way you play the piano
Yeah, man. There's the Russian school of technique and then there's the "Crushin' " school of technique, LOL!
Harpo "HULK" Smash!!
damn thats great, but i like the next part two, hes even better on the harp O_O
I've said it before: it is the greatest scene in motion picture history. Ok, I may be a bit prejudice, I went to music school and I couldn't stand all the piano majors. (I was a composition major.)
Punchline to a joke told me by a piano major at SF State: "What's what? Huh! if I'd-a knowed that I coulda went ta city college!"
You cut the very best part....
He continues to play it on the
piano wires even more impressively --
like a harp -- which was his main
instrument. The man was a
*phenomenally* talented musician.
Rock was born in here
Too funny! As well as brilliant piano playing. But too bad your clip doesn't continue. I wonder if Harpo used the "plate" of the piano as a harp!
THE VERY BEST!!
@TheThugAthlete Wrong. It's A Night at the Opera.
Very funny. Good contribution.
------Ellen
amazing.
Bring back the rest!!! Harpo was going to play the harp strings 🙏
Chico was a dab hand at the piano too. Musical family . . .
ECCEZIONALI I FRATELLI MARX, HARPO IMMENSO .
How in the hell did the prop guys make that piano? It’s ingenious. I bet Harpo had a lot to do with it as to the way it fall apart :) 😋🌷🌱
Lightweight materials held together with hinged catches. The "hammers" were spring-loaded. That wasn't a real piano harp that Harpo plucked out of the ruins . . . they weigh about 300 pounds.
ruclips.net/video/WwMSDSzTzdo/видео.html
Full scene and in synch.
Thanks, much better.
This was waaay before Pete Townsend's instrument destruction.
Innovator!
Yes, you're absolutely right. All three brothers were way ahead of their time. Comic geniuses all!