harpo marxs real voice, 4 recordings!
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- Опубликовано: 30 ноя 2011
- plus comments on what he sounded like by his son, and a little extra bonus of him talking to harpos daughter about that one time he DID speak in public... enjoy!
I do not own anything of this, but it is used IN FAIR USE!
cips from the today show, the unknown marx brothers, a day at the races, you bet your life, some movie-premeer and an unknown radioshow. 
Развлечения
PLEASE NOTE. I have never claimed these are ALL recordings of his voice there is.
If you want a video with all recordings, you have to make it on your own.
No need to tell me what recorings I "missed". I selected a few that I considered good and had access to on my computer, I made the video and that's it.
I appreciate it dude. I thought you made it perfectly clear what the video was, and I wasn't disappointed 😆
Ya done a fine job, thanks, I appreciate your work !!
u mean theres MORE???? where can we find them?!
Harpo made his final public appearance at the Pasadena Civic Center in 1963. He did his usual schtick, then came out afterwards and made a brief, touching speech to the audience. He began it by saying, "As I was about to say in 1907…"
boy to have been a fly im his house...
@carolinewoodward1016 LMAO! 😂
@@AceripXF oh my yes! that would have been so awesome!!
In the Book 'Harpo Speaks' he talks about how he and his wife would tell their adopted children that they had searched everywhere, just for them which of course made them feel especially loved and special. Pure genius!
I'm going to search for it on Amazon. Thank you!
@@edyann Its a fascinating read. He was a member of the Algonquin Round Table
My mom got me that book for Christmas, I haven't finished it yet though
@@mistermossman6074 Its really good and a good insight to them as people.
@@RogerDDog yeah, I read the first few pages its cool,I just keep getting distracted my homework and random crap because of my adhd brain and procrastination
When Harpo was asked by George Burns in 1948 how many children he planned to adopt, he answered: "I’d like to adopt as many children as I have windows in my house. So when I leave for work, I want a kid in every window, waving goodbye." ☺
awww
Roy Rogers also adopted many children. Roy and Harpo were both fine gentlemen who loved children. Yet at night they slept with their wives unlike a certain late pop-singer who shall remain nameless. ♠
Why is he nameless? And why do you care? And how do you know so much about celebrities' private lives? And why are you interested in gossip?
Donald Shaw ~> Just something to think about! ☺
That is so cute 😍
Rumored to have been the most affable of the brothers. A kind hearted, happy family man who put show business second to his wife & children.
Well said and well put !! What a kind loving man !! Bless his heart !!
AssinnippiJack yes, true.
I have the utmost respect for Harpo Marx for that.
Lol, gang’s still at it. 😆
Wonderful!❤
I love Harpo. Just a sweetheart. his originality and humor is deeply missed.
I totally agree. Harpo could make you cry with his harp, make you fearful for him due to his innocence, and then make you fall down with laughter over his silly antics. As a person, from all accounts, he was a wonderful human being.
I have never seen a young child that did not love Harpo.
and conversely, there was no teenaged girl that Chaplin didn't like
bobthestoic Or any adult, for that matter.
I think it's safe to say that all people of all ages loved Harpo, at least decent people who appreciate humor and beautiful music.
Harpo was so adored by his wife Susan & their 4 adopted kids. His autobiography "Harpo Speaks!" is super interesting & really revealed a Godly man who tried to make up for past mistakes by raising his kids well. His son went on to be a musical genius who attended Julliard, & challenged Harpo to play some really difficult pieces. So wonderful to be a fan & find out the person you've grown up admiring is really that awesome. RIP Harpo
SkyeMcLeod, you certainly hit the nail on the head! Harpo was truly "an sheyner mensch". I hope that I could be a mensch as was Harpo .
Thank you. Yes. I think a lot of people dismissed comics as low-class, untalented, etc, back in his day. No respect. The Marx were like aliens! They did stuff no one had ever seen. They were so amazing-they were a nightmare for other performers to have to follow in the tours they did. A unique American family. This is dumb, but I wrote Groucho a birthday message when he was alive, & it was published by People magazine lol Maybe he saw it!
Harpo Marx and Roy Rogers were both nice guys who loved children so much that they and their wives adopted lots of kids. Their likes may never be seen again sadly. ☺
SkyeMcLeod Among those who said he could never follow the Marx Brothers was the equally great W.C. Fields. This from his posthumously published notes for a projected memoir. He also professionally admired and personally liked Fanny Brice.
Bonapartist ~> W. C. Fields also hated being upstaged or allowing any1 in his movies to get a laugh. Although Shemp Howard was the only stooge to ever appear in a 4-star movie (W. C. Fields' The Bank Dick), Shemp told how upset he was that all of his funny visual-shtick ended up on the cutting room floor at Feilds' insistence. ♣
The Marx Brothers are one of the funniest groups ever.They will never be forgotten.
They're already forgotten by stupid, culturally illiterate millennials. What a shame.
Truly, truly a shame.
@John Husereau I'm hoping "Stan & Ollie" does the same for Laurel & Hardy. I never imagined iconic Golden Age comedians could ever fade from the nation's collective consciousness. They're an integral part of our cultural heritage. More importantly, they're still funny!
@@rackinfrackin Plenty of folk who know about them love them. No matter the age, thank goodness!
@@rackinfrackin ok boomer
Wow I never heard his voice. He sounds like a Marx alright.
I also love the episode of "I Love Lucy" where Harpo and Lucy are face-to-face, trying to out-Harpo each other! Classic!
that was a bit from duck soup
They did a similar mirror routine in I Love Lucy, where Harpo was dressed as Harpo and Lucy was dressed as Harpo.
ruclips.net/video/79EnDc-Ucv8/видео.html
The gag originated in silent movies. It was used in a Charlie chase silent
Ellie R from the Bronx: It probably pre-dated Groucho and Zeppo doing the same mirror routine in one of their movies from vaudeville.
I remember being at the NY Worlds Fair when I heard Harpo had died. Even as a child, I realized how much we lost.
I was at NY World's Fair in 1964 when I was about 16.
Loved his autobiography- Harpo Speaks
Personally, I'll always remember Harpo for the beautiful harp music
that he occasionally played. Ethereal.
In his autobiography he says his playing was technically all wrong and he had no clue how a harp should be played till later on when he took lessons, started playing classical harp for his own pleasure, and never wanted to play Harpo-style again. I'm happy for him that he did what he wanted but happy for me that he didn't forsake his original playing till we all got to hear and see those wonderful scenes.
That is always my favorite part of the movie!!
He said in his autobiography Harpo speks that he sometimes practiced the Harp while on the toilet!🤣😂
He was originally self-taught (which says much for his talent), but when one of his sons learned to play "properly", Harpo was so ashamed of his own playing that he went and had lessons himself!
Probably the funniest man who ever lived!
And one of the nicest!
Wow! I've been a Marx bros fan for 60 years and never heard Harpo's voice before.
Back in the late 70s I attended a Marx film festival in Manhattan. While I always enjoyed watching them at home, it was even more fun watching them in a big crowd like that. The crowd was so enlivened by their great humor. It was an experience I will never forget.
Harpo started being silent when he discovered he had almost no lines in one of their plays. Outraged he said "Then I won't speak at all" which the other brothers thought would be a great novelty. Harpo was the most kind and generous of all the Marx Brothers, One can hardly find anything bad written about him. Groucho's son Arthur (named for Harpo) said the only time he ever saw his father cry was at Harpo's funeral.
Not sure this is accurate. Most references say that he stopped speaking because he received a poor review for his speaking part in a play, or that he was funny until he opened his mouth. I must research this again.
It's one of those legends that has several explanations. So we can never know for sure.
I think the real reason is that his resonant cultured voice didn't fit well with his crazy appearance.......
haha I heard he didn't speak b/c the first time he was ever on stage, he was just a little boy & so scared he wet his pants! Too embarrassed & nervous after that, he chose to be silent. But whatever. In The Coconuts, they really missed a chance to make him a cute, romantic character. Too bad.
But Harpo and Chico's musical talents were showcased in every 1 of their movies. Sadly whern the 3 Stooges began to make feature films from 1959 into the mid-late 1960s they never allowed Larry Fine the same opportunity on his violin. ♣
I agree with everything you said. he is my favourite of the brothers. but the thing I really, REALLY love about him is how much he cared for and loved animals. I am a great animal-lover as well, so when I see anyone famous really caring for animals that person scores a few extra points in my book. :)
Harpo is one of my biggest crushes. Hes so funny!
Someone said in an interview, that Harpo could say words. "If you play golf with him, and he misses a shot, you'll hear him say some words."
shit shit shit
Some people shouldn't be allowed to tell us what their brains contain.
Sounds like that was a Groucho quote.
@@adrianlee3497 yes indeed
He had such a wonderful voice
He really did, a nice bass voice.
I’ve been a Marx brother’s fan for 45 years and always wanted to hear Harpo speak. Finally I have. Thank you 😃
All I can say is, read his book: Harpo Speaks. It's the funniest book I've ever read and will answer all your questions about Harpo and lots of questions about his brothers.
A heartfelt thank you for posting this. The Marx-es. A priceless treasure of our America! From the vaudeville circuit through the movies and television. Incomparable talent, with the love and respect of millions!
And bless them all.
Never going to be another.
Best, best, best. 💙
I am a life long fan. My life is genuinely better for the Marx's having been on the planet.
They also sang in four-part harmony inside those barrels at the beginning of "Monkey Business."
wow, meeting (even through internet) someone under 50 who loves the marx bros always gives me a little hope for mankind. :)
I'm 43 and I love the Marx brothers 😆
Meeting someone under 30 who does would be even better. 😁
@@phatcat3705 I'm 24 and grew up on the marx brothers, I love lucy, hogan's heros and the andy Griffith show
I was born in the late 80s and they never cease to make me laugh - I used to watch them with my Granda. We still laugh at their work. I've got my sister watching them now.
38 here! Just checking in ☺
His real voice sounds like what Groucho would sound like if he spoke slower and weren't playing Groucho,
You stole the words from my mouth, haha. I agree!
Yes, I hear that too.
He has a softer voice than Groucho. Groucho is loud.
i'm hearing it as closer to Zeppo
Exactly my thought!!
this is so fascinating....I never expected Harpo's voice to be so deep, love it!!....thanks so much for posting these rare recordings and great clips with Harpo's son Bill.
Read his autobio, "Harpo Speaks!" It's an amazing book.
After seeing his films so often, what I watch for now is how he afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted. Uppity types get manhandled and made to look foolish. But sad or scared people get his sweetest care. Watch "Cocoanuts" for when he approaches the female lead who's crying. He looks like an angel and she falls into his arms. Gosh I'm crying just to think of it. Please remember him as a gifted and authentically good man.
Apparently Harpo had speaking lines in some of the earliest stage bits of the Marx Bros. The critics loved his pantomiming but then said he was awful when he opened his mouth. He took this to heart and become the Harpo that we now know and love.
The Marx Brothers were sensational, the one liners from Groucho and the play acting from them all was sheer brilliance, Like Stan and Ollie these comic geniuses will never be forgotten, they are here to stay in people's minds forever.
He had a lovely speaking voice, totally at odds with his mad clown character...!
+Mary Wogan
Yes. Same reaction I had also upon hearing "Gomer Pyle" (Jim Nabors) sing for the first time on The Andy Griffith Show.
The stories of Harpo's constant chatter (off screen) reminds me of the time I met Marcel Marceau. A well known French mime, I was surprised to find he wouldn't stop talking back stage!
In the film Silent Movie Marceau Marcel is the only one with a speaking part!
@@nicholasjanke3476 Yes I believe it was the word "non".
@@nicholasjanke3476 😄 Just the word "No", It was very funny
Once Harpo and Chico discarded their bizarre Marx Brothers wigs, they had virtually the same face. Both great, great entertainers, super-talented clowns of the highest order.
Once Harpo appeared as a guest on I've Got A Secret. The secret was it was really Chico impersonating Harpo. ☺
Yes it’s true they had similar features. Just search for the “mirror scene” in Duck Soup. It really is amazing. One of their greatest bits and copied in the Lucy meets Harpo episode of ILL.
Mark L, In Duck Soup, it was Groucho that did the mirror scene with Harpo.
Jim, Chico also appears in it towards the very end of the bit.
I saw that show too.
Amazing. I come across this by accident. How serendipitous.
Love these guys as a kid. Especially harpo, my favorite character.
I love the Marx brothers, and harpo the most! People my age (15) dont find them funny at all. I don't see how they can say that!
You have great taste
It's hard to believe Bill was adopted he looks exactly like Harpo
Maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was conceived out of wedlock, a big no no back then, so they made up the story he was adopted to protect his wife's reputation. We'll never know.
knytrydr73 maybe he wasn’t Susan’s biological child
I’m pretty sure Bill isn’t Harpo’s biological child. Bill IMHO looks too WASP-y.
@Lawrance Ovarabia You never saw Carl Reiner's autobiography, it shows a photo of him, with his arms around his parents. He is taller than both of them.
Bill was adopted but he looks exactly like Harpo so what’s going on?
"Once he started to speak you couldn't shut him up!"...priceless!
Thank you for sharing!
I love them both. I never realized that I could enjoy and THOROUGHLY love silent movies until I saw: "Tess of the Storm Country," with Mary Pickford. Then I saw Harold Lloyd and I was in love with silent movies!!!😃😃😂
Carolyn Williams I was introduced to Harold Lloyd by my Grandfather, who considered him the best of the three silent greats. (Chaplin and Keaton were the other two) Lloyd never though of himself as a comedian, but as actor who played comedic roles.
The main reason he isn't remembered as well today is because unlike Chaplin and Keaton, he owned his own movies. Keaton and Chaplin movies were used as fillers for early TV stations (How the three Stooges became famous again) Lloyd was well off and had no need to do a money grab... He only had some college kids straighten out his personal library and saw that re-released Keaton and Chaplin films did well. The other reason was he didn't have one "set" character. Keaton was stone faced, Chaplin was the tramp, but Lloyd played a various different characters, like a hypochondriac, a coward, an eager college student a missionary who returned from China with eastern philosophy (Lloyd was always interested in eastern philosophy)
Lloyd was one of the first stars to insist that characters were cast to their race. He would not allow blackface or yellow face or any such actions under his production. He retired and spent the remainder of his days doing 3D photography/photography and running charity drives for Shriners hospital!
I think Harpo was the best pantomine actor of all time, better than Chaplin with more soul and comic genius, a true entertainer who could play the harp with so much humble expression and the next minute do a 'gookie.' He was the best brother, a man who truly lived, someone others liked. His autobiography explains his lack of talking pretty good, by all indications he was a really great listener and a true friend.
I agree!❤
W O W! I’ve read & seen ANYTHING I CAN get my hands on about HARPO, and, naturally, the other GENUIS brothers. He’s one of my FAVOURITE MUSICIANS. Nobody plays HARP like him. In fact, he went for ‘a lesson’ with the Harpist in the LSO. He came out teaching the harpist more than the LSO muso knew. BRILLIANT!! He had an amazing life. A BEAUTIFUL MAN; so kind... 🎸💚🥰🏆🥇
Incredible
Harpo's children seem so well adjusted. They seem like loving people.
I got that impression too. They clearly grew up in a truly loving home. Bless their hearts !
Minus the makeup and outfits, Harpo and Chico looked very much alike, and they also had very similar voices. According to one account, this apparently confused audiences during the group's early vaudeville days, so Harpo took on a non-speaking persona.
He said as much in his autobio, "Harpo Speaks!" He almost didn't get one job he applied for because Chico had worked it months earlier (and been fired) and the employer thought he was Chico returning.
The order of birth was Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo. A sixth brother, Maynard, was born earlier than the others but died in infancy.
It wasn't Maynard...it was Manfred!!!🙄😂
One of the greats.
He had a well modulated voice and it didnt sound as his son described at all. He sounded genteel and educated.
He had a great radio voice!
Thanks Harpo.
I think the recording of him recounting being sick in the brothel was almost certainly made for Rowland Barber, his "co-author" for the book "Harpo Speaks!" And if you haven't read the book, read it ASAP! Some of the info in the comments doesn't agree with his own account.
For example, as to his early piano playing, Chico would audition for a gig, playing well, and get the job. Look-alike Harpo would show up (while Chico was elsewhere), play lousy, and get fired immediately. The people couldn't understand how he had lost so much ability in one day!
He stopped talking in the act after a review in a Champaign-Urbana (Illinois) newspaper that said in part, "...he takes off on an Irish immigrant in pantomime. Unfortunately, the effect is spoiled when he speaks."
Wow, I live around those parts, and that’s the first important thing I’ve ever heard of happening there.
If it's different, then you know it's him, because the author would never change anything.
Thank you so much for posting this. I have always loved the Marx Brothers, especially Harpo.
"Harpo Speaks" is hilarious and inspiring.
I just read it for the first time. One line from it I'll definitely keep: After he told of how his close friend, Alexander Woollcott, died suddenly, he said, "When you lose something irreplaceable, you don't mourn for the thing you lost. You mourn for yourself."
Seventh Mist I remember that quote but forgot that it came from Harpo. I’d think about that when a loved one passed away. Thanks for reminding me. I need to re-read that book.
I read it (and re-read it) decades ago, and the one thing I always remember was when the family celebrated Christmas in 1947 he said it was so much fun they couldn't bear to take down the lights and kept on celebrating Christmas all through 1948!!
I heard the brothers didn't like his singing voice so he went the silent route. I also heard his home was a refuge for Groucho's kids because Groucho and his wife fought a lot and Groucho was really a Groucho and a sharp tongue so they'd go to Harpo's house for quiet and comfort because he and his wife created a warm happy home for their family.
I can't imagine how anyone could dislike Harpo. What a truly gentle person he was. The Marx Brothers all had very different personalities, but they genuinely cared and looked out for each other.
Fantastic to hear his voice.
Lovely deep resonant baritone!
why should it have been a mystery to what Harpo sounded like? He had brothers all of them close in age and from the same two parents. He sounds much like Chico. Groucho's well modulated voice is a slightly higher timbre and Zeppo is smoother. I like how serious Harpo looks when he's strumming that harp. Just beautiful.
How about Gummo?? Remember him?
HotRod Ray That Marx Brother that did not appear onscreen? Yes
I adored Harpo Marx, I was a massive fan from early teens to now!! He was a great comedic genius. I so miss watching the Marx Brothers films… howling with laughter 😂
When i was a kid in the 90s, i remember an interview with one of Groucho's kids where they said that whenever things were difficult at home, they always knew that they could go over to Uncle Harpo's house where they always felt safe, loved, and where it was always loud with laughter and fun. Because of Harpo, i make sure that when my Nieces are with me, they feel safe to express themselves. They know that: if they do something wrong, we will simply talk it out with empathy; that i am always proud of them, because they are such kind and amazing humans. They can bang on instruments, create a mess, and know that they can speak their greatest worries, or hopes. My brother and his wife are better parents than i could ever be, i just think that every kid needs an Uncle/Aunt Harpo. Rest in joy, Harpo! 🤍🙏🕊
He sounded like his brothers! And I always heard he was such a kind man!
It's really cool hearing what an excellent, very deep voice that he had.
My dad actually believed he didn't speak because someone scared him to the point he never spoke again, so I was raised to believe the same. This truly shocked me and made me happy at the same time. I know if my dad were still around, he'd be shocked as well.
Desiree Watters well, your dad was half right. some journalist wrote he was funny until he opened his mouth. so he never spoke ON STAGE OR IN MOVIES again. but in private he was very talkative I have heard.
My grandfather thought the same thing, but in 1960, he discovered that Harpo COULD speak when he Googled it on his typewriter
He says "goyles" which gives away his background (I love his voice!).
Hoosiercorporal ~> Guys who like to go out for "peetzer" or put a "quada" in the jukebox. ☺
well, I am Swedish, so Im not the expert of American accents. I can hear the difference, but I can't pinpoint exactly where exactly the one talking comes from. so don't ask me. when it comes to swedes on the other hand, I can tell you who is from where. ;-)
He pronounced his name as "Hoppo"
He had a strong New York accent.
Harpo's heavy Noo Yawkuh accent was perhaps the reason he did his character mute. Similarly Mike Nesmith of the Monkees did few lead vocals because his Texas accent made his songs sound like country music on a TV show about a rock band. ☺
This is a monumental video from a legendary act.
I always appreciated the fact that they were actually playing the instruments. Groucho played guitar quite well.
he was a classy, cultured dude
Love your modern verbage for this great man!
May be a bit younger, but I was born in 88 and when I was a kid I watched I Love Lucy and Harpo Marx was on. His persona was hilarious and when he played "Take me out to the ball game" it was wonderful. As a bass player I can understand how much hard work and skill it takes to play the Harp. I would try it but they cost a bundle. Didn't know the uploader was under the age of 50. Kudos!
Wow, you have big issue with age...this is why I hate RUclips because of people like you!
nope, he didnt speak on I love lucy. he did his mime-thing, answering her with bodylanguage, charades you know. as he so often did in the movies as well.
and you are correct that they were 5 brothers. well, in fact they were 6, but one of the died at a very young age.
the ages you got wrong tho. it was
manfred (born 1886)
chico (born 1887)
harpo (born 1888)
groucho (born 1890)
gummo (born 1882)
zeppo (born 1901)
I recomend the documentary "the unknown marx brothers" btw
thanks for all the joy..harpo!
It's amazing how much Harpo's adopted son looked like him.
Harpo A true legend, I've had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Bill Marx and you kind of get a glimpse of what true comedians were about and Bill has a chip on his shoulder commemorating a brand of comedy that would hold up on supreme talent and true merit.
If anyone that loves Harpo hasn’t read Susan Marx’s book, SPEAKING OF HARPO, you need to get it.
She tells so many sweet stories about him, their life, the children, and how lost she was when he passed away.
In sentences she wouldn’t write “When the request came for a benefit concert. Harpo was only too happy to help.”
It was “…my boy was only too happy to help.” She adored him so.
He was involved in many great things before, during and after WW II.
He was tireless in aiding European Jews.
Brilliant comedic family...
The 5 Marx Brothers.
Some of the greatest who ever lived.
Harpo was a silent film star in the era of talkies.
He is Great to listening to and I love it
Harpo's voice sounds like the ones of the typical actors of his era. However, when I was a small child, his silence was advantageous to me. At the time, Groucho's jokes went right over my head, because I was too young to comprehend them. I had the same problem with most adult comedy. As such, Harpo's silent slapstick act was the only one that I could understand. When I was grown, he remained my favorite Marx Brother, ...even though I was now old enough to understand the jokes that his siblings told. Harpo was just so zany and brilliant at the same time, who couldn't love him? My only regret is that he left this world to play his harp in the next one just before I could enter my own life. If I could do so, I would've shaken his hand.
I wonder if anyone ever recorded Harpo's famous speech where he did not stop talking. That would truly be a treasure trove.
It probably would have surfaced by now if anyone did.
Just finished his biography "Harpo Speaks" it's a great read.
According to Harpo's Daughter, Chico when they were young would line up piano gigs at the same time and Harpo would do one and he the other because they looked and sounded so much alike. In the 40s they would test movie gags out on the road. As a gag in itself in one of these performances Chico and Harpo switched parts for the whole show and no one ever knew.
Ill Barry Not even Chico’s daughter, but only because on that same day she decided to go to the hairdresser instead of sit and watch her father and uncle perform. They didn’t realize that she wasn’t in the audience, so when she came back and had no idea what they were talking about when they asked if she could tell the difference, they thought that they had fooled her too!
@@gyorklady, I had head her tell of this and the two had a kind of bet going where Chico had said she will never know either, and Harpo saying yes she will know!!! Amazing stories these guy had. Grocho told a lot of them before he passed and they usually involved something Chico and Harpo had done!! Another note is the youngest brother had played the Grocho part when Grocho was ill and many though he played the character better then Grocho himself!!
Thank you so much!
He had a beautiful baritone voice.
May be, just maybe, Harpo is equal to Chaplin or, even surpasses him, at least some times. Just my opinion
I agree. dont get me wrong, I love chaplin just as much as anyone, but harpo is right up there with him!
And in Night At The Opera he plays Cosi Cosa on a kazoo which required humming which a mute person cannot do. ☺
+Asokan Ponnusamy They're both great but I'll give the edge to Chaplin..
Bill Gedeon ~> In silent movie era actors such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton as well as Laurel and Hardy had to be funny with actions and facial gestures before humorous dialog was possible. Ironically Harpo carried that tradition into the era of talkies. ☺
+Bill Gideon. So do i, adolph's marvelous.but charles was a little more superb as a talented filmmaker and auteur.
Harpo did take some formal harp lessons from the great Mildred Dilling
They were brilliant!
Awesomeness! Thanks !
He sounds like a polished Groucho!
I knew a guy whose father grew up in New York in the 40's. He told me a story his dad told him. His family took him to some big event at Radio City Music Hall in which the Marx Brothers were performing. After the show they mingled. His dad - must have been 8 or 9 - heard a voice behind him ask "hey kid - how'd you like the show?" turned around and it was Harpo. He about soiled himself. But...if you ever went to Las Vegas and saw Penn and Teller at the Rio...after the show they are in the lobby signing and allowing photos. It's very disorientating hearing Teller talk.
Hell yes he could talk, he was one of the Algonquin Round Table group; to survive in that setting you had to be able to hold your own verbally among the likes of Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott and a host of America's most loved and/or feared wits ever. Talk about articulate, Harpo had what it took. Check out his autobiography.
It's even more amazing that he fit in with those people when you know that he dropped out of school in second grade. He was entirely self taught.
When the marx brothers split up in 1941 after the failure of the big store, they went their separate ways, and they reunited for one more film in 1949.they permanently retired as a movie comedy team. of the three brothersor four, the only one who really succeeded on his own was mr. julius henry marx.
Joseph Calderon Gummo was a very successful agent.
So was Zeppo.
They made two more movies - "A Night In Casablanca" in 1946 and "Love Happy" in 1949. Marilyn Monroe made her first screen appearance in their last movie. The last two films were made because Chico needed the money. In the 1950s, Chico was always broke because of his gambling, Groucho had the quiz show and Harpo retired to Palm Springs, where he played a lot of golf and was one of the happiest retired guys in the world.
Zeppo and his wife were great friends of Barbara Stanwyck and went in to a partnership on a very successful ranch. I forget the reasons, but they did sell the ranch after 6 years or so.
Is there a recording of Chico NOT using his "Italian" accent? That would be even rarer!
Hey, I don't remember which specific movie it is but it's one of their Paramount movies. Chico is counting beats to himself while he plays the piano. The mic just barely picks him up whispering, "One and two and three and four..." You can see his mouth moving and there's no accent.
There’s a few things out there
ruclips.net/video/eNFrP9h8Fic/видео.html
@@Billyboy939 Thanx...!
@@Billyboy939 RUclipsr associated with this video is no longer on RUclips.
I could sit and watch the marx bros all day long I think there are my favourite comedians ever I laugh at the crazy gang but the marx bros are in the Premier league on their own.
Oh it would be lovely if there was a recording of him reading that. It is a fabulous Biography.Sadly it is probably not so. And thanks for gathering up all the clips of him speaking and there is definetely 3 voices singing there :-)
that was hilarious. i'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.
We just talked about Harpo last week!
My daughter took four years of harp lessons and of course she had to watch Harpo perform.
you are truly missed 😢
You are absolutely correct! Harpo Speaks is the only book I have ever read more than 5 times. I think I have read that book probably 8 to 9 times!