The Marx Brothers

Early years...

● sons of Jewish immigrants from Germany● got their start in vaudeville acts● there were five brothers

○ Chico (Leonard)○ Harpo (Adolph - changed his name to Arthur)○ Groucho (Julius Henry)○ Gummo (Milton - did not appear in any films)○ Zeppo (Herbert)

● first film was 1929’s the Cocoanuts (Paramount)

Chico Marx(“Chicolini” in Duck Soup)

Harpo Marx(“Pinky” in Duck Soup)- Harpo is a mime

Groucho Marx(“Rufus T. Firefly” in Duck Soup)

Zeppo Marx(“Bob Roland” in Duck Soup)- Zeppo is the “straight man”

The “honorary” Marx

Margaret DuMont(“Mrs. Teasdale” in Duck Soup)

● came out during the Great Depression● some people found it too “silly” in the face of

national dilemma● political satire - mocks governments where

people in power appoint leaders● Benito Mussolini took it as a personal insult● selected for preservation in the United

States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant”

Satire - Making fun of a serious subject by showing it in

an absurd way.

Slapstick - physical comedy or verbal comedy that exaggerates things in order to make them silly.

1. Satire is making fun of something that is

supposed to be serious by showing it in an absurd way. List three things that the Marx brothers satirized in this film, and explain one of them in depth (4-5 sentences)

2. Describe the film techniques used in the famous “mirror scene” - do you agree with the director’s choices? What would you do differently if you were shooting a modern version of that scene?

3. During the final battle scene, Groucho keeps changing outfits. What kind of outfits does he change into, and what might this act be symbolic of?