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VOICE ONE:
I’m Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLEIN AMERICA. Today we tell about the Marx Brothers. They made manyfunny movies in the nineteen-thirties and nineteen-forties that arestill popular today.
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VOICE ONE:
There were five Marx Brothers. The most famous were Julius,Leonard and Adolph. They were born in New York City between eighteeneighty-six and eighteen-ninety. Their father made clothing. Theirmother wanted them to become performers. Julius, Leonard and Adolphstarted performing when they were children. Along with their twobrothers, they performed in stage shows called vaudeville in NewYork. They sang songs, danced and told jokes.
Julius, Leonard and Adolph Marxbegan making funny movies in nineteen twenty-nine. They changedtheir first names. Julius became Groucho. Leonard became Chico.Adolph became Harpo. Another brother, Herbert, appeared in the firstfive Marx Brothers movies. He was called Zeppo. He did not play afunny man like the other three. He played a good-looking young man.
VOICE TWO:
Groucho Marx looked funny. He had large black eyebrows and ahairy mustache. But they were painted on his face. He spoke veryquickly. And he walked in a funny way. He played people with funnynames, like Rufus T. Firefly. Otis B. Driftwood. And Doctor Hugo Z.Hackenbush.
Groucho was not a very nice person in the movies. He ofteninsulted or made fun of rich or important people. He made fun ofdoctors, college officials, opera singers, diplomats and governmentofficials. He even insulted his son, played in this example byZeppo.
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((ZEPPO: Dad, let me congratulate you. I’m proud to be your son.
GROUCHO: My boy, you took the words right out of my mouth. I’mashamed to be your father. I’d have horsewhipped you if I had ahorse. You may go now. Leave your name and address for the girloutside and if anything turns up, we’ll get in touch with you. Whereare you going?
ZEPPO: Well, you just told me to go.
GROUCHO: So that’s what they taught you in college. Just when Itell you to go, you leave me. You know you can’t leave a schoolroomwithout raising your hand, no matter where you’re going.
ZEPPO: Anything further, father?
GROUCHO: Anything further, father? That can’t be right. Isn’t it”anything father, further”? The idea! I married your mother becauseI wanted children. Imagine my disappointment when you arrived!))
VOICE ONE:
Chico Marx talked as if he was born in Italy. He spoke Englishthat was not correct. Many other funny men spoke as though they camefrom other countries. They were making fun of themselves and otherimmigrants who did not speak English well. Chico also made funnyjokes about words and expressions that sound alike but havedifferent meanings. For example, in one movie a woman sings with avery high falsetto voice. She says “I have a falsetto voice.” Chicothen says, “Well, my last student had a false set of teeth.”
Chico also was known for performing what was called the comedy ofthe absurd. He talked about things that were so untrue orunreasonable that they were funny. Here is an example. Chico issupposed to spy on someone called Rufus T. Firefly. Chico reportshis progress to the man who asked him to spy on Firefly. To “shadow”someone is to secretly follow that person.
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((CHICO: Well, you remember you gave us a picture of this man andsaid follow him?
MAN: Oh, yes.
CHICO: Well, we get on the job right away. And in one hour, evenless than one hour, we lose the fix. That’s pretty good work, eh?
MAN: I want a full, detailed report of your investigation.
CHICO: All right. I tell you. Monday we watch Firefly’s house.But he no come out. He wasn’t home. Tuesday we go to the ballgame,but he fool us. He no show up. Wednesday, he go to the ballgame, butwe fool him. We no show up. Thursday was a double-header, nobodyshow up. Friday it rained all day. There was no ballgame. So westayed home. We listened to it over the radio.
MAN: Then you didn’t shadow Firefly!
CHICO: Oh, sure, we shadow Firefly. We shadow him all day.
MAN: What day was that?
CHICO: It was Shadowday (Saturday)! That’s some joke, eh, Boss!))
Chico also played the piano in a funny way. Chico did to musicwhat he did to the English language. He made fun of it.
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VOICE TWO:
Harpo Marx had curly yellow hair, but it was not really his hair.It was false hair, called a wig. He never said a word in any of themovies. Instead, he acted out what he wanted to say. He could makepeople laugh without saying a word. People always knew what he wasthinking. He made funny sounds with horns and whistles to expresshis thoughts and feelings.
In one movie, a kind policeman tries to give him some advice tostay away from bad people. As the policeman shakes Harpo’s hand, youcan hear pieces of silver that Harpo has stolen fall out of hisclothes.
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((POLICEMAN: You better come with me, young fellow.
GROUCHO: Don’t take him away, officer.
POLICEMAN: All right. I’ll let him go this time. But I want togive you some advice. You’re running around with the wrong kind ofpeople. Why don’t you go home?
CHICO: He got no home.
POLICEMAN: Go home for a few nights. Stay home. Don’t you knowyour poor old mother sits there, night after night, waiting to hearyour steps on the stairs?
CHICO: He got no stairs.
POLICEMAN: I can see a little light burning in the window.
GROUCHO: No you can’t. The gas company turned it off.
POLICEMAN: Now, what I’m telling you is for your own good. And ifyou listen to me, you can’t go wrong.))
As you might have guessed from his name, Harpo Marx was famousfor playing the musical instrument called the harp. He madebeautiful music like this on the harp in several movies.
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VOICE ONE:
The three Marx Brothers — Groucho, Chico and Harpo — madefourteen movies together. The movies made fun of officials in manyareas of society, like colleges, hospitals, or the government. TheMarx Brothers made most of their movies during thenineteen-thirties. This was during the great economic Depression.Many Americans had no jobs and not much hope. Many people went tothe movies to try to forget their troubles. The Marx Brothersthought people might like to see funny things happen to rich andimportant people.
VOICE TWO:
The Marx Brothers’ first two movies were “The Cocoanuts” and”Animal Crackers.” These were based on earlier shows that theystarred in on Broadway in New York City. Some of their most famousmovies are “Horse Feathers,” “Duck Soup,” and “A Night at theOpera.”
In “Horse Feathers,” the Marx Brothers make fun of colleges.Groucho is a professor and the president of Huxley College. He wantsto improve the college by having a successful football team. Here,he talks to other college officials.
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((GROUCHO: Now I say to you gentlemen that this college is afailure. The trouble is, we’re neglecting football for education.
COLLEGE OFFICIALS: Exactly, the professor is right.
GROUCHO: Oh, I’m right, am I? Well, I’m not right. I’m wrong. Ijust said that to test you. Now I know where I’m at. I’m dealingwith a couple of snakes. What I meant to say was that there is toomuch football and not enough education.
COLLEGE OFFICIALS: That’s what I think.
GROUCHO: Oh you do, do you? Well, you’re wrong again. If therewas a snake here, I’d apologize. Where would this college be withoutfootball? Have we got a stadium?
COLLEGE OFFICIALS: Yes.
GROUCHO: Have we got a college?
COLLEGE OFFICIALS: Yes.
GROUCHO: Well, we can’t support both. Tomorrow we start tearingdown the college.
COLLEGE OFFICIALS: But, professor, where will the students sleep?
GROUCHO: Where they always sleep – in the classroom!))
VOICE ONE:
Some critics say “Duck Soup,” is one of the greatest comediesever made. Groucho is the leader of a country called Freedonia. Hedeclares war on a nearby country. The movie makes fun of war,diplomats and dictators.
Other critics say “A Night at the Opera,” is their finest film.Groucho tries to get a rich woman to invest in an opera company. Themovie has many funny parts. One of the most famous is when fifteenpeople are crowded into a very small room on a passenger ship.
VOICE TWO:
Experts say the Marx Brothers movies were extremely popular forseveral reasons. The brothers had been performing together sincethey were children. They shared a sense of what was funny.
In addition, they all loved music. Most of their movies includemusic. When a song begins in their movies, everything else stops.When Harpo plays his harp, his face shows how much he loves what heis playing. Then, when the music is over, the Marx Brothersimmediately start being funny again.
The Marx Brothers’ movies were like vaudeville shows. Theycontained something for everyone. There was comedy, speeches, musicand songs. Often Groucho sang a funny song. Here is an example,called “Hello, I Must be Going.”
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VOICE ONE:
The Marx Brothers performed together and then separately for morethan seventy years until the last one died in the lateNineteen-Seventies. Their comedy influenced many other present daycomedians including Woody Allen and Robin Williams. Critics havecalled the Marx Brothers the most influential comedy team of thetwentieth century.
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VOICE TWO:
This Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. Itwas produced by Caty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Mary Tillotson. Join us again next week for anotherPEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.