Marx BrothersWord下载.docx

Marx BrothersWord下载.docx

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Stagename

Actualname

Born

Died

Age

Chico

Leonard

March22,1887

October11,1961[3]

74

Harpo

Adolph（after1911:

Arthur）

November23,1888

September28,1964[4]

75

Groucho

JuliusHenry

October2,1890

August19,1977[5]

86

Gummo

Milton

October23,1892

April21,1977[6]

84

Zeppo

Herbert

February25,1901

November30,1979[7]

78

Stagebeginnings

1911newspaperadvertisementforaMarxBrothersappearance.

Thebrotherswerefromafamilyofartists,andtheirmusicaltalentwasencouragedfromanearlyage.Harpowashopelesslyuntalentedontheguitarandpiano（heboastsinhisautobiographythatheonlyknewtwosongs,andthathecouldonlyplaythemwithonefinger）;

however,hebecameadedicatedharpist,whichgavehimhisnickname.[8]Chicowasanexcellentpianist,Grouchoplayedtheguitarandsang,andZeppojustsang.

Theygottheirstartinvaudeville,wheretheiruncleAlbertSchö

nbergperformedasAlSheanofGallagherandShean.Groucho'

sdebutwasin1905,mainlyasasinger.By1907,heandGummoweresingingtogetheras"

TheThreeNightingales"

withMabelO'

Donnell.Thenextyear,HarpobecamethefourthNightingale.By1910,thegroupwasexpandedtoincludetheirmotherMinnieandtheirAuntHannah,andthetroupewasrenamed"

TheSixMascots"

.

Comedy

Oneeveningin1912,aperformanceattheOperaHouseinNacogdoches,Texaswasinterruptedbyshoutsfromoutsideaboutarunawaymule.Theaudiencehurriedoutsidetoseewhatwashappening.Whentheyreturned,Groucho,angeredbytheinterruption,madesnidecommentsabouttheaudience,including"

Nacogdochesisfullofroaches"

and"

ThejackassistheflowerofTex-ass"

.Insteadofbecomingangry,theaudiencelaughed.Thefamilythenrealizedtheyhadpotentialasacomictroupe.[9]

Theactslowlyevolvedfromsingingwithcomedytocomedywithmusic.Theirsketch"

featuredGrouchoasaGerman-accentedteacherpresidingoveraclassroomthatincludedstudentsHarpo,Gummo,andChico.Thelastversionoftheschoolact,titledHomeAgain,waswrittenbyAlShean.Ataboutthistime,GummolefttoserveinWorldWarI,reasoningthat"

anythingisbetterthanbeinganactor!

"

[10]ZepporeplacedhimintheirfinalvaudevilleyearsandinthejumptoBroadway,andthentoParamountfilms.

DuringWorldWarIanti-Germansentimentswerecommon,andthefamilytriedtoconcealtheirGermanorigin.ToavoidthedraftthebrothersstartedafarmnearCountryside,Illinois,butsoonfounditnottotheirliking.DuringthistimeGrouchodiscontinuedhis"

German"

stagepersonality.

Bythistime"

TheFourMarxBrothers"

hadbeguntoincorporatetheiruniquestyleofcomedyintotheiractandtodeveloptheircharacters.BothGrouchoandHarpo'

smemoirssaytheirnowfamouson-stagepersonaswerecreatedbyAlShean.Grouchobegantowearhistrademarkgreasepaintmoustacheandtouseastoopedwalk.Harpostoppedspeakingonstageandbegantoweararedfrightwigandcarryataxi-cabhorn.ChicospokewithafakeItalianaccent,developedoff-stagetodealwithneighborhoodtoughs,whileZeppoadoptedtheroleoftheromantic（and"

peerlesslycheesy"

accordingtoJamesAgee[11]）straightman.

Theon-stagepersonalitiesofGroucho,Chico,andHarpoweresaidtohavebeenbasedontheiractualtraits.Zeppo,ontheotherhand,wasconsideredthefunniestbrotheroffstage,despitehisstraightstageroles.Astheyoungest,andhavinggrownupwatchinghisbrothers,hecouldfillinforandimitateanyoftheotherswhenillnesskeptthemfromperforming."

HewassogoodasCaptainSpaulding[inAnimalCrackers]thatIwouldhavelethimplaythepartindefinitely,iftheyhadallowedmetosmokeintheaudience"

Grouchorecalled.（ZeppodidimpersonateGrouchointhefilmversionofAnimalCrackers.GrouchowasunavailabletofilmthesceneinwhichtheBeaugardpaintingisstolen,sothescriptwascontrivedtoincludeapowerfailurewhichallowedZeppotoplaytheSpauldingpartinnear-darkness.）[12]

Bythe1920stheMarxBrothershadbecomeoneofAmerica'

sfavoritetheatricalacts.Withtheirsharpandbizarresenseofhumor,theysatirizedinstitutionssuchashighsociety,andhumanhypocrisy.Theyalsobecamefamousfortheirimprovisationalcomedyinfree-formscenarios.AfamousearlyinstancewaswhenHarpoarrangedtochaseafleeingchorusgirlacrossthestageduringthemiddleofaGrouchomonologuetoseeifGrouchowouldbethrownoff.However,totheaudience'

sdelight,Grouchomerelyreactedbycalmlycheckinghiswatchandcommenting,"

FirsttimeIeversawataxihailapassenger"

.WhenHarpochasedthegirlbacktheotherdirection,Grouchoad-libbed,"

Youcanalwayssetyourwatchbythe9:

20"

UnderChico'

smanagement,andwithGroucho'

screativedirection,thebrothers'

vaudevilleacthadledtothembecomingstarsonBroadway,firstwithamusicalrevue,I'

llSaySheIs（1924–1925）andthenwithtwomusicalcomedies,TheCocoanuts（1925–1926）andAnimalCrackers（1928–1929）.PlaywrightGeorgeS.KaufmanworkedonthelasttwoandhelpedsharpentheBrothers'

characterizations.

Withoutmakeup,wigs,orglasses,thebrotherslookedsimilar,evendowntotheirrecedinghairlines.ZeppocouldpassforayoungerGroucho,andplayedtheroleofhissoninHorseFeathers.InDuckSoup,withGroucho,Harpo,andChicoallmadeupinGroucho'

sgreasepainteyebrowsandmustache,andhisstyleofglasses,andwiththeirheadscoveredbynightcaps,thethreelookedvirtuallyidentical,enablingthemtocarryoffthe"

mirrorscene"

effectively.

Originofthestagenames

ThestagenamesforfourofthefivebrotherswerecoinedbymonologistArtFisher[11]duringapokergameinGalesburg,Illinois,basedbothonthebrothers'

personalitiesandGusMager'

sSherlockotheMonk,apopularcomicstripofthedaywhichincludedasupportingcharacternamed"

Groucho"

.ThereasonsbehindChico'

sandHarpo'

sstagenamesareundisputed,andGummo'

sisfairlywellestablished.Groucho'

sandZeppo'

sarefarlessclear.ArthurwasnamedHarpobecauseheplayedtheharp,andLeonardbecameChico（pronounced,andoriginallyspelled,"

Chick-o"

）becauseofhisaffinityfortheladies（"

chicks"

）.

Inhisautobiography,HarpoexplainsthatMiltonbecameGummobecausehecreptaboutthetheaterlikeagumshoedetective.[13]OthersourcesreportthatGummowasthefamily'

shypochondriac,havingbeenthesickliestofthebrothersinchildhood,andthereforeworerubberovershoes,alsocalledgumshoes,inallkindsofweather.GrouchostatedthatthesourceofthenamewasGummowearinggaloshes.Eitherway,thenamerelatestorubber-soledshoes.

ThereasonJuliuswasnamedGrouchoisperhapsthemostdisputed.Therearethreeexplanations:

∙Julius'

temperament.Maxine,Chico'

sdaughterandGroucho'

sniece,saidinthedocumentaryTheUnknownMarxBrothersthatJuliuswasnamed"

simplybecausehewasgrouchymostorallofthetime.RobertB.Weide,adirectorknownforhisknowledgeofMarxBrothershistory,saidinRemarksOnMarx,adocumentaryshortincludedwiththeDVDofANightattheOpera,thatamongthecompetingexplanationshefoundthisonethemostbelievable.SteveAllen,in"

FunnyPeople,"

saysthatthenamemadenosense;

Grouchomighthavebeenimpudentandimpertinent,butnotgrouchy—atleastnotaroundAllen.

∙Thegrouchbag.ThisexplanationappearsinHarpo'

sbiography,wasvoicedbyChicoinaTVappearanceincludedonTheUnknownMarxBrothers,andwasalsoofferedbyGeorgeFenneman,Groucho'

ssidekickonhisTVgameshow,YouBetYourLife.Agrouchbagwasasmalldrawstringbagwornaroundtheneckinwhichatravelercouldkeepmoneyandothervaluablessothatitwouldbeverydifficultforanyonetostealthem.MostofGroucho'

sfriendsandassociatesstatedthatGrouchowasextremelystingy,especiallyafterlosingallhismoneyinthe1929stockmarketcrash,sonaminghimforthegrouchbagmayhavebeenacommentonthistrait.Groucho,inchaptersixofhisfirstautobiography,insistedthatthiswasnotthecase:

Ikeptmymoneyina'

grouchbag.'

Thiswasasmallchamoisbagthatactorsusedtoweararoundtheirnecktokeepotherhungryactorsfrompinchingtheirdough.Naturally,you'

regoingtothinkthat'

swhereIgotmynamefrom.Butthat'

snotso.GrouchbagswerewornonmanychestslongbeforetherewasaGroucho.[14]

∙Groucho'

sexplanation.Grouchohimselfinsistedthathewasnamedforacharacterinthecomicstrip,KnockotheMonk,whichhadinspiredthecrazefornicknamesendinginO.Infact,therewasacharacterinthatstripnamed"

Groucho."

However,heistheonlyMarxorMarxassociatewhoeverdefendedthistheory,andasheisnotanunbiasedwitness,fewbiographerstaketheclaimseriously.Grouchohimselfwasnohelponthispoint;

duringhisCarnegieHallconcert,whenhewasdiscussingtheBrothers'

namesandwhenitcametohisown,hesaid,"

Myname,ofcourse,Ineverdidunderstand."

Herbertwasnotni