9 Wacky Facts about the Marx Brothers

of course. Yeah, but Groucher's son was actually the real deal. That is crazy. I did not know that. And uh, tennis wasn't his only skill. He later wrote screenplays for Bob Hope and penn scripts for sitcoms like On the Family, Maud, The Jefferson's. And that's just first of nine facts about the Marx Brothers. Let's dive in a their podcast. Listeners,

welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good friend Mangesha Ticketer and on the other side of the soundproof glass, sipping from a big bowl of duck soup. That's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. Now, usually we'd have our researcher Gabe Louisier on the line as well, but things have been a little different this week. There's been yet another snowstorm

in Atlanta. Now I'm in New York this week, so I'm I'm actually not dealing with a snowstorm, Howard things in Atlanta. I go. You and Tristan, I think are the only ones in the office now right, I know it's a totally empty except for us. In these nine facts. Wow, real troopers. Okay, well, I'm guessing that you can do better than a fact about Groucho Marx's tennis playing son. I mean, that was awesome. But do you want to take a take the next one as well? Yeah, definitely.

So I'm gonna stick with the sports theme here. And here's one about Harpo. Did you know he was in the Croquet Hall of Fame? I didn't. So this is the description from the U. S Croquet Association on his game, and it's pretty great. So quote usually clad only in the briefest of trunks, even when others were in flannels, Harpo would just bound around the court, laughing and stretching

mouthful of an entire pack of gum. But apparently he was really serious about it, Like he used to store his croquet tools and just like cold room in his house, and it was especially built just to keep the humidity out so it didn't warp his mallets. That's so strange, all right. Well, speaking of Harpo and strangeness, that did you know that he used to practice the harp for two to three hours every day and he would do

this in every room in the house. In fact, according to Harpo's son Bill, his dad quote maybe the first multitasker ever. He even had a harp in the bathroom so he could play when he sat on the toilet. I love the idea of a toilet harp. So I know we've talked about T. S. Eliott's friendship with Graucho Marks in the past, but here's what I'd never heard before. So Alice Cooper and Groucho Marks were actually really good friends.

And apparently they started their friendship when Groucho told Alice Cooper at a party that his onstage theatrics were total vaudeville, and Alice Cooper agreed, and their friendships really interesting. So Grocho Marks was this total insomniac and late in the night he'd call Alice over and they drink Budweiser, smoked cigars and watch all movies late into the nine until Groucho passed out. And also Groucho used to take his friends to Alice Cooper shows, So this is totally true.

George Burns and Fred Astaire have seen Alice Cooper and concert. That's pretty crazy. Yeah, But but the friendship wasn't just one way. When Alice Cooper paid to restore one of the o's in the old Hollywood sign, he dedicated it to Groucho Marks. Actually, you know, there's another friendship that I didn't realize. So Groucho was good pals with Elton John. In fact, he used to kid him that his name was reversed, that it should be John Elton and I

happen to agree with him on this one. But one night he ribbed him so much that John finally threw his hands up in exasperation and joke, don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player, which of course became the name for his next album, That's Funny. So here's one about Zeppe Marks, A K. Herbert, who was actually an incredible inventor. So after leaving show business, he invented a wristwatch that could sense heart attacks, which he did by monitoring your pulse, and he had a number of other

inventions too. He developed a new type of heating pad. He even started a company that made clamps for the war effort, and supposedly it was his company's clamps that secured the fat Men and Little Boy bombs in place. Well, if you're ever wondering about the power of comedy, Groucho Marks once halted trading at the New York Stock Exchange. Apparently he spied the mic on stage and couldn't help himself.

He started performing songs and telling jokes and went on for something like fifteen minutes as the traders just stopped and watched him. It only stopped when he joked that they were all dallying too much and that they should start working before they ruined some important person's finances. M So, I know this isn't about one of the Marx brothers, but it is about a Marx, Karl Marx, and I had to include it because it was so stupid. Did you know that Karl Marx named all four of his

daughters Jenny. They had they had different middle names, but he doled out the first names equally. There's Jenny, Caroline, Jenny, Laura, Jenny, Evelyn Francis, and Jenny Julia Eleanor and they all got to be Jenny Marx's. Wow. All right, Well, here's what I know you're going to love. Did you know that there was a Marx Brothers movie that almost got made in the nineteen sixties, and it was going to be

about the Marx brothers visiting the United Nations. Apparently Billy Wilder, who made all these great comedies, who was staying at the u N during some political craziness and thought all the chaos would make for a great setting. He dreamed of this movie about Groucho as a mob boss trying to rob Tiffany's while all the city's cops were protecting a delegation at the u N. And even though the Marx Brothers hadn't made a movie since the nineteen forties,

they were all on board. It is until health problems slowed them down and kept them from actually filming the movie. That's really interesting and actually, while I'd love to see that movie. I think that's a great fact I'm worth keeping around, So I think you get the trophy for this week. All right, Well, thank you and thank you guys for listening. We'll be back with a full length episode tomorrow y