Books and articles which have the Marx Brothers not as their main topic, but have a significant part about them
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Р. Юренев (ред.): Комики мирового экрана
the title of this Russian book translates as "Comedians of the world screens". It has chapters about comedians from Buster Keaton to Louis de Funes, including one about the Brothers
(N.N.): A Night in Casablanca - with the mad Marx Brothers
One page article and two pages of pictures from the movie
Ager, Cecilia: Review of 'A Day at the Races'
Allen, Steve: The Funny Men
About TV comedians popular at the time (1950's). Each of the sixteen chapters is devoted to one comedian. Groucho appears among Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Milton Berle and others
Allen, Steve: Funny People
This book is a kind of updated version of his earlier book. He added some contemporary comedians like Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, but there is also a chapter about Groucho.
Austerlitz, Saul: Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy
has a chapter about the Marx Brothers (12 out of 512 pages), and they are mentioned a few times throughout, especially in the chapters about Mae West and Woody Allen
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Bayer, William: The Great Movies
The book covers what Bayer has decided are the 60 greatest movies of all time, Duck Soup made the list.
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Berkowitz, Edward D.: Mass Appeal: The Formative Age of the Movies, Radio, and TV
The chapter "From Broadway to Hollywood with Groucho, Fred, and Ginger" has a ten page history of the Marx Brothers. Irritatingly the author (or the spellcheck) uses "Marx brothers", with a small "b" throughout.
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Boller, Paul F., Jr.; Davis, Ronald L.: Hollywood Anecdotes
Good stories, authentic and apocryphal about making movies in Hollywood and those involved. Keywords: Hollywood, DeMille, Gary Cooper, Jack Warner, Sam Goldwyn, Walt Disney, Groucho Marx, Jimmy Cagney, Greer Garson, Billy Wilder
Brandlmeier, Thomas: Filmkomiker: Die Errettung des Grotesken
Chapter: Die Marx Brothers
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Burns, George: All My Best Friends
with David Fisher
Many funny stories about Harpo Marx, Jack Benny, etc.
Burr, Lonnie: Two for the Show: Great 20th Century Comedy Teams
has a chapter about the Marx Brothers
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Cantor, Eddie: As I Remember Them
Includes chapter on Groucho
Carabba, Claudio; Vannini, Andrea: Sogni proibiti : i comici di Hollywood dai Marx Brothers a Woody Allen
Chesler, Judd: Toward a Surrealist Film Aesthetic with an Investigation into the Elements of Surrealism in the Marx Brothers and Jean Vigo
Ph.D. thesis
Conrich, Ian: Merry Melodies: The Marx Brothers' Musical Moments
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Cooke, Alistair (ed.): Garbo and the Nightwatchmen
A collection of film criticism compiled in 1937. Included are articles about ANATO by Otis Ferguson, and about ADATR by Cecelia Ager.
Dale, Alan: Comedy Is a Man in Trouble
"Rather than attempt of account for every low-comedy star and his/her entire repertoire, Dale focuses on a handful of key superstars - specifically Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, the Marx Brothers and Jerry Lewis - and combines biography with cinematic analysis to create a convincing timeline of the rise, fall, and rebirth of one of the movies' most popular genres. He also takes time to examine the controversial role of women in Hollywood comedy, ultimately anointing Katherine Hepburn as the Queen of Slapstick." - Fade In
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Doctorow, E.L.: Creationists: Selected Essays: 1993-2006
This book has a piece about Harpo, most likely the introduction Doctorow wrote for "Harpo Speaks"
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Durgnat, Raymond: The Crazy Mirror - Hollywood comedy and the American Image
Chapter 'Four against alienation', based on his booklet for the Östereichisches Filmmuseum, same chapter in "Durgnat on Film"
Durgnat, Raymond: Durgnat on Film
Selection from Durgnat's earlier works. Marx Brothers chapter 'Four against alienation', based on his booklet for the Östereichisches Filmmuseum, same chapter in "The Crazy Mirror".
Edelson, Edward: Funny men of the movies
Chapter 7: "The Marx Revolution"; "Traces the development of comedy in film, discussing such comedians as Chaplin, Keaton, the Hardys, Marx Brothers, Fields, Jerry Lewis, and Woody Allen." (NYPL info)
- Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY, 1976, ISBN: 0 385 09688 7 (ISBN-13: 9780385096881) Available from amazon: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Feibleman, James: Praise of Comedy: A Study of its Theory and Practice
Chapter 5: "The Comedy of Everyday Life: The Marx Brothers"
Fowler, Christopher; Buckley, Stuart (Ills.): How to Impersonate Famous People
Has instructions for dressing up as Groucho or Harpo
Freedland, Michael: So Lets Hear the Applause
The Story of the Jewish Entertainer. Biographies of: The Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, B. Streisand, Walter Matthau, Bob Dylan & others
French, Philip; Wlaschin, Ken (eds.): The Faber Book of Movie verse
Poems about movie stars and cinema in general. Has "Ode to Groucho" by Martin Bell, "To the Lady Portrayed by Margret Dumont" by John Hollander, "Villanelle for Harpo Marx" by John Wain, "To Harpo Marx" by Jack Kerouac and "Harpo Marx" by Robert Lowell
- Faber and Faber, 1993, ISBN: 0 571 16660 1 (ISBN-13: 9780571166602) / (hardcover) Available from amazon: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Galante, Pierre: Les Rois de rire
has a chapter about the Brothers
Gale, Matthew (ed.): Dali & Film
Exhibition catalogue. Contains an article about Dali's script for the Marx Brothers and an article by Dali about Hollywood and Harpo in particular
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Gehring, Wes D.: Film Clowns of the Depression: Twelve Defining Comic Performances
Examines 12 movies made between 1931 and 1939, including Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera (about 15 pages each)
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Giesen, Rolf (Bernhard Matt ed.): Lachbomben: die grossen Filmkomiker
Comedians from silent films to the 1940s
Gore, Chris: The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made
Mentions the Billy Wilder project "A Day at the United Nations"
Guttmacher, Peter: Legendary Comedies
This book covers comedy movies from Harold Loyd to Robin Williams. The Marx Brothers have four pages devoted to them.
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Halliwell, Leslie: Halliwell's Hundred
includes DS, ANATO, ADATR, ANIC
Herrmann, Dorothy: With Malice Toward All
Lives and loves of some 20th century American wits (Groucho Marx, Benchley, Woollcott, Fields, Parker)
Hytner, Nicholas: Film - 20th Century Icons
Selected by Nicholas Hytner, text by Simon Braund. The Marx Brothers are on the cover. Paperback featuring director Nicholas Hytner's ("The Madness of King George") choice of films of the century. Features "A Night at the Opera" among others movies like "Lawrence of Arabia", "Psycho", "Rashomon", "The Godfather", "The Wizard of Oz"
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Johnson, Paul: Humorists
This book about people as diverse as Benjamin Franklin and Toulouse-Lautrec has a chapter about the Marx Brothers
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Jordan, Thomas H.: The Anatomy of Cinematic Humor, with an Analytic Essay on the Marx Brothers
Köppl, Rainer Maria: Ikonen unter Druck : Hitchcock, die Marx Brothers und Dracula ; zur Archäologie der Populärkultur
Kanin, Garson: Together Again: Stories of the Great Hollywood Teams
chapter "The Marx Brothers - the hilarious relatives"; does not give very much information and is full of errors
Krassner, Paul: My acid Trip with Groucho Marx
In this 16-page booklet Krassner describes meetings with people like Timothy Leary and Otto Preminger. All stories have something to do with LSD or Groucho (or both)
Kyrou, Ado: Le Surréalisme au Cinéma
The Marx Brothers are prominently mentioned
La Polla, Franco: Il riso, la morte e i diavoli: Ancora su Woody Allen e i fratelli Marx
American literature; 1900-1999; Allen, Woody; film; treatment of Jews; compared to Marx Brothers films; general literature; film
Leeflang, Thomas: De wereld van de comedy
has a chapter on the Marx Brothers
LeMaster, David James: Charlie Chaplin and Harpo Marx as Masks of the Commedia dell'Arte: Theory and Practice
Keywords: dramatic arts; film; role of Chaplin, Charles Spencer; Marx, Harpo; relationship to commedia dell'arte
Lloyd, Ann (ed.): Movies of the Thirties
Has a four page article about the Marx Brothers by Charlotte Chandler, of which half a page is an article about Margret Dumont
Maltin, Leonard: Movie Comedy Teams
chapter "The Marx Brothers"
Maltin, Leonard: The Great Movie Comedians: From Charlie Chaplin to Woody Allen
This book features classic comedians like: Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, W.C.Fields, Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis. There is one chapter about the Marx Brothers.
Manchel, Frank: The Talking Clowns: From Laurel and Hardy to the Marx Brothers
Brief sketches of the life and careers of the great talking film comedians of the 1930's: Laurel and Hardy, W. C. Fields, Mae West, and the Marx Brothers. (Book summary) (130 pages, 34 page chapter about the Marx Brothers)
Matthews, J.H.: Surrealism and Film
The Marx Brothers are prominently mentioned
McCaffrey, Donald: The Golden Age of Sound Comedy: Comic Films and Comedians of the Thirties
Chapter 4: "Zanies in a Stage-Movieland"
Montgomery, John: Comedy Films: 1894-1954
Chapter 16 "The Eccentrics" devoted to the Marxes and W.C. Fields
Neibaur, James L.: Movie Comedians: The complete guide
Not nearly as complete as the title suggests. For each comedian or team there's a very brief biography and information about the films. (TFG)
New York Times: The New York Times Film Reviews
Nippoldt, Robert; Kothenschulte, Daniel: Hollywood in den 30er Jahren
Articles about various actors from the 1930s including the Marx Brothers
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Norman, Barry: The Movie Greats
This one is a collection of chapters about 9 personalities: Chapter 3 is about Groucho. The others are: Marilyn Monroe, Peter Finch, Jack Hawkins, Edward G. Robinson, Robert Donat, Gracie Fields, Leslie Howard, Charlie Chaplin and a final chapter on Hollywood in general.
Norman, Barry: The Film Greats
Pérez Agustí, Adolfo: Cómicos del cine
This book has chapters about the Marx Brothers,Cantinflas, Woody Allen and Charlie Chaplin. Other comedians get a few pages. The Marx Brothers chapter is almost identical to the book "El humor de ... Los Hermanos Marx" by the same author
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Palumbo, Michele : Club Marx - Karl e Groucho
"... uno scherzo filosofico ..."
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Parish, James Robert; Bowers, Ronald L.: The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era
a few pages about the Marx Brothers
Parish, James Robert; Leonard, William T.; Mank, Gregory W.; Hoyt, Charles: The Funsters
This book presents 62 movie comedians from Charlie Chaplin to Woody Allen. It has a 13-page chapter on the Marx Brothers.
Reichwein, Horst: Die Juden in der ostfriesischen Herrlichkeit Dornum
Book about about the history of the Jewish population in the home town of the Marx Brothers' mother Minnie. Contains the chapter "Die Marx Brothers und ihre Abstammung aus Dornum"
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Robinson, Jeffrey: Teamwork: The Cinema's Greatest Comedy Teams
The chapter "The Marx Brothers" takes 17 of the 128 pages
Rossi, John P.: A Night in Philadelphia
Keywords: American literature; 1900-1999; Johnstone, William B.; and Johnstone, Tom; I'll Say She Is; drama; role of Marx Brothers
Rothe, Anna (ed.): Current Biography 1948
"Marx, Chico, Groucho, Harpo"
Seeßlen, Georg: Klassiker der Filmkomik
has a chapter about the Marx Brothers
- (deutsch) Roloff und Seeßlen, München, Germany, 1976, ISBN: 3 88144 201 4 (ISBN-13: 9783881442015) Available from amazon: ![]() |
Sennett, Ted: Laughing in the Dark - Movie Comedy from Groucho to Woody
Part of the chapter "The Comedy Icons of the Thirties" is about the Marx Brothers
Sinyard, Neil: Classic Movie Comedians
Chapter 6: "The Marx Brothers"
Sjögren, Olle: Lekmannen i skrattspegeln. En kulturpsykologisk analys av tio manliga filmkomiker
PhD Thesis, Stockholms Universitet. The title translates as: "The (P)Layman In The Funny Mirror. A Psychocultural Analysis Of Ten Leading American Film Comedians".
Abstract: "The subject of this thesis is the professional humor competence of the film comedians Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, W. C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy, The Marx Brothers, Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen."
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Skolsky, Sidney: Times Square Tintypes
Short, 4 to 5 page "typewriter caricatures" of famous persons connected to Broadway in the 1920's, from the Marx Brothers to Fanny Brice to Flo Ziegfeld to Eugene O'Neill (50 in all). Delightful line drawing caricatures by Gard accompany each vignette.
Thomas, Nick: Raised by the Stars
Collection of interviews with the children of Hollywood legends. This includes interviews with Harpo's children Bill (telephone interview) and Minnie (via email)
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Took, Barry: Comedy Greats: A Celebration of Comic Genius Past and Present
Has a chapter about the Marx Brothers. Also featured are Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Barry Humphries, Jacques Tati and others
Vandenbunder, André: Film- en maatschappijstrukturen, de jonge Duitse film, de Marx brothers
Vogel, Michelle: Children of Hollywood
about the children of Hollywood celebrities, includes chapters about Arthur Marx, Harpo's children and Maxine Marx. Unfortunately almost all of the material is taken from previously published books, so if you have got books like "Son of Groucho" or "Growing up with Chico" etc., you won't find anything new in here.
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Wanamaker, Marc: Star Profiles
has two pages about Groucho
Weales, Gerald: Canned Goods as Caviar: American Film Comedy of the 1930s
Chapter 3: "Duck Soup"
Wilson, Earl: The NBC Book of Stars
Keywords: television and radio Steve Allen Milton Berle bob hope Dinah shore Perry como Dave garroway George gobel Groucho Marx biography illustrated caricatures by wachsteter
Winokur, Mark Brian: American Laughter: Immigrants, Ethnicity, and 1930's Hollywood Film Comedy
Abstract: "My dissertation begins with the fact that American film comedy is produced by a disproportionate number of ethnics and immigrants, from creative staff (Chaplin, the Marx Brothers) to businessmen (Mayer, Thalberg, Zukor). I use historical parallels in literature to justify the sence that thematic treatment of assimilation in comedy is a distinctly American development. [..] But the bulk of the work consists of readings of three comedies, and so of three comic subgenres: Modern Times and silent comedy, Duck Soup and antic comedy, The Thin Man and the screwball. "
Woollcott, Alexander: While Rome Burns
Has the articles 'Obituary [for Minnie Marx]' and 'My Friend Harpo'
Woollcott, Alexander: Long, Long Ago
"I Might as Well Have Played Hooky" Comic essay. Joining Harpo as the subject of this piece are Irving Berlin and Norman Bel Geddes
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The Marx Brothers - Los Hermanos Marx - האחים מרקס - マルクス兄弟 - Les Freres Marx - 마르크스형제 - Братья Маркс - Bröderna Marx - برادران مارکس - I Fratelli Marx - Братята Маркс - Bracia Marx - Germans Marx - الأخوة ماركس - 馬克思兄弟 - Αδελφοί Μαρξ - Irmãos Marx