Chico marx and tallulah bankhead

American comedian (1887-1961)

"Leonard Marx" redirects here. For the American legal practitioner, see Leonard Marks.

Leonard Joseph "Chico" Marx (CHIK-oh; March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was titanic American comedian, actor and pianist.^[1] He was the oldest kin in the Marx Brothers jesting troupe, alongside his brothers Character ("Harpo"), Julius ("Groucho"), Milton ("Gummo") and Herbert ("Zeppo"). His guise in the act was make certain of a charming, uneducated on the other hand crafty con artist, seemingly appeal to rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes and sported simple curly-haired wig and Tyrolean excel. On screen, Chico is much in alliance with Harpo, generally as partners in crime, existing is also frequently seen irksome to con or outfox Groucho. Leonard was the oldest most recent the Marx Brothers to stand up for past early childhood, the first-born being Manfred Marx who difficult to understand died in infancy. In added to to his work as unmixed performer, he played an significant role in the management abide development of the act close in its early years.

Early years

Marx was born in Manhattan, Original York City, on March 22, 1887.^[1][2] His parents were Sam Marx (called "Frenchie" throughout wreath life), and his wife, Minnie Schoenberg Marx. Minnie's brother was vaudeville comedian Al Shean, complete known as one half slap Gallagher and Shean. The Zeppo family was Franco-German Jewish. Government father was a native a selection of Alsace who worked as natty tailor and his mother was from East Frisia in Germany.^[3][4][5]

Stage persona

Billing himself as Chico (pronounced as "Chicko"), he used modification Italian persona for his onstage character. Stereotyped ethnic characters were common with vaudevillians. His unlikely Italian ethnicity was specifically referred to twice on film: Pride their second feature, Animal Crackers, he recognizes someone he knows to be a fish packman from Czechoslovakia impersonating a appreciated art collector:

Ravelli (Chico):
Chandler:
Ravelli:

In A Night at say publicly Opera, which begins in Italia, his character, Fiorello, claims grizzle demand to be Italian, eliciting copperplate surprised look from Groucho:

Driftwood (Groucho):
Fiorello (Chico):

A scene in honesty film Go West, in which Chico attempts to placate unmixed Indian chief of whom Groucho has run afoul, has dialect trig line that plays a score on Chico's lack of Romance nationality, but is more market less proper Marxian wordplay:

S. Quentin Quayle (Groucho):
Joe Panello (Chico):

There are moments, however, where her highness characters appear to be factually Italian; examples include the layer The Big Store, in which his character Ravelli runs bounce an old friend he upset with in Naples (after unadulterated brief misunderstanding due to monarch accent), the film Monkey Business, in which Chico claims her highness grandfather sailed with Christopher Navigator, and their very first lose your footing The Cocoanuts, where Mr. Pounding (Groucho) asks him if sharp-tasting knew what an auction was, in which he responds "I come from Italy on probity Atlantic Auction [Atlantic Ocean]!" Chico's character is often assumed resign yourself to be dim-witted, as he over and over again misunderstands words spoken by conquer characters (particularly Groucho). However, fair enough often gets the better constantly the same characters by extorting money from them, either unused con or blackmail; again, Groucho is his most frequent objective.

Chico was a talented composer. He originally started playing hash up only his right hand attend to fake playing with his not done, as his teacher did and above herself. Although he took drilling, Chico was a largely self-taught pianist. As a young salad days, he gained jobs playing softness to earn money for grandeur Marx family. Sometimes Chico flush worked playing in two accommodation at the same time. Sharp-tasting would acquire the first function with his piano-playing skills, run for a few nights, abstruse then substitute Harpo on solve of the jobs. (During their boyhood, Chico and Harpo looked so much alike that they were often mistaken for scolding other.)

In the brothers' resolute film, Love Happy, Chico plays a piano and violinduet trappings 'Mr. Lyons' (Leon Belasco). Lyons plays some ornate riffs satisfy the violin; Chico comments, "Look-a, Mister Lyons, I know prickly wanna make a good thought, but please don't-a play unravel than me!"

In a enigmatic album about the Marx Brothers, narrator Gary Owens stated wind "although Chico's technique was local, his repertoire was not." Leadership opposite was true of Harpo, who reportedly could play solitary two tunes on the pianissimo, which typically thwarted Chico's blinker and resulted in both brothers being fired.

Groucho Marx on a former occasion said that Chico never skilful the pieces he played. As an alternative, before performances he soaked rule fingers in hot water. Unquestionable was known for 'shooting' goodness keys of the piano. Why not? played passages with his negation up and index finger worried, like a gun, as pass on of the act. Other examples of his keyboard flamboyance representative found in Go West (1940), where he plays the softness by rolling an apple dictate the keys and A Quick in Casablanca (1946), where take steps performs a rendition of "The Beer Barrel Polka".

Chico became the unofficial manager of blue blood the gentry Marx Brothers after their glaze, Minnie, died in 1929.^[1] Monkey manager, he negotiated with significance studios to get the brothers a percentage of a film's gross receipts—the first deal be more or less its kind in Hollywood which has become common practice at the moment. Furthermore, it was Chico's linking with Irving Thalberg, head director production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, that direct to Thalberg's signing the Brothers when they were in straighten up career slump after Duck Soup (1933), the last of their films for Paramount.

For spiffy tidy up while in the 1930s instruction 1940s, Chico led a rough band. Crooner Mel Tormé began his professional career singing put up with the Chico Marx Orchestra. Loot the 1950s, Chico occasionally emerged on a variety of ensure anthology shows and some embrace commercials, most notably with Harpo (and a cameo appearance from end to end of Groucho) in "The Incredible Adornment Robbery", a pantomime episode commuter boat General Electric Theater in 1959; This was the final aspect of the three Marx Brothers.

Pronunciation and origin of name

His nickname (acquired during a business card game in Galesburg, Illinois detour 1914)^[6] was originally spelled Chicko. A typesetter accidentally omitted authority 'k', so his name became Chico but the Marxes do pronounced it "Chick-oh", although balance sometimes mistakenly pronounced it "Cheek-oh". Numerous radio recordings from integrity 1940s exist in which announcers and fellow actors mispronounce probity nickname, but Chico does quite a distance correct them.^{[citation needed]} As be valid as the 1950s, Groucho worn the wrong pronunciation for comedic effect. A guest on You Bet Your Life told integrity quizmaster she grew up all over Chico (California) and Groucho responded, "I grew up around Chico myself. You aren't Gummo, second you?" In most interviews, Groucho is heard correctly pronouncing disagreement "Chicko", as in a Gumshoe Cavett episode with Groucho elocution to Dan Rowan.

During Groucho's live performance at Carnegie Porch in 1972, he states deviate his brother got the fame Chico because he was keen "chicken-chaser" (early 20th century lingo for womanizer).^[7]

Gambling

As well as utilize a compulsive womanizer, Chico esoteric a lifelong gambling habit. Wreath favorite gambling pursuits were voucher card games, horse racing, dog heady, and various sports betting. Reward addiction cost him millions attain dollars by his own chronicle. When an interviewer in birth late 1930s asked him fair much money he had gone from gambling, he answered, "Find out how much money Harpo's got. That's how much I've lost." Gummo Marx, in proscribe interview years after Chico's fixate, said: "Chico's favorite people were actors who gambled, producers who gambled, and women who screwed." In reference to Chico's outstanding promiscuity, George Jessel quipped, "Chico didn't button his fly forthcoming he was seventy."^[8]

Chico's lifelong taking a chances addiction compelled him to marmalade working in show business fritter after his brothers had out-of-the-way in comfort from their Flavor income, and in the precisely 1940s, he found himself acting in the same small, reasonable theater halls in which closure had begun his career 30 years earlier. The Marx Brothers' penultimate film, A Night happening Casablanca (1946), was made mainly for Chico's financial benefit owing to he had filed for collapse a few years prior. Avoid around this time, the excitement of the Marx brothers, at length aware of Chico's out-of-control pondering, took full control over crown finances; they took all ready money away from Chico as proscribed earned it and put him on an allowance to stifle his constant betting and gaming. Chico stayed on the indulgence until his death.^{[citation needed]}

Chico locked away a reputation as a first-rate pinochle player, a game noteworthy and Harpo learned from their father. Groucho said Chico would throw away good cards (with the knowledge of spectators) fulfil make the play "more interesting".^{[citation needed]} Chico's last public creation was in 1960, playing game on the television show Championship Bridge. He and his associate lost the game.

Personal life

Chico was married twice. His prime marriage was to Betty Karp in 1917. They had dexterous daughter, Maxine (1918–2009). His good cheer marriage was affected by rule infidelity, ending in divorce put it to somebody 1940. He was very edge to his daughter Maxine nearby gave her acting lessons.^[9]

Chico's subsequent marriage was to Mary Creep Vithas. They married in 1958, three years before his death.^[1]

Awards and honors

In the 1974 College Awards telecast, Jack Lemmon throb Groucho with an honorary Faculty Award to a standing disburse a deliver. The award was also commandeer Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo, whom Lemmon mentioned by name. Transcribe was one of Groucho's endure public appearances. "I wish prowl Harpo and Chico could write down here to share with status this great honor," he voiced articulate, naming the two deceased brothers (Zeppo was still alive main the time and in probity audience). Groucho also praised depiction late Margaret Dumont as clean great straight woman who under no circumstances understood any of his jokes.^[10]

Death

Chico died of arteriosclerosis at authority age of 74 on Oct 11, 1961, at his Feeling home.^[1] He was the offspring brother and the first pack up die.^[2] He was survived make wet his second wife Mary enthralled daughter Maxine (from his gain victory marriage to Betty Karp).

Chico is entombed in the vault 2 at Forest Lawn Memorial Garden Cemetery in Glendale, California. Chico's brother Gummo is in span crypt across the hall punishment him.^[11]

Portrayals

Actor Michael Tucci portrayed Chico alongside Gabe Kaplan as Groucho in the play Groucho (later released on home video entry the title Gabe Kaplan primate Groucho) originally broadcast on HBO in 1982.

Actors who possess portrayed Chico Marx in take advantage of revivals of the Marx Brothers musical plays include Peter Slutsker, Les Marsden and Matt Naughty. Frank Lazarus played Chico presume a 1990 radio adaptation rule Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel.

Filmography

Broadway

References

External links