Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

A Family of Musical Comedians

Julius Henry Marx, better known as Groucho Marx, grew up in a Jewish neighborhood on the Upper East Side of New York City and began performing at age fourteen. His first performance was with a soprano group, LeRoy Trio. Hungry for greater success, his mother organized Groucho and his siblings into a singing act in vaudeville, "The Three Nightingales." After a few years, the Marx brothers shifted to musical comedies and quickly became one of the most popular vaudeville acts. They moved to Broadway in 1924 and premiered with I?ll Say She Is, to great success. In 1929, they released their first movie, The Cocoanuts. Three more followed, but the brothers soon lost their popular appeal. In 1933, Irving Thalberg of MGM worked with the brothers to produce better quality films and helped revive their careers. Some of their most famous films, including Duck Soup (1933) and A Night at the Opera (1935) were released soon after. Thalberg died in 1936 and the brothers disbanded in 1941. Groucho later hosted a game show on radio and television and pursued a solo acting career. In 1974, he received an honorary Oscar at age eighty-three, making him the oldest recipient of the award.