The other day here, I mentioned the line "Who are you going to believe? Me or your lying eyes?" and I said it is often attributed to Richard Pryor. Someone named Steve Stoliar — who claims to know something about the Marx Brothers — sent me this…

It's always been my understanding that it's a misattributed misquote. People ascribe it to Groucho in Duck Soup but it was Chico who had the line. And there's no "lying" in the quote, which would've been quite unnecessary. Dumont says, "But I saw you leave with my own eyes!" and Chico says, "Well….who ya gonna believe? Me or your own eyes?"

Never heard it attributed to Richard Pryor, but I’d love for the record to be set straight about the Groucho/Chico Duck Soup (mis)quote.

Thank you for your attention at this time (but not at that time).

You are correct, Mr. Stoliar, that in Duck Soup, Chico said what you said he said. In fact, here is documented proof which even Kristi Noem could not deny of him saying it…

The confusion on the part of those who insist Groucho said is perhaps understandable since when Chico spoke those words in Duck Soup, he was masquerading as Groucho. We should probably be grateful that they didn't think Harpo, who was also dressed as Groucho in that movie, said it.

In the meantime, I think I know how Richard Pryor's name got attached to the quote. In his 1982 stand-up film, Richard Pryor – Live On The Sunset Strip, he uses the variation with the word "lying" in it. Here's a clip from that film and I must warn you that if you click on it, you may hear some awful and dangerous words. You may also notice that he is not dressed up as Groucho Marx but he probably should have been…

So thank you, Mr. Stoliar, for clarifying this matter of great importance. If you're truly interested in the Marx Brothers — and Groucho, in particular, may I recommend this book to you? I'm sure you will be pleased with your purchase.