The Marx Brothers: A Bio-Bibliography

by Wes D. Gehring

This bio-bibliography was designed to present a combined biographical, critical, and bibliographical portrait of the Marx Brothers. It examines their significance in film comedy in particular, and as popular culture figures in general. The book is divided into five sections, beginning with a biography which explores the public and private sides of the Marx Brothers. The second section is concerned with the influences of the Marx Brothers as icons of anti-establishment comedy, as contributors to developments in American comedy, as early examples of saturation comedy, and as a crucial link between silent films and the talkies. Three original articles, two by Groucho and one by Gummo, comprise part three. A bibliographical essay, which assesses key reference materials and research collections, is followed by two bibliographical checklists. Appendices containing a chronological biography with a timeline, a filmography, and a selected discography complete the work.

277 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[David]

This one is an exception among Marx Brothers studies as it has not only the biographic details, but also a fairly full description (up to the mid-80s anyway) of sources related to the Brothers, especially articles that are otherwise hard to locate. Like all the others, it has a few errors--things misheard, passages quoted from memory, etc.) but it is more thorough than most if only because it lays claim to some scholarly status.

[C Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable for any serious student of the Marx Brothers. The long, extensively footnoted biography of (primarily) Groucho, Chico, and Harpo, with comments on Gummo and Zeppo, contains few new nuggets on America's funniest family act, but it cross-indexes information from many sources to give ideas on the sources for some of their cinema gags from "The Cocoanuts (1929) to "Love Happy" (1950) and personal commentary on the brothers and their families. Gehring includes a short essay on their unique bibliographical essay contains valuable extended commentary on books, shorter works, archives and film sources on the Marx Brothers. A long checklist on sources plus valuable appendixes, filmographies, a discography, and index round out the text. Essential for any library supporting film research--R. Blackwood, City Colleges of Chicago, Wilbur Wright College, "Choice" (March 1988), vol.25,p. 1104