Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales: Selected Writings of Groucho Marx An Updated and Expanded Edition: Selected Writings of Groucho MarxÞAn

by Groucho Marx, Robert S. Bader (Editor)

It makes sense that Groucho, master of the wise crack, a man who kept company with S.J. Perelman and George S. Kaufman, should be a wonderful author in his own right, but you won't know how wonderful unless you have this book. Its editor, Robert S. Bader, has collected the funniest essays, columns and letters that Groucho composed during his long career. Writing with a wit and love of non-sequitur that influenced the young Woody Allen, Groucho also displays real warmth of character in these short pieces, an abiding love of family and of living.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Film

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian and film star. He is famed as a master of wit. He made 15 feature films with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game show, You Bet Your Life. He had a distinctive image, which included a heavy greasepaint moustache and eyebrows, and glasses.

Reviews

[William]

I like the part really much when his brother goes "honk" and the Groucho says something funny about it. There wasn't one bit about the workers of this world uniting and loosing they chains but that's okay that might have been in one of the movies like the Animal Crackers or Duck Soup. America needs more men like Marx. Europe gotta Marx and we gotta Marx, which Marx was the better Marx? All I can say is that workers are still in chains. What does that say? "Honk!"

[Dale Lehman]

I hadn't realized that in addition to being part of a classic comic team, Groucho Marx was a prolific writer. This volume brings together a number of short pieces, including articles, guest columns, and even a product testimonial. Each piece is introduced with historical context, and many are every bit as funny as any of the classic Marx Brothers routines. Indeed, it's easy to hear Groucho delivering these lines. Fans of the Marx Brothers won't want to miss this book.

[David]

The man, the myth, the miss, the mist, the legend, the leg mid-way, the thighs.... hold my cigar

[Paulo Teixeira]

(PT) uma coleção de cartas, artigos e aforismos vindos de um dos mais famosos comediantes americanos do século XX, conhecido pelo seu humor histriónico, em conjunto com os seus irmãos Harpo e Chico, moldaram o humor americano por mais de duas décadas, desde o teatro à televisão, passando pela rádio e o cinema.

"Histórias Curtas e Grossas" é um livro sobre a vida e os eitos de Groucho Marx, uma visão bem-humorada das coisas da vida, ao longo de 40 anos, mas com maior impacto entre 1926 e 1948. Sem grande educação formal, era um leitor voraz e desejava corresponder com os maiores da literatura americana. As suas tentativas (bem esforçadas, nem sempre bem sucedidas), deram mais tarde a sua autobiografia "Grcucho and Me", já nos anos 60, na fase final da sua vida, quando foi redescoberto por uma nova geração.

O problema do livro é que tem muitas explicações, mas pouco conteúdo. com metade dessas explicações, o livro seria bem mais pequeno - bem vistas as coisas, a seleção de cartas e artigos pouco chega às 100 páginas. De resto, até é um liwro interessante, para conhecer a pessoa atrás da "persona", dos óculos e do "bigode" (pintado, já agora).

[Dan Trefethen]

One of my sons gave this to me as a present, because I raised my boys right on Marx Brothers movies and they never forgave me.

This seemed like a timely present because one of the big news stories in this town has been the tearing down of the old viaduct. And I ask you, viaduct? Vy not a goose or a chicken?

Anyhow, this book is a rambling collection of Groucho's writings through the years. A lot of it deals with topical humor that has to be explained with footnotes. The rest of it is the kind of stream of consciousness silliness and wordplay that Groucho was known for. It helps if you can hear Groucho's voice in your head while you read it.

The editor argues that Groucho is just as funny in print as on the screen, but his self-deprecating humor always was enhanced by his antics and facial reactions.

Most of these essays, stories and letters are marginally funny – meaning the margins are funnier than the words. (Damn it, Groucho, now you've got me doing it.)

I think I'll go watch “Animal Crackers” now to get the full effect. Hooray for Captain Spaulding!

[Kimberly Ann]

#129

Many of the stories are repeats from the Groucho Phile.

The ones I like the best were the ones about his brothers, vaudeville, and "You Bet Your Life" (which I actually remember watching).

Julius Marx (Groucho) actually wrote a newspaper column of which there were portions of in this book and were interesting to read as well

This is an interesting compilation of his writings.

[Mark]

While I had high hopes for this book, the best I can give it is 3 stars. This is a collection of short pieces Groucho wrote for a variety of magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times. The pieces are generally comments on society and politics at the time, with bits of humor interspersed throughout. IMO, his selected letters are far funnier.

[SusanA]

Groucho’s newspaper and magazine letters and columns dating back to the dawn of his career. He reminisces and makes wisecracks about people and politics, but most interestingly, about his days on the vaudeville circuit. That man could write! I’m grateful that a tip-off in Dick Cavett’s memoirs sent me looking for this one.

[Anthony Bracciante]

Reading these letters and short articles I could hear Groucho's voice as I read them. Many of his jokes were laugh out loud funny and it presents an interesting side of his career aside from vaudeville, theater, movies, radio and television.

[Jessie Wheeler]

Didn't finish, really. Read a few, wanted to enjoy them, but there was too much "current" about the work. I just didn't get it.

[Wilbur]

I have to agree with the critics he was funnier in action than in his writings. There are more than a few laughs in this selection, but his style is reminiscent of Thurber or Perlman.

[John Ulferts]

An absolute must for Marx Brothers fans! Proves Groucho was as great a humorist as he was a comedian on stage and on film. His writings are as timeless as his films!

[Isaiah Johnson]

Hard to rate, because each piece was just so different, but this was charming and made me smile quite a bit!

[Joyce]

I am a mondo, geeked-out fan of the Marx Brothers who grew up watching their movies at the MGM Grand Theater in Las Vegas. The silliness of the movie plots appealed, as well as the nonsense these adults were spouting--and singing. This book represents a slice of that trailblazing comedic gold that never fails to put me in all's-well territory. From book: Groucho Marx was a comic genius who starred on stage and in film, radio, and television. But he was also a gifted writer the author of a play, two screenplays, seven books, and over 100 articles and essays. This newly expanded collection presents the best of Groucho's short comic pieces, written over a period of more than fifty years between 1919 and 1973 for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Saturday Evening Post, Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and other newspapers and magazines. Here is the one and only Groucho on his family, his days in vaudeville, his career, World War II, taxes, and other topics from his love of a good cigar to his chronic insomnia, from "Why Harpo Doesn't Talk" to "The Truth About Captain Spalding." The familiar irreverence, wordplay, and a dash of self-deprecation bring Groucho's wisecracking voice to life in these pages, firmly establishing him as one of the world's great humorists. Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales (a title of Groucho's own choosing) is essential reading for Marx Brothers fans, and a hilarious and nostalgic trip through the twentieth century.(less)

[Elizabeth Periale]

http://xoxoxoe.blogspot.com/2011/12/g...

Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales: Selected Writings of Groucho Marx is a book that is best enjoyed by reading an essay or two at at time, rather than trying to read it all at once, from cover to cover. Groucho was a funny man, and his self-deprecating humor was always observant. Readers may want to savor some of it before going along to his next joke, like this excerpt from "Bad Days Are Good Memories," a piece Groucho wrote for the Saturday Evening Post:

"For me, a happy experience does not necessarily mean a happy memory. On the contrary, I am sometimes jealous of my past."

Now who hasn't felt like that?

[Raquel]

Groucho Marx had a way with words. To me, his famous puns and one-liners are what made him so funny, more so than his funny walk and his black grease mustache and eyebrows. Most of you may not be familiar with Groucho's writings and this collection of short pieces serves as a great introduction.

Read my full review here: http://outofthepastcfb.blogspot.com/2...

[Alex]

Who knew that Groucho could be funny in print, as well as on screen? This collection of magazine articles, letters, poems, and prepared speeches shows that Groucho could entertain readers on almost any subject. In particular, his (frequently inaccurate but always hilarious) reminiscences of vaudeville are not to be missed. Editor Robert Bader's commentary is informative, and Dick Cavett's introduction is funny, but the star of this show is "the one, the only" Groucho Marx.

[Jason]

Yeah, there are some duds in here. Quite a few, really. In many of his columns, "guest" as they always were," Groucho'd fall back on the ol' "LOL I'm writing a column" style of metahumor, and it rarely worked. Some of the pieces were too logged with dated references to really work.

But the sincere pieces were moving, the biographical pieces fascinating, and the pure chaotic humor pieces hilarious. And many of these were five-star caliber . . . so four stars overall.

[Carolyn]

As a number of critics have said, Groucho's humor, which consists largely of gags and facial expressions, doesn't translate well from video to the printed page. I read about half of this one, had to give it up because it was a library book that couldn't be renewed, and am not really tempted to check it out again. I got a bigger kick out of _Raised Eyebrows_, which is *about* Groucho by his fan-turned-secretary/archivist.

[Batesharbuck]

I think he was funnier to listent to than to read

[Bob]

A must read for the Groucho Marx fan.

[Rick]

Groucho on paper is as funny as Groucho on film. Oh, that such men still roamed the earth.

[James M.]

A wonderful collection of letters, newspaper columns and speeches by the one, the only, Groucho.

[Mike Pampinella]

Good read for Groucho fans.