Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx

by Stefan Kanfer

This definitive biography of one of the world’s greatest comedians unflinchingly yet affectionately uncovers the man behind the cigar.

Here is the amazing career of the man the world recognized as Groucho: the improbable disasters of the vaudeville years; the Marx Brothers, an act so funny W.C. Fields refused to follow it; the unprecedented Broadway success of The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers; the cinematic triumphs of Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera; and the marvelous come-back career as king of the game show hosts with You Bet Your Life. Here, too, is the man himself: a lonely middle child who aspired to be a doctor; a man who sabotaged three marriages; a father alternately indulgent and cruel. Intelligent and thorough, hilarious and sad, Groucho is a spectacular biography of the century’s most influential comedian.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film, Humor, History, Biography Memoir, Media Tie In

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Stefan Kanfer is the author of fifteen books, including the bestselling biographies of show business icons: GROUCHO; BALL OF FIRE (Lucille Ball); SOMEBODY (Marlon Brando); and TOUGH WITHOUT A GUN (Humphrey Bogart). He has also written many social histories, among them THE LAST EMPIRE, about the De Beers diamond company, and STARDUST LOST, an account of the rise and fall of the Yiddish Theater in New York.

Kanfer also wrote two novels about World War II and served as the only journalist on the President’s Commission on the Holocaust. He was the first by-lined cinema critic for Time magazine, where he worked as writer and editor for more than two decades. He has been given many writing awards and was named a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library. He lives in New York where he serves as a columnist for the City Journal of the Manhattan Institute.

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I came away with the view that Groucho (Julius Henry Marx) was not a nice person. The author goes into a lot of detail of Groucho’s personal relationships and the films he made. Also, the lives of his two brothers, Chico and Harpo, are extensively examined.

The biography is not hagiographic, but the author, at times, seems to excuse Groucho’s behavior. For example, he keeps blaming Groucho’s mother, which made me speculate that the author had a “mother syndrome”.

There are enough particulars provided that allow one to see patterns. Two of his wives (he was married three times) became alcoholics. His daughter from his first marriage also turned to substance abuse. Groucho was a control freak with his family – his wives and children had to do things his way, otherwise, like in his films, Groucho would torment them verbally with his caustic putdowns – often in front of others. He forced one of his daughters at a young age to perform and rehearse theatrically, even though many observed that she was plainly uncomfortable in the role Daddy wanted.

I also felt that Groucho had no real friends, but maybe that is just show business.

There are many anecdotes provided – too many for my taste – and some were just tasteless – dated and/or dull. The book was too long. Maybe if you are a diehard Groucho fan you may enjoy it more than I did.

Page 289 (my book) from “A Night in Casablanca”

Vera: I’m singing at the supper club later. Won’t you join me?
Groucho: Why, are you coming apart?

Page 254

“These are my principles. If you don’t like them I have others.”

While reading this book, I watched a few of the Marx Brothers films. There was definitely some priceless comedy, but often there were tedious sequences where I pressed fast-forward.

[Chuck LoPresti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read just about everything in print or on the web about this funniest of all men and this book is probably the best. Merely being funny isn't the reason that we Marxists can't just like Groucho and Kanfer does a perfect job of detailing the life of JH Marx and of Groucho. It is essential to the understanding of the Marx Brothers that they are to be recognized as both individuals and as the characters they made famous - hence Groucho's book - Groucho and Me. There is nothing shocking about the fact that many great comedians were made great though personal suffering. Groucho's neurotic persona can only be informed by Julius' actual mental state. I don't wish to write a review of the Marx Brothers career - Kanfer and many other writers have already done that. But when you do understand their careers in detail you can really appreciate how insightful Kanfer's book really is. There are more than a few lazy books that simply re-tell the same Marx Brothers jokes - and those are worth the $2 you'll exchange for them - but if you're looking for an unflinching and very detailed study of the men behind the madness - this is your book. However - if you're reading about Groucho to have a laugh, read Groucho's books - not this because Kanfer spares little of the horrible details that are involved with the sad end to his life. However comic madness juxtaposed with greed and insanity create a shimmering and vibrant portrait of the most influential comedian ever. Kanfer writes well with a strong vocabulary and pleasant natural tone. If there's a single book that tells Groucho's story best - this is it. Judge for yourself by this closing sentence: "A new century has begun, with fresh faces and new routines. Let them come; above the general tumult will continue to float the whiff of a large cigar and the reverberating echo of the last laugh."

[Ray LaManna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This monumental bio of one of the iconic comedians of the 20th century tells us everything about him, warts and all. Groucho changed the nature of comedy and he has influenced everyone from Woody Allen to Jerry Seinfeld. But Kanfer also tells us about the dark side of this man-his three failed marriages, his alcoholic daughters, his growing estrangement from his brothers Chico, Harpo and Zeppo. It leads me to wonder-must genius go hand in hand with a totally chaotic personal life?

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was Art Fisher, a travelling monologist who gave the Marx Brothers their nicknames; sitting round a table with the brothers he mentioned the then popular comic strip 'Sherlocko the Monk' and pointed out that it was the fashion to add the letter 'O' to the end of names to make them sound trendy. After further discussion it was decided that Julius, the dour one with the grouch bag, would be Groucho, Leonard, pursuer of ladies, 'chicks' in vaudeville parlance, would be Chicko (the k would quickly be dropped), Adolph and his instruments were inseparable so he would be Harpo, Milton, who always wore rubbers or gumshoes at the first sight of rain, would be Gummo. Herbert was not present at the discussion and how he became Zeppo is open to conjecture as there are a variety of different reasons as to how he was so named.

Groucho wanted to continue his education but instead, as a 14-year-old, he began his stage career with a group called the Leroy Trio. Pushed by a show business mother, Minnie, he and his singing brothers quickly realised their comic potential and began touring the vaudeville circuit with their manic stage act. When Groucho adopted his greasepaint moustache and eyebrows plus adopting his loping gait, cigar and glasses he was easily recognised with his smart-mouthed insults, observations, asides and sarcastic comments. The brothers were at first mildly received before they quickly became hugely popular and it was then that the great W C Fields said that theirs was the only act that he found impossible to follow.

A trip to Britain was not so well received and Groucho returned to the States feeling that their star had dimmed. But success, particularly on Broadway, followed back home and then, after one disappointing silent movie, 'Humor Risk' in 1921, came the classic movies of the 1930s onwards and Groucho, plus the others, began spreading comic mayhem throughout such films as 'The Cocoanuts', 'Animal Crackers', 'Monkey Business' and the rest. And after the release of 'The Big Store' in 1941, the New York Times recognised the brothers as 'still the most errant maniacs this side of bars'.

Whilst Groucho's film persona was utterly comedic, at home things were not quite so hunky-dory. Three marriages, regular fall outs with his children blighted his life. But he kept a stiff upper lip and carried on - even carrying on long after the movie days were over with work as a game show host that earned him plenty of money and even after that making, sometimes under duress, personal appearances in a variety of shows and even doing a series of one-man shows of his own.

Throughout his life he was very conscious of money (unlike Chico who gambled all of his money away) and was always investing but he was also generous with his children, and brother Chico, on occasions; not having seen the children for some years he would meet up with them and present them with cheques for considerable sums. Indeed, his money kept his memory alive once he passed away in August 1977 for it took 11 long years for his estate to be finally sorted out and there were any number of family squabbles along the way.

Stefan Kanfer presents a definitive account of Groucho's life, giving plenty of coverage to the supporting players and George Melly was correct when he wrote in The Times Higher Educational Supplement, 'I don't think anyone else need write another book on Groucho Marx.' As for Groucho himself, his parting shot was 'Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?'

[Dinochunks01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned to arch my eyebrows when delivering a wisecrack at the age of four (in 1959) when Groucho's You Bet Your Life was still on the air. I did not even know he was in the movies until a Retrospective television documentary in 1969. I understood his attitude, but never learned the specific drive, heartbreak, and soul crushing pain behind his wit. I think everybody needs a Groucho Marx. I never knew he was going for medicine. I recommend this to anyone who wants the 360 degree view on his style of humor.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, I was on this kick of reading about horrible, brilliant people. This was my favorite book of that personal mini-trend. The stuff about the Marx Brothers early days is just fantastic. Groucho was a really smart guy, a true intellectual but he was limited by his horrible parenting and his truly traumatic childhood. Not very nice to wives or daughters, but in the end he gets his comeuppance and then some. Completely engrossing.

[Dan Sendker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a man. What a mind. What a mess. This is one of the best biographies I've ever read, on one of the greatest comedians of all time. In 437 pages, Stefan Kanfer made me admire, despise, and pity Groucho Marx, sometimes all within the same chapter. This is good, insightful, honest writing. The book did everything I hoped it would: dive into the Marx Brothers' early vaudeville days, track their astonishing film career, follow Groucho's post-film ventures, analyze his personality and relationships, and describe his death. This book checked every box. If you're a Marx Brothers fan, it is indispensable.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I was taken in by the police and they told me whatever I said would be held against me...so I said Elizabeth Taylor!" - Groucho Marx.

Just one of many famous quotes by the great Julius Henry Marx. He and his brothers Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, and Gummo toured the country as one of the most popular vaudeville troupes of the 1920's. Their movies are still hilarious to this day: Duck Soup, Animal Crackers, A night at the Races, A night at the Opera, among others. If you're a fan of the late great Groucho, you'll love walking through the life of one of the funniest people to ever walk the earth. Highly recommended for the true fan of the Marx brothers...

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made."

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of late, author J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame has been taking some heat due to her disparaging remarks on social media about trans people. I stuck my nose in a conversation on Facebook in which some Harry Potter acolytes were questioning whether their devotions to the Rowling universe could continue, as their sympathies lay with trans people. Thus, an example of the age old argument: Is it possible to separate the art from the artist? After reading Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx, I ask myself the same question.

I have been an avid Marxist (the film making brothers, not the communist revolutionary) since I was a boy. I first encountered them in Horse Feathers. My favorite was always Harpo. In quite the literal sense, I was ROTFL during that film, like when Harpo pulls a cup of coffee out of his pants pocket and hands it to a transient asking for a handout. Or later, he stands at a speakeasy table watching two men prepare to play a hand of poker. One of them says "Cut the cards." Harpo produces and axe and cuts the entire deck in half. Harpo's innocent propensity for mayhem endeared him to many. But no one can watch the Marx Brothers and not notice Groucho. The whipcrack quips, the serenity shattering insults, the hilarious banter with Chico, he was clearly the lightning rod of the troupe. As Stefan Ranfer reveals, however, all was not merriment beneath the grease paint mustache.

Of the five brothers (the fifth brother, Gummo, had no interest in show business and stayed out of the limelight), Groucho was the most serious student. He loved to read and to learn. Before being pushed onto the stage by his relentless mother Minnie, the true embodiment of a Stage Mom, he had seriously entertained thoughts of becoming a medical doctor. But when something went awry in The Four Nightingales, a singing act organized and thrust on tour by Minnie, she snatched Groucho from the class room and with almost no preparation, shipped him out on the road to replace one of the four. The life of a performer in those days was far from glamorous. The act fell apart on the road, and management reneged on their contract, so Groucho was alone and flat broke and farther from home than he'd ever been. For the rest of his life, he harbored a deep resentment against Minnie for what he perceived of as the theft of his childhood.

As Kanfer reveals, it could be argued that the brothers spent their entertainment careers trying to recapture that childhood. In particular, Groucho played the adult street urchin. His character was always at the bottom of whatever profession he represented. With leering eyes, wiggling brows, and the ever present cigar, he angled to swindle a wealthy woman (customarily played by Margaret Dumont) out of her money with dubious claims of love. The four brothers gleefully wreaked havoc from scene to scene, disrupting the social order and then leaving the mess behind, like many a gang of boys would do. On stage and on screen, Groucho was master of his art and the undisputed center of attention. His biggest problems arose when he felt the attention begin to fade.

Kanfer flat out states that Groucho stopped being able to separate himself from his onscreen (or onstage) persona. He could not leave the character behind when he went home at the end of the day. Whatever he had, it was never enough. He lost an enormous amount of money in the stock market crash that signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. Of course, this would be grounds for a major bout of depression of another kind. But he was hardly the only one affected by the crash. Even after he quickly regained and surpassed his earlier wealth, he could never again relax about money, always certain that destitution lurked around the next corner. He drove three different wives to the bottle when they could no longer withstand his withering put-downs and insults, especially in front of company. His spouses gave him three children; when the children were toddlers, he centered his life around them, always rushing home to feed or bathe them. But in the process he shunted his wives into obscurity. The children adored him, but their adoration grew into a horror of displeasing him, which happened often--not because of their behavior, but because of his increasingly acid-tongued jabs at their character, their aspirations, and their decisions. His brother Harpo found great peace and happiness in becoming a husband and a family man; the call of the stage or screen ceased to mean what it once did to Harpo. But Groucho could never stifle the siren call of an audience. He persisted in public appearances long after someone with his wealth and standing would--and in his case, should--have retired. An ugly legal tangle between his children and his last companion erupted over who should inherit his assets after he died. No matter how anyone couched it, it sounded like two greedy, boorish parties trying to wrest control over the dwindling assets of a feeble old man. In his fewer and fewer lucid moments, he made it plain that he could trust no one, and his life ended in an exhausted shambles. As Kanfer details, the joy and raucous laughter he brought to millions forever eluded him, and he ended his days as a confused, lonely shell of the man he once was.

Kanfer's book is enlightening, if not exactly uplifting. It is well written and unsparing in perspective. One wants to continue worshiping Groucho, whose influence is still felt in contemporary comedy, but the details of his persona off-screen make it a dubious choice. The book is best represented by the jacket photo, above this review and to the left. Groucho appears expressionless, in full profile, complete with greasepaint and cigar. But the small size of the photo obscures the detail that, instead of gazing straight ahead, he is peeping at the camera out of the corner of his eye, as if to make sure that someone is still paying attention. Long after his death, a still photograph suggests that his fear that an audience may no longer be watching has never abated. Can we separate the art from the artist? In the case of Groucho, it could very well be a sad necessity.

[David]

Benefits from knowing more about Groucho’s later life than most biographies do. Full of funny stories, but also honest about the sadness of his life. As Kanfer insists, there’s a reason Groucho retold the “Grock” story. Really only adds 'new' understanding to the final debacle of the legal wrangling following Groucho's death. Much of the material about Groucho's life is so familiar as to make one wonder why Kanfer thought it worth writing an entire book when an article would have sufficed.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read...and rather sad at the end. I finished it late at night, and I would recommend trying to finish it mid-afternoon so you can have some pleasant social interactions prior to attempting to fall asleep.

[Carolyn Whitzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the 6th biography I’ve read about Groucho. What can I say, I’m a lifelong Marxist. Golly he was a miserable man though. This biography dwells a lot on Groucho’s woman problem. Groucho was the middle child of five and very much not the favourite of his tough stage mother Minnie. In turn, he was emotionally abusive to his three young wives and to his three children as well. He was cheap and insecure. But he’s also the guy who when scandal rag Confidential printed all of those things about him, wrote them and said ‘if you continue to publish libels about me, I may have to cancel my subscription’. Kanfer isn’t a very good biographer and too much of the book is drawn from already published scripts and letters (best to go straight to the source: Groucho’s two memoirs, collected letters, etc). I can’t say I learned much that was new. But I got the book from a late friend who underlined the best bits. It was nice to revisit our favourite anarchist, one of the funniest men of the 20th century.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging, but derivative; and greatly marred by a complete lack of sourcing. If you have read most of the books mentioned by the author in lieu of notes and sources, there is not much need to read this book. Also, the chronicle of the sad pre-and posthumous wrangling over Groucho’s estate is marred by the author’s subtle editorializing.

Given Hector Arce’s long out of print authorized biography, and the lack of source notes for this one, it is hard to escape the feeling its subject deserves better.

[Mike Medeiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the title and cover are of just Groucho it covers all 5 brothers and particularly the 2 older ones (Chico and Harpo). About 75% chronicles them from before vaudeville right through to the personal and professional lives throughout the films with the remaining being Groucho's later years.
Mr. Kanfer captures the wit and origins of their style, nicknames as well as their personal flaws. Groucho was a difficult and troubled man but one whose genius still influences comedy to this day almost 50 years after his death and over 90 years since their first film.

[MH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging biography - Kafner tells his story well, keeps his well-considered psychological estimates of his subject brief, and knows when to let Groucho speak for himself. There's a lovely annotated bibliography, so it's disappointing that he doesn't source his quotes, and he seems to take a lot of implausible, constructed show biz anecdotes at face value, but it's a very compelling portrait of a very difficult man.

[Neal Fandek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised. I’m not a Groucho fan, per se, and usually don’t read biographies, but the author writes with grace and wit and a lot more insight than usual. The changing times are also vividly portrayed through his childhood, the adolescence that never really ended, and his more than ambivalent relationship with women starting with his mother; vaudeville, movies, TV too. The humor and pathos virtually leap from the page, that’s how insightful this biography is. That being said, Groucho was a massively insecure, quite unhappy man. Very contemporary.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the books I’ve read on the Marx Brothers, this is definitely one of them. I’d probably have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t read all those others. Unfortunately, the period that is least written about, his solo career, isn’t covered enough.
However, it’s a great overview of the man, the work, the movies and the laughs.

[Barbara DaCosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice in-depth book about the Marx Brothers in general, and Groucho's life, specifically. Kanfer offers much detail, and many of his own conclusions. However, he provides no notes, as one might expect in a biography, so that readers can follow up on ideas and material.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, like Groucho's career, starts off slow. It ends with the drawn out court battle over his estate. In between, it reminded me why this man will forever be one of my favorite comedians. Yes, I'm re-watching all the movies again, in tribute.

[Steve A · Rating 5 out of 5]

very well researched... learned things I never knew about. Deep reveal of Groucho's later years, not all that happy and relationship with his family(s). Lots of funny stuff too as well as early life of the brothers

[JAMES · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exhaustive. Not exactly bad, but not exactly something I'd recommend either, unless you really want to know a huge amount about the Marx brothers. I thought the stuff about their showbiz mother, and how they were vaudeville players for many years before any real success, was interesting.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not especially well-written or insightful. And if we’re reading the book, we know the movies—didn’t need three pages of dialogue at a pop.

[Mary Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too many details. Was arduous to get through. Very sad ending.

[Timbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Groucho was a complicated individual, and Kanfer manages to humanize him without turning him into a monster.

[Caeser Pink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. A fun read. A good balance of career and personal information. Lots of funny showbiz stories.

[Dave Goldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good. Very detailed.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific book, especially if you are a Marx Brothers fan like me. A MUST read!

[Vincent Lombardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kanfer writes well and fairly insightfully and there is a lot of good information in the book, but although I loved Groucho as a performer, I was not interested in finishing a book of this size.

[Josh Samuels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good biography about one of my most cherished comedians.

[Raymond Huber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, especially for Marx Brothers' fans like myself. Reveals the musical hall/braodway origins of their movie humour. Always interesting to read about the turbulent early 1900s too.