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Growing Up With Chico. 1980. Cloth with dustjacket.
The daughter of Chico Marx portrays her father as a charming bon vivant, compulsive gambler, congenital liar, and faithless husband who, as manager for the Marx Brothers, steered them to phenomenal success from vaudeville to Hollywood.
181 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 12, 2010
I will admit, I am not an objective reviewer. I love Chico, he is my favorite Marx brother, and I knew what to expect going in. We all know that Chico was an addict, but what Maxine reveals to us is that he was a warm, brilliant man as well, responsible for the ultimate success of the Marx Brothers. I don't love him any less, but I am glad that I was not married to him. :) Thank you Maxine!
February 6, 2011
It's sort of important to put this book in context- The Marx Bros. Scrapbook had been published a couple of years before. This is the book Maxine, in the introduction of Growing Up With Chico, discusses as being offensive. A lot of unpleasant things were said (not just about Chico), and it is understandable that Maxine was upset. However, a lot of Growing Up With Chico comes off as a take-that rebuttal to The Marx Brothers Scrapbook, instead of simply a memoir of Chico.
Sure, Maxine includes a lot of interesting reminiscences, and since Chico himself never wrote an autobiography, this is the closest we get. But I was somewhat uncomfortable with the tone of a lot of the book, and some of the borderline attack-y comments Maxine made about Groucho et al. It would have been a more pleasant read if it hadn't felt like the impetus behind the book was a return volley of insults.
Sure, Maxine includes a lot of interesting reminiscences, and since Chico himself never wrote an autobiography, this is the closest we get. But I was somewhat uncomfortable with the tone of a lot of the book, and some of the borderline attack-y comments Maxine made about Groucho et al. It would have been a more pleasant read if it hadn't felt like the impetus behind the book was a return volley of insults.
March 23, 2016
Chico Marx, is probably the one brother that hasn't had a real big following as Groucho and Harpo has had over the years. This is the only known biography written for him and its from his own daughter. While reading this story, I was looking forward to a more close up look into Chico's life. I'm not sure if I got that feeling or not. There are some very interesting stories that are shared between daughter and father. But, there are so many second hand stories from Maxine's mother told to Maxine years later. That doesn't hold the affect they could have given, if Maxine had been there when the moments happen. There are some stories that needed more development to them. Like, when Chico disappeared for a few days back in the early 20's and nobody knew were he went. The story is never fully told and it leaves you wondering, what happen to Chico during those days.
I feel, the story needed to be more drawn out. It moves way to fast and before you realize it, the book has reached the end and you feel, there are so many more stories that you wished Maxine had included in her story.
I feel, the story needed to be more drawn out. It moves way to fast and before you realize it, the book has reached the end and you feel, there are so many more stories that you wished Maxine had included in her story.
September 11, 2014
It wasn't bad, it wasn't amazing either. It's a short book that shows a different side of the Marx brothers, it was clear that the book was written with love. The book does show how the importance of Chico's contribution to the group. It's been overlooked because of his gambling reputation and because Groucho and Harpo received most of the attention. Chico's part in the Marx Brothers was very necessary and the author shows just how much the boy's loved each other. It was evident then and is more clear now just how far the love they hard for each other could go and how protective they were about what they had. I loved the book but gave only 3 stars because like I said before, it wasn't amazing, it was just a good book.
September 27, 2015
Entertaining, if slight, little bio by Chico (that's "chick-o" not "chee-ko" by the way) Marx's only daughter. Since I know the story of the Marx Brothers backwards and forwards, it was interesting to hear a different perspective on Chico. Another plus is that Maxine seems to realize we're reading this book to hear about Maxine Marx's father, not Chico Marx's daugther, if you know what I mean (Groucho's daughter Miriam could have taken a lesson when she wrote her memoir.). The later years of Chico's life are sort of skimped on, but overall, a good book.
November 20, 2011
Gives an interesting insight not only into Chico, her father, but the other Marx brothers as well. She shows them as human, with all the foibles attendant. Some parts are defensive (only natural, it is her father), but I don't think it is in a effort to white wash events; only to present them in a even light.
July 2, 2020
Chico Marx was just as funny as either of his two famous brothers, but perhaps he is the least celebrated and the least well known. What we do know of him comes mostly from what Groucho says in the seemingly dozens of books either by him or about him. I would argue that, given Maxine Marx's brief 1980 biography, we still don't know much about him.
We knew that Chico was a hopeless, shameless womanizer. Maxine Marx swears that her mother and father loved each other, but being married could not quell his ceaseless urge for female companionship. His philandering was not necessarily confined to the road, either. Nor could he stoke the fires that fueled his compulsion to gamble. Many times, he lost not only his own money but the wages due his brothers because he could not pass up a crap game. We do learn a little bit more about his charm, and easy likability, and his formidable powers of persuasion. He was responsible for negotiating some of the Marx Brothers' most lucrative contracts, the fruits of which Groucho and Harpo invested wisely, but Chico rolled or dealt his away. The trouble is, we already knew all that.
Mme. Marx does provide glimpses into the genuine affection she shared with her father. She gives more detail to her often thunderous relationship with her mother, the put-upon Betty Marx, who truly loved Chico and poured everything she had into their marriage for little to nothing in return. For a child of a Hollywood legend, she is neither terribly circumspect nor detailed about her growing up years. Late in the book, she does reflect a rueful and more nuanced attitude towards her mother upon being able to see her parents' marriage through adult eyes.
The biography ends with Chico's death in 1961. Maxine Marx lived for quite a long time after her father's passing; it might have made things more interesting to have added a postlude later in her own life. I particularly would have enjoyed knowing more about how Chico developed his unmatched prowess at the piano keyboard--one of my greatest pleasures is watching cuts of him shooting the keys in Marx Brothers films. But there's little here that any Marxophile will not have either already read or readily inferred from other sources. The good news is that, at 179 pages, the book is short and easy to finish in one afternoon.
We knew that Chico was a hopeless, shameless womanizer. Maxine Marx swears that her mother and father loved each other, but being married could not quell his ceaseless urge for female companionship. His philandering was not necessarily confined to the road, either. Nor could he stoke the fires that fueled his compulsion to gamble. Many times, he lost not only his own money but the wages due his brothers because he could not pass up a crap game. We do learn a little bit more about his charm, and easy likability, and his formidable powers of persuasion. He was responsible for negotiating some of the Marx Brothers' most lucrative contracts, the fruits of which Groucho and Harpo invested wisely, but Chico rolled or dealt his away. The trouble is, we already knew all that.
Mme. Marx does provide glimpses into the genuine affection she shared with her father. She gives more detail to her often thunderous relationship with her mother, the put-upon Betty Marx, who truly loved Chico and poured everything she had into their marriage for little to nothing in return. For a child of a Hollywood legend, she is neither terribly circumspect nor detailed about her growing up years. Late in the book, she does reflect a rueful and more nuanced attitude towards her mother upon being able to see her parents' marriage through adult eyes.
The biography ends with Chico's death in 1961. Maxine Marx lived for quite a long time after her father's passing; it might have made things more interesting to have added a postlude later in her own life. I particularly would have enjoyed knowing more about how Chico developed his unmatched prowess at the piano keyboard--one of my greatest pleasures is watching cuts of him shooting the keys in Marx Brothers films. But there's little here that any Marxophile will not have either already read or readily inferred from other sources. The good news is that, at 179 pages, the book is short and easy to finish in one afternoon.
February 14, 2019
Chico's daughter Maxine shares with us her father's faults like gambling, lying and cheating along with his more pleasant parts of being her father, a charmer and a go-getter who got the brothers their gigs.
I had just finished reading Harpo's book, Harpo Speaks before I started this one. In this one I learned more about Minnie, the mother of the Marx brothers too. In a less flattering manner that Harpo details.
I enjoyed the book and hearing about her growing up (mostly) but it also just left me sad. Sad that someone could have it all and yet ruin it all. I also thought that Groucho came off here as just mean and bitter; more so than in Harpo's book, but apparently he really was that way.
A good account of not just Chico, but her mom Betty and the Marx Brothers also.
I had just finished reading Harpo's book, Harpo Speaks before I started this one. In this one I learned more about Minnie, the mother of the Marx brothers too. In a less flattering manner that Harpo details.
I enjoyed the book and hearing about her growing up (mostly) but it also just left me sad. Sad that someone could have it all and yet ruin it all. I also thought that Groucho came off here as just mean and bitter; more so than in Harpo's book, but apparently he really was that way.
A good account of not just Chico, but her mom Betty and the Marx Brothers also.
August 4, 2012
After reading Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and sometimes Zeppo; a history of the Marx Brothers and a satire on the rest of the world.-Joe Adamson, I had to read more!
I really loved the book. The stories about her growing up were very interesting. I felt it was a great insight into the Marx family. The brothers were devoted to each other first, over wives, kids, etc.
Chico’s daughter felt her father was portrayed poorly in the previously published Marx Brothers Scrapbook. She even mentions this in her prologue. I haven’t read that book…but I can say is that having read other books about them and Groucho, my impression is that Chico was not only the most optimistic one, but also did make the most business contacts and was the most charming and persuasive. He did have a head for business. Too bad gambling and womanizing were a problem. To be fair so did Harpo.
She is quite candid, readily admitting her father’s indiscretions. And through it all, her father’s charm and optimistic attitude got him through tons of situations.
If it wasn’t for Chico’s card playing, he might have never met Irving Thalberg, who gave them a big chance as they were in decline.
Maxine on many occasions would criticize a popular actor here or there and Chico would always tell her not to say or think that way. He would explain that that person was a star and respect was in order. He had tremendous respect for all in his field.
Maxine also was incredibly aware of the intense loyalty the brothers had for each other, no matter what they did. This loyalty showed up in an unexpected talk with her Uncle Harpo. As Maxine grew older she didn’t like her father’s womanizing & she would make disparaging remarks about him to her friends. Harpo found out and spoke to her calmly but in a manner so unlike the man she knew, she understood he meant business.
Maxine grew up around celebrities and was allowed on the sets, and even tried her hand at acting. Most all celebrities were kind…although she did see some high handedness with some.
I really loved the book. The stories about her growing up were very interesting. I felt it was a great insight into the Marx family. The brothers were devoted to each other first, over wives, kids, etc.
Chico’s daughter felt her father was portrayed poorly in the previously published Marx Brothers Scrapbook. She even mentions this in her prologue. I haven’t read that book…but I can say is that having read other books about them and Groucho, my impression is that Chico was not only the most optimistic one, but also did make the most business contacts and was the most charming and persuasive. He did have a head for business. Too bad gambling and womanizing were a problem. To be fair so did Harpo.
She is quite candid, readily admitting her father’s indiscretions. And through it all, her father’s charm and optimistic attitude got him through tons of situations.
If it wasn’t for Chico’s card playing, he might have never met Irving Thalberg, who gave them a big chance as they were in decline.
Maxine on many occasions would criticize a popular actor here or there and Chico would always tell her not to say or think that way. He would explain that that person was a star and respect was in order. He had tremendous respect for all in his field.
Maxine also was incredibly aware of the intense loyalty the brothers had for each other, no matter what they did. This loyalty showed up in an unexpected talk with her Uncle Harpo. As Maxine grew older she didn’t like her father’s womanizing & she would make disparaging remarks about him to her friends. Harpo found out and spoke to her calmly but in a manner so unlike the man she knew, she understood he meant business.
Maxine grew up around celebrities and was allowed on the sets, and even tried her hand at acting. Most all celebrities were kind…although she did see some high handedness with some.
May 20, 2024
Chico Marx was the glue that made the team work. Equally adept at playing off his exceptionally verbal brother, Groucho and the silent antics of Harpo, it was Chico’s role to connect those two very disparate talents and form them into comedies most unique and brilliant teams. But both Harpo (Brilliant) and Groucho (OK) have written autobiographies and despite their reticence in many areas, they remain informative enough to provide some info about their lives directly from them. But Leonard “Chico” Marx never felt compelled to follow their lead and remains a bit more distant and his story might be the most compelling. A math whiz who contributed to some of the team’s best business moves, a womanizer who remained married for years, a gambler who would prefer a high risk to a sure thing, he was quite a character. Other than the material from books about the team as a a whole we really only have his daughter’s memoir. Her book is definitely a daughter’s story of a dad that she loved despite his flaws and provides a few personal stories that relate to how charismatic he was in person and also how self-destructive his behavior was and how it hurt those around him. But there is also an apologetic tone that sits atop everything; even when she is enraged by his actions (like hitting on one of her friends which ultimately leads to the end of his marriage) she comes back to realizing that was who he was. Some of her anger is aimed at the brothers who did little too curb his behaviors and defended him no matter what. (This is one of the few books I have ever read about the Marx’s that portrays Harpo as a less than wonderful; guy.) It’s a necessary part of a Marx brothers fan’s library, there is enough different material and first hand observation to add to your understanding of Chico’s place in the team, on the stage and off, but as a showbiz memoir it lays a bit flat as the writing is not any more compelling than your average in depth Q&A.
November 25, 2014
I enjoyed this memoir of the eldest of the Marx Brothers, Chico, written by his daughter Maxine Marx.
Chico was an inveterate gambler and womanizer, so his record as a husband was miserable and as a father, sporadic. He spent every penny he ever made and was often hiding out from loan sharks. Maxine's mom stayed with him for many years before finally getting a divorce.
It was a good book for getting some insights into not only Chico's personality but the other brothers' as well, but if you want information in any detail about their movies, you'll need to read a different book for that, although the book did a better job of covering their earlier years in vaudeville.
Chico was an inveterate gambler and womanizer, so his record as a husband was miserable and as a father, sporadic. He spent every penny he ever made and was often hiding out from loan sharks. Maxine's mom stayed with him for many years before finally getting a divorce.
It was a good book for getting some insights into not only Chico's personality but the other brothers' as well, but if you want information in any detail about their movies, you'll need to read a different book for that, although the book did a better job of covering their earlier years in vaudeville.
September 23, 2023
A life led how he wanted to, refreshing but sad in
its impact on immediate family
its impact on immediate family
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews