Groucho Marx, Secret Agent

Groucho Marx, Master Detective #5

by Ron Goulart

It could be said that in this episode Groucho Marx operates as a Hollywood-style Scarlet Pimpernel, with a repertoire of outrageous puns covering the steely, daring life of a counterspy. But, as Groucho might retort, his cover is at the dry-cleaner, and, besides, Groucho is not one to hide his light under any bushel (even one of stuffed clams). So he and Frank Denby, his sidekick, scriptwriter and close friend, set out to uphold their reputation as amateur sleuths by looking into the death of British director Eric Olmstead. First Olmstead fainted at a star-studded Halloween party after a man dressed as the Grim Reaper had whispered to him and then disappeared. But it is not until the next day that he is found dead -- presumably by his own hand.

It is 1939; everyone expects the U.S. to join the war raging in Europe. And everyone is looking under the bed for spies. Soon the questions surrounding the death of Eric Olmstead takes on an odor of espionage.

The police call Olmstead's death a suicide. After all, he did leave a (typed) note. His widow refuses to believe that her husband shot himself, and persuades Groucho and Frank to look further. Soon the pair is enmeshed in FBI agents and Los Angeles police, while the grieving widow clamors for revenge. Here is where Groucho proves his genius as a detective--he seizes on the clue that reveals the death to be murder.

This, however, is only the beginning. There is another murder. Groucho and Frank are attacked; Frank is shot at (but not hit); Groucho is hit (but not shot at; just knocked to the floor by the fleeing assailant). They not only survive, but they pinpoint the Nazi spy and the Hollywood figures working with them.

In a romp made delightful in spite of spies, murders, and occasional dire peril, Goulart uncannily resurrects the most garrulous Marx brother and his unique brand of patter. The Groucho Marx of these stories is the next best thing to the capering of the late comedian himself, and a happy gift to everyone who remembers him fondly as well as those meeting him for the first time.

Genres: Mystery, Humor, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 17, 2002

About the author

Pseudonyms: Howard Lee; Frank S Shawn; Kenneth Robeson; Con Steffanson; Josephine Kains; Joseph Silva; William Shatner.
Ron Goulart is a cultural historian and novelist. Besides writing extensively about pulp fiction—including the seminal Cheap Thrills: An Informal History of Pulp Magazines (1972)—Goulart has written for the pulps since 1952, when the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published his first story, a sci-fi parody of letters to the editor. Since then he has written dozens of novels and countless short stories, spanning genres and using a variety of pennames, including Kenneth Robeson, Joseph Silva, and Con Steffanson. In the 1990s, he became the ghostwriter for William Shatner’s popular TekWar novels. Goulart’s After Things Fell Apart (1970) is the only science-fiction novel to ever win an Edgar Award.

In the 1970s Goulart wrote novels starring series characters like Flash Gordon and the Phantom, and in 1980 he published Hail Hibbler, a comic sci-fi novel that began the Odd Jobs, Inc. series. Goulart has also written several comic mystery series, including six books starring Groucho Marx. Having written for comic books, Goulart produced several histories of the art form, including the Comic Book Encyclopedia (2004).

Reviews

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

Film director Eric Olmstead is dead–shot. His estranged widow, actress Dinah Flanders, refuses the verdict of suicide, and persuades her friend, Groucho Marx, to investigate. He and his partner, writer Frank Denby, have had some success as amateur sleuths. But with the LA Police, the FBI, and the head of the studio all trying to persuade them to drop the case, they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

This is pretty much what you'd expect from the cover: a mystery novel set in 1939 Hollywood with Groucho Marx as the detective. It's light, funny, entertaining, and engaging in all the right ways. Yes, it's part of a series. No, you needn't be familiar with prior installments to enjoy this one. I wasn't, and I did. Ron Goulart's Groucho is every bit as quick-witted and charming as the one we know and love from his many movie and television appearances. The book is rather short, but packs in a satisfying amount of incident and suspense within those confines.

Based on this sample, I'd cheerfully read more. While I'm not familiar with the rest of the series, I generally have enjoyed the Ron Goulart books that have crossed my path. I'm pleased to report that this one is no exception. Recommended!

[Wayland Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read most of this series a while back, and then lost track of it. It fit the mold for a challenge slot, and I was happy to get back to it. These books are goofily entertaining, quick reads, and lots of fun.

In 30's Hollywood, Groucho Marx and his script writing pal Frank have gained a reputation as amateur detectives. Now, a director has committed suicide in his mansion, but his widow thinks something isn't right, and appeals to Groucho for help. With plenty of quips and weird little digressions, Groucho and Frank try and unravel a mystery that leads them to Nazi agents, the all-powerful studio system, and a lot more resistance than usual not only from the local police, but the FBI this time.

It's a fun period piece with great humor and a decent mystery. If you like your mystery with a side of bizarre humor, check these out.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read the Groucho Marx Mysteries as detective stories in an historical setting. Certainly, they’re conceived and plotted along those lines, and they work as mysteries. The fifth book in the series, in which Groucho exposes Nazi spies in Hollywood, certainly does. But for me the main attraction of these charming little books is the madcap humor of Groucho Marx (1890-1977), which author Ron Goulart captures perfectly in the dialogue. Marx himself comes across in these pages as the complex man he was: a brilliant comedian with the fastest tongue in the West, a deadly serious observer of the world around him, and, in all likelihood, a profoundly unhappy person whose personal relationships were often deeply flawed.

In Groucho Marx, Secret Agent, the fifth book in the series, Groucho and his sidekick, scriptwriter Frank Denby, become immersed in the effort to root out Nazi spies in Hollywood. The year is 1939, and war had come to Europe with the German invasion of Poland. Hollywood was host to a long list of illustrious German emigrés (Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Mann, Arnold Schoenberg) and among them, and in the German Consulate in Los Angeles, there were believed to be many Gestapo spies. This often hilarious novel spotlights the murder of a Hollywood director who turns out not to be the man people thought he was. It’s all about German espionage in LA’s other major industry — airplane production — and sleuthing by Groucho and his Watson stand-in to expose the spies at work there. If you’re looking for something light to read, you should enjoy this clever little story.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good and fun read but not the pinnacle of the series, though this one has Nazi spies and a Howard Hughes stand in.

[Elise Kind · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, quick read set in 1939 in Hollywood. Spies, murder, Hollywood starlets and the patter and puns of the hilarious Groucho Marx make this a delightful read.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

tiny bit about catalina, funny one liners by groucho

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim. I've long been a fan of the Marx Brothers films, and as a teenager, I often enjoyed the humorous sci-fi novels of Ron Goulart, so I thought that this might be a fun, quick ride.

The book isn't bad, but it's certainly no literary masterpiece. Mostly we have a lot of Groucho-like witticisms and a bare, weak plot involving Nazis (before America is thrown in to the War).

This appears to be the fifth in a series of Groucho mysteries, and other reviews suggest it is the weakest of them. If I happen to be wandering through a library and come across one of the other titles in the series, I may check it out for a quick read.

Not recommended.

[Rozonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and funny, as usual the strong point about this series is Groucho as a character, the mystery in itself is not that interesting. Goulart makes his Groucho speak and react like the real one would have- and he gives us glimpses of the way more serious, complex man under the effrontery and the wit. Nice read, it's my second Groucho mystery and I'll probably read more.

[Joy Jakubaitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Groucho versus evil Nazi spies hiding in Hollywood, and shows the FBI how it's done. :-)