When Groucho and Chico had a national radio show in the mid-1930s, Harpo was paid every week "not to talk" on it. Voice experts have studied the scene to try to discern if Harpo is, indeed, singing, but no one has proved conclusively whether or not he was. At the beginning of the film, the four Marx Brothers are hiding in barrels on a ship singing "Sweet Adeline." Many fans swear Harpo is singing his quarter of the four-part harmony of this song.
#MARX BROTHERS T SHIRT MOVIE#
But a controversy does exist among Marx Brothers fans about the 1931 movie Monkey Business. Harpo never technically speaks in any of the legendary Marx Brothers films. Harpo plays a boob, and has one line: "You sure you can't move?" Interestingly, Harpo does "speak" in a silent movie in which he made a brief appearance in 1925 called Too Many Kisses. Harpo, being a New Yorker, pronounced "turkey" as "toikey," "hamburger" as "hamboiger," and "girls" as "goils." This may have been another reason for Harpo adopting his "mute" character -his deep New York-accented voice was too great a contrast with Harpo's sweet, innocent stage character. Harpo's voice, in real life, was actually very rich and full, much like his older brother Chico's. When Harpo complained to Uncle Al, he was dismissed, and said, "Well, maybe I won't talk at all!" It was meant as a threat, but Uncle Al liked the idea. Groucho said Harpo sang "if you call growling singing."Īt one Vaudeville gig, Harpo's singing was so bad, the theater owner offered to pay him $5 for "not singing" in the act! He continued to speak in the Marx Brothers' act as it slowly developed into a comedy act, with much less emphasis on songs and singing.Īround 1907 or 1908, after one performance, a local reviewer wrote an article to the effect of: "The Marx Brother who plays the dumb guy is great, but the effect is lost when he speaks."Īround this time, Harpo's uncle wrote a new sketch for the brothers, but he only wrote three lines for Harpo in it. Harpo started out in Vaudeville with his brothers, in a singing act called The Four Nightingales. Groucho said one of the questions he was asked most often was, "Could Harpo talk?" He got his famous nickname in a casual poker game in 1914 -it was given to him because (of course) he played the harp.īecause Harpo never spoke in his films, many people, to this day, believe he was actually mute. Was there ever a stranger, more unique, or more lovable movie star than Harpo Marx? Adolph Arthur Marx (later Harpo) was born in New York City in 1888. Hackenbush, Faker Englund, Chicolini, and The Merchant of Weiners with this great vintage Marx Brothers transfer exclusively from Strange Cargo.Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Immortalize the Marx Brothers and their classic characters such as Otis B. Get this great vintage transfer with Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx on your favorite tee shirt or hoodie, exclusively from the Windy City's finest custom tee shirt shop, Strange Cargo. Straight out of vaudeville, Groucho, Harpo, and Chico brought the laughter to the American talkie with great films like "Duck Soup," "Animal Crackers," "At the Circus," "A Night at the Opera," and "A Day At The Races." This trio has remained so influential that they inspired the great comedic trio of Wacko, Yakko, and Dot on "Animaniacs." They even inspired the greatest rock band of all, Queen, to name two of their greatest albums after two of their most famous films, "A Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races." Whether you love "Animal Crackers" or still want to debate the existence of Sainty Claus, your adoration and appreciation of the Marx Brothers is unquestionable. Alongside greats like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers helped shape the great American comedy.