Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx

An amazing account of an amazing man and his career. The first sections, in which Groucho steps from boy soprano singer to hilarious vaudeville acts that carry him and his brothers to Broadway and cinema stardom, are particularly well written. Kanfer elegantly descibes the marxistic method of success, based on tradition, originality, audience feed-back and perfection.Like most GM biographers, Kanfer uses many of the well-known gags from shows and films. One important gag is missing, though. In the Carnegie Hall performance in 1971 - which Kanfer uses as the starting point for his story - Groucho at age 79 appears in a solo act, going on for hours with escalating intensity, funnier than ever. I remember I neclected school for listening to the recording of 'An Evening with Groucho' until my sister stole the double LPs. At the end of the three-hour show, during storms of applauses, you can barely hear a tiny female voice asking Groucho:'Wanna do some more?' 'What?' 'Wanna do more stuff?' 'Some more what? I haven't started yet.'

I learned of Stanley Kanfer biography through Dick Cavett's review in the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Cavett was Mr. Marx's friend during his later years. His familiarity with Mr. Kanfer's subject only adds credibility to his praise. I was not disappointed. Simply stated, Kanfer's biography of Groucho Marx is superb. His book is one of the best biographies I've every read. It's extraordinarily precise, entertaining, readable and educational. His insights into Marx's personality are splendidly lucid and forthright. He holds no punches, much as he greatly admires Mr. Marx. I found his analyses of the entertainer's personality quick, frank and admirably honest.There are few faults this reader can report. It's clearly obvious that Mr. Kanfer leaned heavily on previous sources, but their precise origins remain unidentified. I wish the author had included more photographs, but I'm grateful for those chosen. There are, without doubt, other ways to see them. Marx's early life receives rather less attention than his late years, but I believe that's a consequence of the available information. Still, this reader remains unsure that Marx's mother Minnie can be blamed almost entirely for his phobias, neuroses and family antagonisms. Mr. Kanfer shares his understanding of the entertainment industry willingly with his readers without vanity or hubris. His remarkably deep knowledge base, obvious background friendships and Hollywood contacts no doubt assisted his writing. The reader gravitates to these points rather than being dragged or battered by them. In fact, I only questioned how the author included so many intimate details of Marx's life without being physically present, yet I never questioned if they were imagined.The book's last section on the battle over Mr. Marx's fortune is reviewed in great detail. Fifty-five pages are devoted to Erin Fleming's influence and legal squabbles. They read rather like the script of a soap opera and are somewhat less satisfying than the prior 383 pages. That being stated, these incidents were still greatly important in Mr. Marx's life, death and legacy. His survivors and Ms. Fleming were left devoid of parts of their sanity and significant financial resources following this protracted battle. This reader was left saddened by the section, yet Mr. Kanfer never shirks from this sordid part of Marx's history.In summary, there is much to praise and little to criticize. Julius (Groucho) Marx receives splendidly honest treatment and analysis as one of America's great comedians. His wit, intelligence, timing, work and devotion to his craft made him incomparable. And thanks to Mr. Kanfer, now I know where to find his star in the galaxy.

Having read a number of other books on the Marx Brothers, I thought I knew most everything worth knowing. But this one really opened my eyes. The true genuis behind the boys was not, as is generally thought, their hard-driving stage mother Minnie, but their uncle Al Shean, a major vaudeville star in his own right. Kanfer tells the story with deftness and ingenuity, with particular emphasis on brothers' highly complex and often far from warm relationships. For all his swagger on screen, the deeply insecure Groucho was subject to deep, debilitating depressions; and his personal demons were but one of the factors that often threatened to tear the act apart. But it is a measure of the author's achievement that he manages to make this complex emotional tale consistently entertaining. Gifted with a sharp and telling wit of his own, as well as a sharp eye for observation, Kanfer offers in addition some real treasures: verbatim transcriptions of some of the Marx Brothers' best material, including some that never appeared on film. All in all, a terrific and memorable read.

For one thing no write could possibly explain what made Groucho Marx so Funny. The printed page cannot show what he could do with a quick leap if his eyebrows, much less with his preposterous body, its upper half canted illogically forward from those scurrying legs. But the other, More imposing force working against Kanfer is the familiar truism: he who is funnist while perfroming is rarely appealing when the camra stops. In Grouch's case, his wit didn't abandon him off the set, but the man Kanfer discovers behind the joker is no fun at all.

Stefan Kanfer's excellent biography of Groucho Marx is long overdue. A fine researcher and perceptive critic, Kanfer examines the sad method behind Groucho's comic madness and provides a detailed portrait of his bittersweet relationship with Harpo and especially Chico. However, "Groucho" is more than a "warts-and-all" biography - placing the anarchic spirit of Marxian humor in its proper historic context. Kanfer chronicles the creative highs and lows of Groucho and his brothers with refreshing clarity. Overall, it is an indispensable work that should be on the bookshelf of any Marx aficionado.