名人轶事32:The Marx Brothers

Broadcast: January 9, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.

Today we tell about the Marx Brothers. They made many funny movies in the

nineteen-thirties and nineteen-forties that are still popular today.

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VOICE ONE:

There were five Marx Brothers. The most famous were Julius, Leonard and

Adolph. They were born in New York City between eighteen eighty-six and

eighteen-ninety. Their father made clothing. Their mother wanted them to

become performers. Julius, Leonard and Adolph started performing when they

were children. Along with their two brothers, they performed in stage shows

called vaudeville in New York. They sang songs, danced and told jokes.

Julius, Leonard and Adolph Marx began making funny movies in nineteen twenty

-nine. They changed their first names. Julius became Groucho. Leonard became

Chico. Adolph became Harpo. Another brother, Herbert, appeared in the first

five Marx Brothers movies. He was called Zeppo. He did not play a funny man

like the other three. He played a good-looking young man.

VOICE TWO:

Groucho Marx looked funny. He had large black eyebrows and a hairy mustache.

But they were painted on his face. He spoke very quickly. And he walked in a

funny way. He played people with funny names, like Rufus T. Firefly. Otis B.

Driftwood. And Doctor Hugo Z. Hackenbush.

Groucho was not a very nice person in the movies. He often insulted or made

fun of rich or important people. He made fun of doctors, college officials,

opera singers, diplomats and government officials. He even insulted his son,

played in this example by Zeppo.

(SOUND)

((ZEPPO: Dad, let me congratulate you. I’m proud to be your son.

GROUCHO: My boy, you took the words right out of my mouth. I’m ashamed to be

your father. I’d have horsewhipped you if I had a horse. You may go now.

Leave your name and address for the girl outside and if anything turns up, we

’ll get in touch with you. Where are you going?

ZEPPO: Well, you just told me to go.

GROUCHO: So that’s what they taught you in college. Just when I tell you to

go, you leave me. You know you can’t leave a schoolroom without raising your

hand, no matter where you’re going.

ZEPPO: Anything further, father?

GROUCHO: Anything further, father? That can’t be right. Isn’t it “anything

father, further”? The idea! I married your mother because I wanted children.

Imagine my disappointment when you arrived!))

VOICE ONE:

Chico Marx talked as if he was born in Italy. He spoke English that was not

correct. Many other funny men spoke as though they came from other countries.

They were making fun of themselves and other immigrants who did not speak

English well. Chico also made funny jokes about words and expressions that

sound alike but have different meanings. For example, in one movie a woman

sings with a very high falsetto voice. She says “I have a falsetto voice.”

Chico then says, “Well, my last student had a false set of teeth.”

Chico also was known for performing what was called the comedy of the absurd.

He talked about things that were so untrue or unreasonable that they were

funny. Here is an example. Chico is supposed to spy on someone called Rufus

T. Firefly. Chico reports his progress to the man who asked him to spy on

Firefly. To “shadow” someone is to secretly follow that person.

(SOUND)

((CHICO: Well, you remember you gave us a picture of this man and said follow

him?

MAN: Oh, yes.

CHICO: Well, we get on the job right away. And in one hour, even less than

one hour, we lose the fix. That’s pretty good work, eh?

MAN: I want a full, detailed report of your investigation.

CHICO: All right. I tell you. Monday we watch Firefly’s house. But he no

come out. He wasn’t home. Tuesday we go to the ballgame, but he fool us. He

no show up. Wednesday, he go to the ballgame, but we fool him. We no show up.

Thursday was a double-header, nobody show up. Friday it rained all day. There

was no ballgame. So we stayed home. We listened to it over the radio.

MAN: Then you didn’t shadow Firefly!

CHICO: Oh, sure, we shadow Firefly. We shadow him all day.

MAN: What day was that?

CHICO: It was Shadowday (Saturday)! That’s some joke, eh, Boss!))

Chico also played the piano in a funny way. Chico did to music what he did to

the English language. He made fun of it.

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