WEBVTT - 9 Wacky Facts about the Marx Brothers

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<v Speaker 1>I guess what Will? What's that mango? So I know

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<v Speaker 1>you're avidly following the Australian Open right now, but it

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<v Speaker 1>reminded me of this great Groucho Marks. Fact. Did you

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<v Speaker 1>know that Groucho Marks's son was an acclaimed tennis player? No?

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't. Yeah, he was ranked in the US and

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<v Speaker 1>it took a young Bobby Riggs five sets to beat him. Wow.

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<v Speaker 1>You might know Riggs from winning Wilbledon at one or

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<v Speaker 1>more famously for challenging and losing to Billy Jean King

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<v Speaker 1>in the Battle of the Sexes you know, many years later,

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<v Speaker 1>of course. Yeah, but Groucher's son was actually the real deal.

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<v Speaker 1>That is crazy. I did not know that. And uh,

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<v Speaker 1>tennis wasn't his only skill. He later wrote screenplays for

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<v Speaker 1>Bob Hope and penn scripts for sitcoms like On the Family, Maud,

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<v Speaker 1>The Jefferson's. And that's just first of nine facts about

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<v Speaker 1>the Marx Brothers. Let's dive in a their podcast. Listeners,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as

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<v Speaker 1>always I'm joined by my good friend Mangesha Ticketer and

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<v Speaker 1>on the other side of the soundproof glass, sipping from

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<v Speaker 1>a big bowl of duck soup. That's our friend and

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<v Speaker 1>producer Tristan McNeil. Now, usually we'd have our researcher Gabe

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<v Speaker 1>Louisier on the line as well, but things have been

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<v Speaker 1>a little different this week. There's been yet another snowstorm

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<v Speaker 1>in Atlanta. Now I'm in New York this week, so

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<v Speaker 1>I'm I'm actually not dealing with a snowstorm, Howard things

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<v Speaker 1>in Atlanta. I go. You and Tristan, I think are

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<v Speaker 1>the only ones in the office now right, I know

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<v Speaker 1>it's a totally empty except for us. In these nine facts. Wow,

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<v Speaker 1>real troopers. Okay, well, I'm guessing that you can do

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<v Speaker 1>better than a fact about Groucho Marx's tennis playing son.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, that was awesome. But do you want to

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<v Speaker 1>take a take the next one as well? Yeah, definitely.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm gonna stick with the sports theme here. And

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<v Speaker 1>here's one about Harpo. Did you know he was in

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<v Speaker 1>the Croquet Hall of Fame? I didn't. So this is

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<v Speaker 1>the description from the U. S Croquet Association on his game,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's pretty great. So quote usually clad only in

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<v Speaker 1>the briefest of trunks, even when others were in flannels,

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<v Speaker 1>Harpo would just bound around the court, laughing and stretching

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<v Speaker 1>mouthful of an entire pack of gum. But apparently he

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<v Speaker 1>was really serious about it, Like he used to store

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<v Speaker 1>his croquet tools and just like cold room in his house,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was especially built just to keep the humidity

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<v Speaker 1>out so it didn't warp his mallets. That's so strange,

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<v Speaker 1>all right. Well, speaking of Harpo and strangeness, that did

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<v Speaker 1>you know that he used to practice the harp for

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<v Speaker 1>two to three hours every day and he would do

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<v Speaker 1>this in every room in the house. In fact, according

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<v Speaker 1>to Harpo's son Bill, his dad quote maybe the first

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<v Speaker 1>multitasker ever. He even had a harp in the bathroom

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<v Speaker 1>so he could play when he sat on the toilet.

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<v Speaker 1>I love the idea of a toilet harp. So I

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<v Speaker 1>know we've talked about T. S. Eliott's friendship with Graucho

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<v Speaker 1>Marks in the past, but here's what I'd never heard before.

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<v Speaker 1>So Alice Cooper and Groucho Marks were actually really good friends.

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<v Speaker 1>And apparently they started their friendship when Groucho told Alice

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<v Speaker 1>Cooper at a party that his onstage theatrics were total vaudeville,

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<v Speaker 1>and Alice Cooper agreed, and their friendships really interesting. So

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<v Speaker 1>Grocho Marks was this total insomniac and late in the

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<v Speaker 1>night he'd call Alice over and they drink Budweiser, smoked

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<v Speaker 1>cigars and watch all movies late into the nine until

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<v Speaker 1>Groucho passed out. And also Groucho used to take his

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<v Speaker 1>friends to Alice Cooper shows, So this is totally true.

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<v Speaker 1>George Burns and Fred Astaire have seen Alice Cooper and concert.

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<v Speaker 1>That's pretty crazy. Yeah, But but the friendship wasn't just

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<v Speaker 1>one way. When Alice Cooper paid to restore one of

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<v Speaker 1>the o's in the old Hollywood sign, he dedicated it

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<v Speaker 1>to Groucho Marks. Actually, you know, there's another friendship that

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't realize. So Groucho was good pals with Elton John.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, he used to kid him that his name

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<v Speaker 1>was reversed, that it should be John Elton and I

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<v Speaker 1>happen to agree with him on this one. But one

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<v Speaker 1>night he ribbed him so much that John finally threw

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<v Speaker 1>his hands up in exasperation and joke, don't shoot me,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm only the piano player, which of course became the

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<v Speaker 1>name for his next album, That's Funny. So here's one

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<v Speaker 1>about Zeppe Marks, A K. Herbert, who was actually an

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<v Speaker 1>incredible inventor. So after leaving show business, he invented a

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<v Speaker 1>wristwatch that could sense heart attacks, which he did by

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<v Speaker 1>monitoring your pulse, and he had a number of other

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<v Speaker 1>inventions too. He developed a new type of heating pad.

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<v Speaker 1>He even started a company that made clamps for the

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<v Speaker 1>war effort, and supposedly it was his company's clamps that

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<v Speaker 1>secured the fat Men and Little Boy bombs in place. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're ever wondering about the power of comedy, Groucho

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<v Speaker 1>Marks once halted trading at the New York Stock Exchange.

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<v Speaker 1>Apparently he spied the mic on stage and couldn't help himself.

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<v Speaker 1>He started performing songs and telling jokes and went on

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<v Speaker 1>for something like fifteen minutes as the traders just stopped

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<v Speaker 1>and watched him. It only stopped when he joked that

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<v Speaker 1>they were all dallying too much and that they should

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<v Speaker 1>start working before they ruined some important person's finances. M So,

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<v Speaker 1>I know this isn't about one of the Marx brothers,

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<v Speaker 1>but it is about a Marx, Karl Marx, and I

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<v Speaker 1>had to include it because it was so stupid. Did

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<v Speaker 1>you know that Karl Marx named all four of his

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<v Speaker 1>daughters Jenny. They had they had different middle names, but

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<v Speaker 1>he doled out the first names equally. There's Jenny, Caroline, Jenny, Laura, Jenny,

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<v Speaker 1>Evelyn Francis, and Jenny Julia Eleanor and they all got

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<v Speaker 1>to be Jenny Marx's. Wow. All right, Well, here's what

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<v Speaker 1>I know you're going to love. Did you know that

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<v Speaker 1>there was a Marx Brothers movie that almost got made

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<v Speaker 1>in the nineteen sixties, and it was going to be

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<v Speaker 1>about the Marx brothers visiting the United Nations. Apparently Billy Wilder,

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<v Speaker 1>who made all these great comedies, who was staying at

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<v Speaker 1>the u N during some political craziness and thought all

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<v Speaker 1>the chaos would make for a great setting. He dreamed

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<v Speaker 1>of this movie about Groucho as a mob boss trying

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<v Speaker 1>to rob Tiffany's while all the city's cops were protecting

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<v Speaker 1>a delegation at the u N. And even though the

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<v Speaker 1>Marx Brothers hadn't made a movie since the nineteen forties,

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<v Speaker 1>they were all on board. It is until health problems

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<v Speaker 1>slowed them down and kept them from actually filming the movie.

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<v Speaker 1>That's really interesting and actually, while I'd love to see

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<v Speaker 1>that movie. I think that's a great fact I'm worth

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<v Speaker 1>keeping around, So I think you get the trophy for

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<v Speaker 1>this week. All right, Well, thank you and thank you

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<v Speaker 1>guys for listening. We'll be back with a full length

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<v Speaker 1>episode tomorrow y