WEBVTT - A Place at Groucho’s Table

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<v Speaker 1>This is our American Stories, and we've already brought you

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<v Speaker 1>the story of how UCLA undergraduate Steve Stolier saved a

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<v Speaker 1>Marx Brothers movie from extinction. But here's the story of

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<v Speaker 1>how Steve called up Aaron Fleming, Groucho's manager, and landed

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<v Speaker 1>the job of his dreams. In the summer of seventy four,

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<v Speaker 1>I had two or three summer jobs fall through, for

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<v Speaker 1>which I remain eternally grateful, and my dad was pressuring me,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't want you sitting around on your fanny all

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<v Speaker 1>summer long. I want you to find some jobs. They

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<v Speaker 1>may need a bus boy at this restaurant, or you

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<v Speaker 1>could go get interviewed at Taco Bell. And I thought,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't want to do any of that, but he's

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<v Speaker 1>never gonna let up on me. So I called Aaron Fleming,

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<v Speaker 1>figuring I had nothing to lose, and I said, is

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<v Speaker 1>there anything at all that you think maybe I could

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<v Speaker 1>sort of help with? And she said, well, actually, it's

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<v Speaker 1>funny you called because I used to be Grouchow's secretary,

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<v Speaker 1>but now i'm his manager and we need someone to

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<v Speaker 1>handle all of the fan mail that's been coming in,

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<v Speaker 1>and also to organize all of his memorabilia, which is

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<v Speaker 1>going to be donated to the Smithsonian after he's gone,

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<v Speaker 1>and we need someone who really knows their March brothers.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm thinking, please, please please please please please please

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<v Speaker 1>with you, And in my mind's eye, I have this

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<v Speaker 1>sort of textaver cartoon image of me zipping out of

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<v Speaker 1>the house and instantly appearing on the doorstep of Groucho's

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<v Speaker 1>house while Aaron is still on the phone explaining the

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<v Speaker 1>job to me. It wasn't quite like that, but that's

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<v Speaker 1>how it felt. And I thought that I would be

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<v Speaker 1>working maybe in an office building, maybe twice a month

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<v Speaker 1>he'd come by to sign checks or something. She said, Oh, no,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll have your own room to work in at Graucho's

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<v Speaker 1>house and you can make your own hours. And I thought, there,

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<v Speaker 1>and they're gonna pay me to do this. And so

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<v Speaker 1>I drove to Groucho's house in Beverly Hills, and I

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<v Speaker 1>was so nervous, but it worked out, and sure enough,

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<v Speaker 1>there was a room that had been a painting studio

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<v Speaker 1>that his last wife, whom he had divorced in sixty nine,

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<v Speaker 1>had used, and that came my office, and Groucho would

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<v Speaker 1>often shuffle down the hall to or from his room

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<v Speaker 1>or the living room or dining room, and we would chat.

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<v Speaker 1>And it was a very egalitarian household. I was to

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<v Speaker 1>sit at the lunch table when Groucher would have lunch.

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<v Speaker 1>There wasn't a sense that the help ate in the

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<v Speaker 1>kitchen or anything that haughty, and so I would be

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<v Speaker 1>lucky enough to be there when George Burns would come over,

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<v Speaker 1>or Steve Allen would come over, or some of his

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<v Speaker 1>former writers, or if it was just in quotes, Groucho

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe a nurse, or Groucho and Aaron, it would

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<v Speaker 1>just be us, and I could ask him all these

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<v Speaker 1>questions that I'd had that I thought if I could

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<v Speaker 1>ever meet him, I'd want to know this. And he

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<v Speaker 1>appreciated the fact that I cared about and knew about

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<v Speaker 1>all of the things that he had experienced instant that

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<v Speaker 1>he cared about, and that we had similar you know,

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<v Speaker 1>we both liked Tin pan Alley and George Gershwin and

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<v Speaker 1>Irving Berlin and the humorists of the Algonquin round Table.

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<v Speaker 1>One time he called me into his room and gave

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<v Speaker 1>me a twenty dollar bill, and he said, go down

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<v Speaker 1>to the record store and get me some records, you

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<v Speaker 1>know what I like. And it meant so much to

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<v Speaker 1>me that he had assumed that I would know what

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<v Speaker 1>to get instead of having to explain it. But I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>those days at the lunch table were so rich, and

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<v Speaker 1>I came to appreciate him on three different levels. First

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<v Speaker 1>of all, he was Groucho Marx, the guy in the

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<v Speaker 1>grease paint mustache, swirling around on screen insulting Margaret Dumont

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<v Speaker 1>and in Duck Soup and Night at the Opera. And

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<v Speaker 1>second he was someone who personally knew people that to

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<v Speaker 1>me didn't exist in three dimensions and in color, people

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<v Speaker 1>like well, like George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, James Thurber

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<v Speaker 1>he was friends with WC. Fields. The idea that he

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<v Speaker 1>knew these people personally, you know, and I would get

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<v Speaker 1>insight into what they were like from him firsthand, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>not something he'd read or heard about, but he was there.

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<v Speaker 1>And then on the third level, he was a man

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<v Speaker 1>from eighteen ninety. He was a nineteenth century human being,

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<v Speaker 1>literally a Victorian, since she was on the throne when

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<v Speaker 1>he was born, although he was born in New York

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<v Speaker 1>and not in England, and his firsthand memories went from

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<v Speaker 1>before the Right Brothers to after the moon landing, which

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<v Speaker 1>is a staggering chunk of American history, world history. I

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<v Speaker 1>asked him once, what's the earliest you remember? And he

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<v Speaker 1>thought him moment, and he said, I guess probably the

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<v Speaker 1>Spanish American War, which was eighteen ninety eight. And he

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<v Speaker 1>and his brothers had initially started out as a singing

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<v Speaker 1>act in vaudeville in the early nineteen hundreds, before they

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<v Speaker 1>started adding comedy. They would sing harmony popular songs, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know, they did okay at that. But Groucho's career

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<v Speaker 1>went back so far that he actually was one of

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<v Speaker 1>the performers at a special charity benefit performance at the

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<v Speaker 1>Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Enrico Caruso was also

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<v Speaker 1>on the bill that night, and the money was to

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<v Speaker 1>go to the aid of victims of the San Francisco

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<v Speaker 1>earthquake of nineteen oh six. For a history buff like me,

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<v Speaker 1>and as I say, I had been a history major.

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<v Speaker 1>Although I shift did to motion picture television after I

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<v Speaker 1>had been working at Grouchos a while, because it was

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<v Speaker 1>just impossible to ignore how strongly I was drawn to

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<v Speaker 1>that world. You know, he would have health problems now

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<v Speaker 1>and again he'd have a small stroke or something like that,

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<v Speaker 1>and I would think, oh, jeez, this is it. This

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<v Speaker 1>is I think about three weeks into my working there,

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<v Speaker 1>he had a slight stroke and I thought it was

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<v Speaker 1>great while it lasted, but now the coach is going

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<v Speaker 1>to turn back into a pumpkin. And you know that

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<v Speaker 1>that morning that I showed up that he'd had a

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<v Speaker 1>stroke and the housekeeper said, please keep your voice down,

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<v Speaker 1>mister Marx has had a stroke. But the nurse asked

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<v Speaker 1>that you go back to his room because she needs

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<v Speaker 1>some help. And I expected him to be, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>lying on the floor, unable to speak, unable to move,

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<v Speaker 1>and instead he was sitting in bed, propped up in

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<v Speaker 1>his pajamas and mucklucks, reading the La Times. And he said,

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<v Speaker 1>is the ambulance here? Yeah? I said, noah, it figures

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<v Speaker 1>and goes back to his reading and I thought, gee,

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<v Speaker 1>he's really taking this in stride. He's not banging at

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<v Speaker 1>death's door. He's reading the La Times. And it was

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<v Speaker 1>just that the nurse needed help getting him in to

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<v Speaker 1>take a leak in the bathroom because his balance was

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<v Speaker 1>off from that stroke. So I, you know, I was

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<v Speaker 1>happy to help out and he bounced back from that

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<v Speaker 1>and from a lot of other health setbacks, even though

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<v Speaker 1>he was in his mid eighties by then. And you're

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<v Speaker 1>listening to Steve Stoller's story, and in the end, Groucho

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<v Speaker 1>Marks's story too, And what a lucky guy, indeed, that

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<v Speaker 1>those summer jobs fell through. There's what an opportunity, an

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<v Speaker 1>opportunity of a lifetime in Groucho's house, no less his hero,

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<v Speaker 1>so many Americans heroes. By the way, he was a

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<v Speaker 1>child of the Victorian Age, and his comedy was rebuttal

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<v Speaker 1>to the Victorian age. It's properness. And boy, graut Show

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<v Speaker 1>was a revolutionary in his day. He really stretched the

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<v Speaker 1>boundaries of what comedians were allowed to do and not do.

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<v Speaker 1>And my goodness, what we learned listening to this is

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<v Speaker 1>that even people like Groutshow want to be appreciated, right,

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<v Speaker 1>the legends appreciate appreciation, and we can never forget that.

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<v Speaker 1>When we come back more of this remarkable story here

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<v Speaker 1>on our American Stories, And we're back with our American stories,

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<v Speaker 1>and the story of Steve Stoler, a college student who

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<v Speaker 1>saved a long lost Marks Brothers movie and then landed

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<v Speaker 1>the job of his dreams working as Grout show Marks,

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<v Speaker 1>his personal assistant and archivist. Let's return to Steve and

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<v Speaker 1>his story, and it just became this remarkably rich experience

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<v Speaker 1>for me that ended up lasting not three weeks as

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<v Speaker 1>I had thought that morning, but three years, the last

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<v Speaker 1>three years of Groucho's life. And so I was able

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<v Speaker 1>to get to know and you know, talk with and

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<v Speaker 1>with Groucho, my hero. I also got to meet Zeppo

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<v Speaker 1>the night that he came up there for dinner from

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<v Speaker 1>Palm Springs. I had brought the young lady I was dating,

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<v Speaker 1>a nineteen year old blonde who was very bright and

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<v Speaker 1>very personable and very attractive, and he really took a

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<v Speaker 1>liking to her. He sort of picked up where Chico

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<v Speaker 1>left off in terms of having an eye for the ladies.

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<v Speaker 1>And he had recently lost his last wife to Frank Sinatra,

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<v Speaker 1>who dumped him and went for Sinatra, and that was

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<v Speaker 1>Barbara Marx Sinatra. So he was back to being a bachelor.

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<v Speaker 1>And he said, he said, you know, Steve, you and

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<v Speaker 1>Linda should visit me in Palm Spring sometime. And I said, well,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. I was there when I was about nine,

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<v Speaker 1>and just it was sweltering and he said, well, when

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<v Speaker 1>were you there in the summer? And I said yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and he said, well, you know, Steve, it's also cold

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<v Speaker 1>in Alaska in the winter. It was true that Zeppo

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<v Speaker 1>did have a great sense of humor that really didn't

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<v Speaker 1>get a chance to shine on screen. I had heard

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<v Speaker 1>that he could be very funny and had, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>a charm and charisma, and people are always skeptical of

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<v Speaker 1>that because he was sort of wooden and didn't have

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<v Speaker 1>the lion's share of funny stuff to do. In the

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<v Speaker 1>few movies he was in, he was happy as a

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<v Speaker 1>performer and once he once he left the act after

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<v Speaker 1>Duck Soup in nineteen thirty three. He became a very

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<v Speaker 1>successful agent, handling such obscure has beens as Clark Gable

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<v Speaker 1>and Carol Lombard and Barbara Stanwick and Robert Taylor and

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<v Speaker 1>Lucille Ball and Landa Turner. So he did really well

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<v Speaker 1>and never looked back. But anyway, a few months later

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<v Speaker 1>Linda and I broke up. I had a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>photos that I wanted Zeppo to sign, so I mailed

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<v Speaker 1>them to his address in Palm Springs, and in my

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<v Speaker 1>cover letter, I said, by the way, Linda and I

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<v Speaker 1>broke up. So I know you've been around the block

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<v Speaker 1>a few times. If you have any advice for the

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<v Speaker 1>love lorn And a few days later, my phone rings

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<v Speaker 1>save a Zeppo Maks. I hope I'm not inconveniencing. No, no,

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<v Speaker 1>how I got the photos you sent. God I was

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<v Speaker 1>good looking back then. But listen, I have a question

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<v Speaker 1>for you. And I don't want to step on your toes.

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<v Speaker 1>You understand that because the last thing in the world

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<v Speaker 1>I'd want to do would be something to upset you. Oh, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>do you think that Linda would go out with me?

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<v Speaker 1>And I thought, what I mean? She was nineteen, I

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<v Speaker 1>was twenty, and he was seventy four, but a young

0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:39.520
<v Speaker 1>seventy four, but seventy four, And I said, I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean she she enjoyed. You know, she got a

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<v Speaker 1>kick out because it really tell me, honestly, Steve, if

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<v Speaker 1>this is at all uncomfortable for no, no, no, no no,

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<v Speaker 1>I said, so let me let me ask her, and okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I would appreciate it. And again if it's any no, no,

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<v Speaker 1>no no no. So I saw her at Cool and

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<v Speaker 1>I asked her about it and she laughed. Also finding

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<v Speaker 1>it strange and funny, but thought, you know, what the heck,

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<v Speaker 1>I want to have the experience of going on a

0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:18.079
<v Speaker 1>date with Zeppo Marx. So they went out once. He

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<v Speaker 1>took her to dinner in San Diego and then drove

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<v Speaker 1>to Tijuana and attended a high A lie game at

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<v Speaker 1>a stadium, and then took her home. And I talked

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<v Speaker 1>to him afterwards, and he said, Steve, I want to

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<v Speaker 1>tell you I never even kissed a good night. You

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<v Speaker 1>should know that she's very nice, but all she did

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<v Speaker 1>was talk about herself. And then I saw her on

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<v Speaker 1>campus and she said, you know, Zeppa was really nice,

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<v Speaker 1>but all he did was talk about himself. And I thought,

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<v Speaker 1>that's a really interesting symmetry there. And then at parties

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<v Speaker 1>at Groucho's, whenever Zeppa would be there, he would make

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<v Speaker 1>a point of introducing to someone and say, this is Steve.

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<v Speaker 1>He's a nice young man. He and I dated the

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<v Speaker 1>same girl, but he got further with it than I did.

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<v Speaker 1>That was like my official introduction. So anyway, I have

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<v Speaker 1>the distinction of being able to say that Zeppo Marx

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<v Speaker 1>and I dated the same girl. I also got to

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<v Speaker 1>meet the other living Marx brother, Gummo who. To those

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<v Speaker 1>who aren't that familiar with the Marx brothers, it's even

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<v Speaker 1>more obscure because Gummo was the straight man before Zeppo

0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:41.080
<v Speaker 1>on the stage, and then he was drafted during World

0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:44.240
<v Speaker 1>War One and left the act. So at the time,

0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:48.280
<v Speaker 1>seventeen year old Zeppo took his place, and Gummo also

0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:52.040
<v Speaker 1>became an agent and did very He became Groucho's agent, actually,

0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.200
<v Speaker 1>and did very well. He was never that much interested

0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:58.520
<v Speaker 1>in performing. So I got to meet three out of

0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:02.040
<v Speaker 1>five of the March brothers, which is, you know, approximately

0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:05.160
<v Speaker 1>three more March brothers than most people ever got a

0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:09.320
<v Speaker 1>chance to me. Harpo and Chico had died in the

0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:12.920
<v Speaker 1>early sixties, unfortunately, so I was never able to meet them.

0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:18.760
<v Speaker 1>But when I would watch Groucho and Zeppo and Gummo

0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:23.680
<v Speaker 1>talking amongst themselves, which was great, I thought, what must

0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:26.920
<v Speaker 1>it have been like with all five brothers in their

0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:31.280
<v Speaker 1>youth sitting around the table. It must have been hysterical.

0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:37.960
<v Speaker 1>Groucho had a cook named Robin, who was tall and

0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:42.680
<v Speaker 1>thin and blond and young. When Zeppo and Gummo had

0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:45.160
<v Speaker 1>come up for dinner and I was there for that dinner,

0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:50.440
<v Speaker 1>Zeppo said Robin said she'd marry me, but I don't know.

0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:54.280
<v Speaker 1>I think she's too tall for me. Groucho said, well,

0:16:54.280 --> 0:16:57.520
<v Speaker 1>what part of it do you want? And Zeppo said,

0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:01.080
<v Speaker 1>I'll take as high up as I can read, and

0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:06.400
<v Speaker 1>Gummo said, what do you want with their feet? So

0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:10.600
<v Speaker 1>there's a Gummo anecdote, which is extremely rare, but evidence

0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:15.240
<v Speaker 1>of the kind of goofy humor they had amongst themselves,

0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:18.399
<v Speaker 1>that quickness. It was just it was all still there

0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:25.200
<v Speaker 1>under various layers of rust. I was very fortunate because

0:17:25.240 --> 0:17:31.200
<v Speaker 1>of my Groucho association, I became friends with Dick Cavot.

0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:35.359
<v Speaker 1>That was another case where because of my insecurities, I

0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:40.080
<v Speaker 1>thought when Groucho was gone, my link to Dick Cavot

0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:46.600
<v Speaker 1>would be over. But instead he called me from New

0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:50.040
<v Speaker 1>York the week Groucho died and he said, listen, I

0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:54.080
<v Speaker 1>hope just because Groucho's gone, we're not going to lose touch.

0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:57.080
<v Speaker 1>And by the way, I hope you don't mind, but

0:17:57.119 --> 0:18:00.359
<v Speaker 1>I've shown some of your letters to Woody and he

0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:03.800
<v Speaker 1>says they're very well written. And I sort of had

0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:07.040
<v Speaker 1>to empty the urine out of my shoes that Cabot

0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:10.840
<v Speaker 1>was calling me to say hey, don't drop me as

0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:14.080
<v Speaker 1>a friend, and saying I hope you don't mind, but

0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:17.760
<v Speaker 1>Woody Allen thinks your letters are well written. So that

0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:22.320
<v Speaker 1>was something. And in fact I did end up moving

0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:25.760
<v Speaker 1>to New York in nineteen eighty two and spending a

0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:29.520
<v Speaker 1>few years there writing for Dick Cabot at HBO, and

0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:34.320
<v Speaker 1>had many remarkable adventures in Manhattan, including getting to meet

0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:38.200
<v Speaker 1>Woody Allen and Katherine Hepburn and lots of other stuff

0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:45.560
<v Speaker 1>before I returned to LA to take another job. And

0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.439
<v Speaker 1>it was so great when I was working at Groucho's

0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:51.760
<v Speaker 1>to be able to comfortably meet these people and converse,

0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:56.160
<v Speaker 1>because I think they figured since I was inside the house,

0:18:56.359 --> 0:19:01.000
<v Speaker 1>I must be okay, whether I'm Groucho's grandson or something

0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:03.960
<v Speaker 1>like that. If I'm sitting at Groucho's lunch table, it

0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:07.600
<v Speaker 1>must be okay. So there wasn't any nobody, There were

0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:10.840
<v Speaker 1>no star trips. There. There was people that were very

0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:15.080
<v Speaker 1>down to earth, and I tended to find that the

0:19:15.200 --> 0:19:20.199
<v Speaker 1>old people who were legends were much more down to

0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:22.640
<v Speaker 1>earth and personable than some of the people who had

0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:27.480
<v Speaker 1>recently become famous. Aaron Fleming tended to have younger friends

0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:32.600
<v Speaker 1>Elliott Gould and George Siegel and Bud Court and Sally

0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:39.639
<v Speaker 1>Kellerman and streisand to a lesser degree, and I found

0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:45.720
<v Speaker 1>myself instantly drawn to Groucho's old gang. I felt much

0:19:45.880 --> 0:19:48.480
<v Speaker 1>more that I belonged there, even though I was nineteen

0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:51.359
<v Speaker 1>and they were in their seventies and eighties. Then I

0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:57.080
<v Speaker 1>did towards Aaron's sort of quirky group of nouveaux stars,

0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:05.400
<v Speaker 1>and especial thanks to Robbie for superb production and great storytelling,

0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:09.440
<v Speaker 1>and especial thanks to Steve Stolier as well. Steve Stolier's

0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:13.480
<v Speaker 1>story rout Joe Marks's story here on our American Stories