The Marx Brothers was the name of a group of American comedians from the twentieth century, who were actually brothers. Their origins lie in the theater, but they gained most of their fame through their films. Five brothers make up The Marx Brothers, although they never actually performed together as a quintet. They are the five surviving sons of Sam and Minnie Marx: Harpo, Chico, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo. As a quartet, they appeared in the first films, while Gummo had already retired from acting.
Groucho was the first to begin a career on stage, but initially with very little success. His first success came when he performed with his brothers in the musical comedy I'll Say She Is. This was followed by two more Broadway hits: The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers. Film adaptations were eventually made of these last two shows, marking the first films in which the Marx Brothers appeared. The shows of the Marx Brothers became popular at the moment Hollywood was transitioning from silent films to talkies. The brothers signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and thus began their film career.
Their most successful film at that time was Horse Feathers (1932), a satire on the American college system. However, Duck Soup (1933), generally regarded as their best film, had much less success. The audience was not yet ready for a satire on dictators and war. This marked their split with Paramount. Zeppo was also tired of playing the romantic lead and ceased making films. The first five films are considered expressions of their brilliant thinking and working methods in their purest form.
The three remaining brothers moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and altered the formula for their subsequent films. In the rest of their films, comedy would be intertwined with romantic plots and non-comedic musical numbers. In A Night at the Opera (1935), a satire on the opera world, the brothers help two young lovers who are singers. The film was highly successful, followed by another hit: A Day at the Races (1937), where they caused chaos at a racetrack. More films followed until 1941. After the war, the brothers made two more films together (A Night in Casablanca in 1946 and Love Happy in 1949) to pay off Chico's gambling debts. There was also a mediocre film (The Story of Mankind, 1957) and a television special (The Incredible Jewel Robbery in 1959), but these were mere interludes, as each had already embarked on their own careers. Chico and Harpo continued on stage, while Groucho embarked on a career as a radio and television entertainer. In addition, he wrote several books. Gummo and Zeppo ran a theatrical agency together.
On January 16, 1977, The Marx Brothers were inducted into the Motion Picture Hall of Fame.
