Who was the best Marx Brother?

If only Harpo had been in Silent Movie.

What's that story about Groucho telling Richard Pryor not to be like Jerry Lewis on the Mike Douglas show again?

that's the story, but it was after a Merv Griffin show that the conversation occurred, i believe at a party at Bobby Darin's house circa 1966. (in the Nesteroff book)

i'm nor surprised that Groucho didn't like Lewis's crudity, he has a streak of prudishness that comes through in the '60s and '70s ("I took off my clothes in front of the mirror and saved myself the cost of a ticket to Hair")

Ah, I flipped a coin that had Mike's face on one side and Merv on the other.

musta been in yr pocket with a 35-cent subway token

Correct, complete with the Y-shaped hole in it

Harpo was on the stage for almost 20 years before their first film, i seem to recall his theatrical wig being described as red.

For a time in vaudeville all the brothers performed using ethnic accents. Leonard, the oldest, developed the Italian accent he used as Chico Marx to convince some roving bullies that he was Italian, not Jewish. Arthur, the next oldest, donned a curly red wig and became "Patsy Brannigan", a stereotypical Irish character. His discomfort speaking on stage led to his uncle Al Shean's suggestion that he stop speaking altogether and play the role in mime. Julius Marx's character from "Fun In Hi Skule" was an ethnic German, so Julius played him with a German accent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZyhosgpS48

i have tried doing that sweeping key thing, it is tough if you are not a piano player! the keys are heavy and there's a whole proper form to it. yet Chico's just playing this thing like a stick of button.

butter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkCiRSDPIzk I like his playing in 'Night at the Opera' better.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/category_leisure/leisure-cinema-marx-brothers/0018.gif

https://media.giphy.com/media/jLaez64RHqIBq/giphy.gif

the chico marx piano-technique explainer pages never explain how he plays the piano with an apple

somebody hadda go there

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/08/31/what_the_marx_brothers_duck_soup_can_teach_us_about_trump.html

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The Marx Bros were an ensemble. It defeats the purpose to elevate one as the "best". Obviously, Groucho's shtick was more separable as a solo act than the others' characters were, but that speaks more to the nature of his chosen character than to its superiority over the rest.

Apparently Gummo was the naturally funny one, just didn't come over on stage.

I thought Zeppo was the funny one?

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