Groucho Marx Chronology"Why A Duck?" @ marx-brothers.org |
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Groucho Marx Chronology"Why A Duck?" @ marx-brothers.org |
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This chronology, from "Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales: Selected Writings of Groucho Marx," copyright © 1993 by Robert S. Bader, is reprinted here by permission of the author.
October 2, 1890 - Julius Henry Marx born, New York City
circa 1901 - leaves P.S. 86 after sixth grade, completing formal education
summer 1905 - first job in show business with the Leroy Trio
February 3, 1906 - first notice in Variety with review of singing act Lady Seville and Master Marx
April 23, 1906 - joins Gus Edwards' Postal Telegraph Boys, Alhambra Theater, New York City
August 2, 1906 - first performance of The Man of Her Choice, Colonial Theater, Annapolis, Maryland-Groucho's first dramatic role
June 24, 1907 - debut performance of Ned Weyburn's Nightingales (Groucho, Gummo and Mabel O'Donnell), Atlantic Garden, Atlantic City, New Jersey (they would soon be known as the Three Nightingales)
June 1, 1908 - Harpo becomes the fourth Nightingale, Henderson's Theater, Coney Island, New York
late 1909/early 1910 - Marx family moves to Chicago; the Four Nightingales become the Six Mascots
summer 1910 - first performances of "Fun in Hi Skule"
September 26, 1912 - Chico joins the act for the first performance of "Mr. Green's Reception," Family Theater, Lafayette, Indiana
May 15, 1914 - the Marx Brothers get their nicknames from comic Art Fisher, Galesburg, Illinois
September 7, 1914 - first performance of "Home Again," Windsor Theater, Chicago, Illinois
February 22, 1915 - the Marx Brothers appear at the Palace Theater, New York City for the first time performing "Home Again"
1918 - Gummo leaves the act and joins the army; Zeppo replaces him
1919 - Marx family moves back to New York
February 4, 1920 - Groucho marries Ruth Johnson
July 21, 1921 - Groucho and Ruth's first child, Arthur, born
1923 - first published writings begin to appear in Franklin P. Adams' New York World column "The Conning Tower"
May 19, 1924 - I'll Say She Is opens on Broadway
February 21, 1925 - first magazine piece published in Judge
April 4, 1925 - first New Yorker piece published
December 9, 1925 - The Cocoanuts opens on Broadway
May 19, 1927 - Groucho and Ruth's second child, Miriam, born
October 23, 1928 - Animal Crackers opens on Broadway
May 23, 1929 - filmed version of The Cocoanuts premieres in New York City
1929-30 - numerous essays and articles published in The New Yorker, the Saturday Evening Post, the New York Times, Collier's, College Humor and other publications
September 13, 1929 - mother Minnie Marx dies
early 1930 - Groucho collaborates with Arthur Sheekman on sketches for Max Gordon's Broadway revue, Three's a Crowd
August 25, 1930 - filmed version of Animal Crackers premieres in Chicago
September 1930 - first installment of Beds appears in College Humor
November 1930 - Beds published by Farrar & Rinehart
February 1931 - the Marx Brothers move to California
September 19, 1931 - Monkey Business released
1931-34 - essays and articles published in Redbook, the Saturday Evening Post, Variety, the New York Times, Liberty and the Hollywood Reporter
August 10, 1932 - Horse Feathers released
November 28, 1932 - first broadcast of "Flywheel, Shyster and Fly-wheel" starring Groucho and Chico on NBC radio network
May 11, 1933 - father Sam "Frenchy" Marx dies
November 22, 1933 - Duck Soup released
March 4, 1934 - first broadcast of "The Marx of Time" starring Groucho and Chico on CBS radio network
March 30, 1934 - Zeppo quits the team
October 6, 1934 - the Marx Brothers sign a contract with MGM
November 1, 1935 - A Night at the Opera released
December 1936 - The Kalmar and Ruby Songbook, featuring an essay by Groucho, published by Random House
March 27, 1937 - The King and the Chorus Girl, with a screen-play by Groucho and Norman Krasna, released
June 11, 1937 - A Day at the Races released
1937 - Groucho collaborates with Ken Englund on unproduced screenplay, "Madcap Mary Mooney"
September 21, 1938 - Room Service released
October 20, 1939 - At the Circus released
1940-48 - essays and articles published with great regularity in This Week, Variety, Liberty, Saturday Review, the Saturday Evening Post and the Hollywood Reporter
December 6, 1940 - Go West released
April 1941 - the Marx Brothers announce their breakup
June 20, 1941 - The Big Store released
January 1942 - Many Happy Returns published by Simon and Schuster
July 15, 1942 - Groucho and Ruth divorce
March 27, 1943 - Groucho's first broadcast as the star of "Pabst Blue Ribbon Town" on CBS radio network
July 21, 1945 - Groucho marries Kay Gorcey
May 10, 1946 - A Night in Casablanca released
August 14, 1946 - Groucho and Kay's daughter Melinda born
May 30, 1947 - Copacabana released
October 27, 1947 - first broadcast of "You Bet Your Life" on ABC radio network
September 27, 1948 - Time for Elizabeth, written by Norman Krasna and Groucho, opens on Broadway
April 1949 - Groucho wins Peabody Award as radio's best entertainer
March 30, 1950 - Love Happy released
May 12, 1950 - Groucho and Kay divorce
July 17, 1950 - Groucho's television debut on CBS's "Popsicle Parade of Stars"
October 5,1950 - first television broadcast of "You Bet Your Life" on NBC
December 20, 1950 - Mr. Music released
January 23, 1951 - Groucho wins Emmy Award as most outstanding television personality of 1950
December 24, 1951 - Double Dynamite released
January 23, 1952 - A Girl in Every Port released
October 1952 - Hooray for Captain Spaulding and Other Songs by Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar Sung by Groucho Marx LP released by Decca Records
July 17, 1954 - Groucho marries Eden Hartford
July 26, 1957 - Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? released
October 8, 1957 - The Story of Mankind released
March 1958 - Groucho collaborates with Robert Dwan and Hal Kanter on the unproduced television script "Groucho on Laughter"
March 8, 1959 - Groucho, Harpo and Chico give their final performance together on the "GE Theater" in "The Incredible Jewel Robbery" on CBS television network (Groucho's appearance is an unbilled walk-on)
September 1959 - Groucho and Me published by Bernard Geis Associates
September 21, 1961 - final broadcast of "You Bet Your Life" on NBC
October 11, 1961 - Chico dies
January 11, 1962 - premiere of "Tell It to Groucho" on CBS television network
October 1963 - Memoirs of a Mangy Lover published by Bernard Geis Associates
April 24, 1964 - Groucho stars in the televised version of Time for Elizabeth on "The Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre" on NBC
September 28, 1964 - Harpo dies
June 1965 - premiere of "Groucho" (British version of "You Bet Your Life") on BBC
October 1965 - The Library of Congress requests the donation of Groucho's letters and personal papers
February 1967 - The Groucho Letters published by Simon and Schuster
December 19, 1968 - Skidoo released
December 4, 1969 - Groucho and Eden divorce
fall 1971 - Why A Duck?, a book of photos and dialogue from Marx Brothers films, published by Darien House with an introduction by Groucho
May 6, 1972 - Groucho's one-man show at Carnegie Hall, New York City
October 1973 - Richard J. Anobile's interviews with Groucho published as The Marx Brothers Scrapbook by Darien House
April 2, 1974 - Groucho receives a special Academy Award
May 23, 1974 - Animal Crackers re-released after more than thirty years of legal difficulties prevented it from being shown
March 1976 - The Secret Word Is Groucho, written in collaboration with Hector Arce, published by G. P. Putnam and Sons
April 1976 - Beds finally gets a second printing after forty-six years; Groucho writes a new introduction for the edition published by Bobbs-Merrill
November 1976 - The Groucho Phile: An Illustrated Life published by Bobbs-Merrill
January 16, 1977 - The Four Marx Brothers are inducted into the Motion Picture Hail of Fame; Groucho and Zeppo appear at the ceremony at Hollywood's Wilshire Hyatt House hotel; it is Groucho's final public appearance
April 21, 1977 - Gummo dies
August 19, 1977 - Groucho dies
January 1979 - Hector Arce's authorized biography, Groucho, published by Putnam
November 29, 1979 - Zeppo dies
©1995-2006, Frank M. Bland
The pages under www.marx-brothers.org/whyaduck were originally created by Frank Bland for his site www.whyaduck.com. Frank did kindly give me permission to use the contents of his site.
If you find text referring to "I" or "me" on pages under www.marx-brothers.org/whyaduck, this will usually refer to Frank.
