Harpo Marx
Born: November 23, 1888 in New York City, NY
Died: September 28, 1964 in Los Angeles
Drawing by Salvador Dali
from an article in Theatre Arts Monthly, October 1939
Harpo was the second oldest and the one who never spoke. Not entirely true. He spoke quite regularly on stage until the production of "Home Again".
Les Marsden had some more information about Harpo's 'speaking career':
"He still had a about six lines in "Home Again", but uncle Al Shean simply didn't think he delivered lines all that well. Harpo was so upset that after they had toured the show in vaudeville for awhile and were playing (according to Harpo) the theatre in Champaign, Illinois, Harpo decided to ad-lib all through the performance. A critic in the local newspaper described the show by saying, in part, "Adolph Marx performed beautiful pantomime which was ruined whenever he spoke." Harpo then decided he could do a better job of stealing focus by not speaking. And he really did continue to speak on stage regularly - just whenever he felt like it. For example, on opening night of 'Animal Crackers' he tackled Margaret Irving and proceeded to tell her a well....let's just say a questionable joke. Groucho, Chico and Zeppo came out onstage and did a running commentary. But he did speak extemporaneously onstage on occasion. Just not from a script and not often. Steve Allen has told me (and has also recounted the tale in various books, etc) all about the evening Harpo left show business during Allen Sherman's show in Pasadena, during which he spoke for several minutes to a stunned audience."
Harpo was given the name Adolph, but changed it to Arthur during World War I because it was too 'German'.
Through Alexander Woollcott the theater critic, who was responsible for their first big success in New York, Harpo became a member of the Algonquin Round Table.
In 1936 he married actress Susan Fleming. They adopted four children Bill, Alex, Jimmy and Minnie.
Harpo on I Love Lucy
Harpo speaks
Harpo never spoke in a movie, but his voice has been recorded, as you can hear here.
"Harpo's harps" by Les Marsden
"Harpo rarely played the same harp twice in a movie, and in some movies didn't play a harp at all (Go West harp is actually a loom, At the Races is the dismantled frame of a grand piano, and Duck Soup....well, we all know about that one.) They were usually his own harps but he changed models a lot, particularly in the early years. Eventually, he owned two Lyon & Healy Gold-Gilt Concert Grands, model #24. He had those two harps for years and shortly after his death, Susan was asked to judge a harp competition in Israel. She insisted that Bill come along as well because she knew nothing about the mechanics of harpistry. They both decided to take the two harps along and donate them to two university harp departments in Israel, with the only proviso being that they were not to go in glass cases, but instead were to be used. Upon arrival in Israel, the customs agents demanded a 100% duty payment from Susan and she said 'what? I'm trying to donate these harps to you!' and was ready (as she told me) to get back on the plane and take the damn harps back home when a governmental official broke through and announced that they'd be happy to take the harps for free! I've heard from other sources that the harps were marked as Harpo's with small plaques but that they indeed were (and hopefully still are) used as Susan intended." © Les Marsden, 1998
Susan Marx
Susan Marx died in December 2002. Here is a news item about her:
Susan Marx died shortly before midnight Sunday [22 Dec 2002] at Eisenhower Medical Center after suffering a massive heart attack. She was 94.
Her son, pianist Bill Marx, was at her bedside just hours after concluding a talk about his father in a benefit for the Jewish Community School with a rendition of "Sunrise Sunset."
Bill Marx said there were three phases of his mother's life: her early show biz life as Susan Fleming, her personal life as Mrs. Harpo Marx, and her life of public service as Susan Marx.
Born in Brooklyn, she started her career as a stage actress, working her way up to the top musical revue on Broadway, "The Ziegfeld Follies," in the 1920s.
She followed the opportunities to Hollywood in 1931 when she appeared as John Wayne's love interest in "Range Feud." As a Paramount actress, she actually made more movies than the Marx Brothers, with her peak coming in the 1932 comedy "Million Dollar Legs" with W.C. Fields.
Her best friend, Gloria Stuart, co-star in the blockbuster film "Titanic," remembered she got a big Hollywood buildup for that film.
"The publicity was, she was Susan Fleming with the million-dollar legs," Stuart recalled. "She starred, and her legs were insured for a million dollars."
But Bill Marx said his mother hated the movie business. When she met Harpo Marx at Paramount, she courted him -- even proposing to the silent Marx Brothers comedian three times.
She and Harpo adopted four children.
She began studies to enrich her life with Stuart, whose husband wrote for the Marx Brothers. They studied cooking, stamp collecting and Bonsai tree-shaping.
"She was very forthright, certainly beautifully centered," Stuart said. "When she took up one of her various interests, it was always 100 percent."
Susan Marx is survived by her four children, Bill of Rancho Mirage, Alexander of Vallejo, Jim of Paso Robles and Minnie Eagle of Orange. She had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Harpo Marx appeared in the following movies:
| Film Title | Character name |
|---|---|
| Humor Risk - 1921 | Watson, Detective and/or the Love Interest (?) |
| Too Many Kisses - 1925 | The Village Peter Pan |
| The Cocoanuts - 1929 | Harpo |
| Animal Crackers - 1930 | The Professor |
| Monkey Business - 1931 | A Stowaway |
| The House That Shadows Built - 1931 | |
| Horse Feathers - 1932 | Pinky |
| Hollywood on Parade No.5 - 1932 | |
| Duck Soup - 1933 | Pinky |
| A Night at the Opera - 1935 | Tomasso |
| La Fiesta de Santa Barbara - 1935 | |
| A Day at the Races - 1937 | Stuffy |
| Room Service - 1938 | Faker Englund |
| At the Circus - 1939 | Punchy |
| Go West - 1940 | Rusty Panello |
| The Big Store - 1941 | Wacky |
| Stage Door Canteen - 1943 | |
| Screen snapshots No. 8 - 1943 | |
| The All-Star Bond Rally - 1945 | |
| A Night in Casablanca - 1946 | Rusty |
| Love Happy - 1949 | Harpo |
| Love Happy - 1949 | Written by |
| The Story of Mankind - 1957 | Isaac Newton |
| Got It Made - 1961 |
Important dates in the life of Harpo Marx:
| 23 Nov 1888 | Adolph "Harpo" Marx is born in New York, he later changed his name to Arthur |
| Jan 1910 | Harpo joins The Three Nightingales to form The Four Nightingales |
| Feb 1910 | When joined by Minnie Marx and aunt Hannah Schickler The Four Nightingales become The Six Mascots |
| 1912 | Fun in Hi Skule is the first musical sketch of the Brothers. This half-hour 'school act' features the four brothers, Paul Yates and others |
| 1913 | Mr. Green's Reception is a followup to Fun in Hi Skule |
| 1914 | Home Again is developed from the second half of Mr. Green's Reception |
| 1918 | In The Cinderella Girl Zeppo replaces Gummo. This musical comedy is written by Jo Swerling with music by Gus Kahn |
| 1921 | On the Mezzanine Floor (in England: On the Balcony) a musical revue written by Herman Timberg, produced by Benny Leonard |
| 1921 | The silent movie Humorisk is made with money raised by a friend. Director is Jo Swerling. It was made in two weeks at Fort Lee, NJ. studios and in a studio at 49th St. and 10th Ave. in New York. No copy exists of this (unfinished?) film. |
| 19 May 1924 | Stage show I'll say she is, scripted by Will B. Johnstone, opens at the Casino Theater in New York |
| 1925 | Film Too many kisses is released with Harpo in a supporting role. Details are lacking of how he came to be in this, which even seems to pre-date their first real Broadway play |
| 8 Dec 1925 | Stage show The Cocoanuts opens at the Lyric and runs for 275 performances, a full season on Broadway, as well as two years on the road. |
| 23 Oct 1928 | Stage show Animal Crackers opens at the 44th Street Theater and runs for 191 performances. It was laid off the following summer, went on tour in mid-October. |
| 1 Dec 1928 | Alexander Woollcott's tribute to Harpo, "Portrait of a Man with Red Hair" appeared in The New Yorker. |
| 3 Aug 1929 | Film The Cocoanuts released |
| 6 Sep 1930 | Film Animal Crackers released |
| 5 Jan 1931 | The Marxes appear at the London Palace Theatre |
| 19 Sep 1931 | Film Monkey Business released |
| 31 Aug 1932 | Film Horse Feathers released |
| 24 Nov 1933 | Film Duck Soup released |
| 22 Nov 1933 | New York Premiere of "Duck Soup" |
| 1934 | Harpo tours Russia |
| 15 Nov 1935 | Film A Night at the Opera released |
| 7 Dec 1935 | Film La Fiesta de Santa Barbara released. Harpo's wig can be seen in Technicolor |
| 28 Sep 1936 | Harpo marries Susan Fleming |
| 11 Jun 1937 | Film A Day at the Races released |
| 1938 | Harpo and Susan adopt William (Billy/Bill) Woollcott |
| 30 Sep 1938 | Film Room Service released |
| 20 Oct 1939 | Film At the Circus released |
| 6 Dec 1940 | Film Go West released |
| 20 Jun 1941 | Film The Big Store released |
| 1944 | Harpo plays in The Man who came to Dinner |
| 10 May 1946 | Film A Night in Casablanca released |
| 20 Jan 1948 | Harpo appeared in the "Command Performance" radio show #307 |
| 12 Dec 1948 | Groucho's article "Why Harpo Doesn't Talk" is published in "This Week". |
| 3 Mar 1950 | Film Love Happy released |
| 11 Nov 1951 | Harpo's TV debut on NBC's "Colgate Comedy Hour" |
| 6 Jan 1952 | Harpo appears on the programme "Comedy Hour" on NBC TV |
| 9 Jan 1954 | Harpo appears on the "Spike Jones Show" on NBC TV |
| 18 Dec 1954 | Harpo Marx is a guest on the TV show 'The Christophers' |
| 1955 | Harpo makes a guest appearance in Lucille Ball's show I love Lucy |
| 8 Nov 1957 | Film The Story of Mankind released. Chico, Harpo and Groucho appear in this film, but not together in one scene |
| 14 Jan 1959 | Harpo is a guest on "Kraft Music Hall" on NBC TV |
| 8 Mar 1959 | The TV film The Incredible Jewel Robbery is the last film to have three Marx Brothers |
| 22 Dec 1960 | Harpo starred in "Silent Panic," an episode of the June Allyson show for CBS television. |
| 1961 | Harpo's book Harpo Speaks is published |
| 28 Sep 1964 | Harpo dies after open heart surgery |
| 16 Jan 1977 | The Marxes are inducted to the Motion Picture Hall of Fame |
| Jan 2007 | Bill Marx's book Son of Harpo Speaks is published |
| Jul 2022 | Susan Marx's book Speaking of Harpo is published |
