Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx: Amazon.de: Stefan Kanfer: Englische Bücher

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Without Groucho Marx, modern comedy would be unrecognisable. With his painted-on moustache, ever-present cigar, loping walk, and instant put-downs, he achieved an iconic status. His comic routines have enthralled audiences, impressed critics, and inspired a number of academic theses. But what of Julius, the man behind the greasepaint? In this, the first major biography since the comedian's death, Stefan Kanfer suggests that the distinction between Groucho and Julius was never a simple one.

The author traces Groucho's difficulties back to his childhood: as the third of five brothers to an ambitious mother, Groucho found himself neglected in favour of the others. It was only with success on the stage that he could win his mother Minnie's approval. In later years, his relationships with women were rarely successful--he married on three occasions, each time alienating his wife with his relentless criticism. By the end of his life, Groucho was a lonely man, living with a woman who, many of his relatives claimed, was interested only in his money.

To reinforce his theories about Groucho's character, Kanfer resorts to speculation rather too often, as when he asks "Was he so marked by Minnie's dominance ... that he felt compelled to tyrannize and humiliate any woman who ventured too close?" However, unlike many revisionary biographies of iconic figures, Kanfer's book does not dwell exclusively upon the murkier aspects of his subject's life. It is clear throughout that the author has a deep respect for Groucho, and he takes any excuse to quote choice lines, making for an account that is both appropriately funny and necessarily poignant. --John Oates -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verf�gbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

From Library Journal

Groucho Marx mastered the worlds of vaudeville, theater, movies, radio, and television, yet he remained a moody, morose, unfulfilled man. Plagued by nagging financial insecurities, partly realized literary ambitions, and difficult, unsatisfying relations with his wives, lovers, and daughters, Groucho was a "depressive clown," notes Kanfer (The Eighth Sin). This is the show business saga of "Minnie's boys," Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and, sometimes, Gummo and Zeppo. Groucho never really had a childhood, as mother Minnie drove the boys relentlessly as they perfected their trademark antic, ad-lib style. Many books on the Marx Brothers pay homage to their innovative wisecracks, word play, and nonstop non sequiturs, but Kanfer shows the show biz realities behind the madness. The book also details Groucho's ambivalent relations with his son, Arthur; his brothers; New Deal liberals; intellectuals and collaborators like S.J. Perelman; and his custodian, Erin Fleming. Although Chico and Harpo remain shadowy figures in this portrayal, this is the first comprehensive portrait of Groucho in years. Recommended for large public and academic libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/00.] Pubbing in the same month as Kanfer's book, this work may signal the beginning of a Marx Brothers revival. The brothers' nonstop barrage of verbal and visual gags delighted average moviegoers and intellectuals alike. Kanfer focuses on Groucho, where Louvish, the author of The Man on the Flying Trapeze, a biography of W.C. Fields, expands the canvas to appraise the contributions of the other brothers, plus Margaret Dumont, a regular target of the brothers' mayhem. Chico was a compulsive gambler and risktaker. Harpo, whose comedy career was limited by his silent act, found fulfillment in family life. Dumont, Louvish shows, was more than a dimwitted comic stooge. (In fact, the Marx Brothers often failed to attract a female audience, an interesting topic covered more fully by Kanfer.) The Marx Brothers' story is now encrusted with numerous myths and dubious anecdotes, and Louvish does a solid job of separating fact from fiction and includes a family tree and a discussion of the FBI's file on the group. Like Kanfer's book, Monkey Business includes generous excerpts of classic Marx Brothers film dialog. Recommended for public library film collections.
-Stephen Rees, Levittown Regional Lib., PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Unclean, unclean 23. Juli 2000

Von T. J. Caldwell

Format:Gebundene Ausgabe

...a typical fin de siecle biography--he purses his lips disapprovingly while dishing every last sordid detail with prurient glee. Do people, even famous ones, need some privacy? Yes, they do, for our own sakes as well as theirs. Elderly people falling under the sway of caretakers is a pretty common phenomenon, even in Hollywood (and it happened to even as tough a man as James Cagney), but what has this to do with the reason Groucho was famous? Nothing, and we don't need every last sad scummy detail. This book is an unclean object, in my view. If you want to know the important things regarding the Marx Brothers, which is their work, try the Acre biography and/or Harpo's charming autobiography, "Harpo Speaks!"

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the secret word is "lousy" 15. Juli 2000

Von Robert Furem

As a Marx Brothers fan for over 30 years, I harbor no illusions as to what an ornery and mean-spirited man Groucho could be. He was never comfortable with himself, and, unfortuntely, he passed along a lot of that insecurity and misery to those who were closest to him. He was also a caring, literate, and liberal man with a worldview and wit like noone else. Yet, according to Kanfer, Groucho's entire life was a failure. ALL the movies are terribly flawed, no generous deed was performed without a sinister intent, and the fact that he was a greater comedian than writer negates all the success he had in the latter area. This is more a vendetta than a book. Kanfer is more mean-spirited than Groucho ever was. In addition, his idea of research is to read every other book on the subject and then weigh in with a third-rate behavioral analysis. I'm currently reading Simon Louvish's new bio of all the Marx Brothers, and, so far, it is a breath of fresh air (and well-researched to boot). If you want to read a bio of Groucho, seek the out-of-print Hector Arce book. All things considered, Groucho was a very great man, but you'd never know it from Stefan Kanfer's tedious character assassination.

Definitive bio on comic genius reveals more man than mirth 13. Juli 2000

Von Robert Ruggiero

I've read a lot of books on Groucho and the boys,and this one will probably go down as the definitive word on Groucho. Kanfer shows a clear understanding of the man with the greaspaint moustaches, but what I appreciated most was what the book told me about the man over his onscreen persona. Groucho's lifelong parsimony and troubles with women are mostly brushed away in other books, but Kanfer delves into these topics here without being tabloidish. Of particuar insight (and sometimes heartbreakingly) are the early showbiz years for the Marxes and Groucho in his final years with the Erin Fleming situation. A solid read.