Monkey Business: The Lives and Legends of the Marx Brothers: Amazon.de: Simon Louvish: Englische Bücher

Amazon.co.uk

There is no chapter 13 in this book. There are, however, 35 others sections, each meticulously detailed; plus a Marx Bros. family tree, personal chronology, a bibliography (with separate notes on sources used), a comprehensive filmography useful for Kevin Bacon factor games, and an all-important comedy appendix about an optometrist from Jakarta who is often mistaken for a certain man named Groucho.

To say Monkey Business, the latest instalment in the superb Faber and Faber film series is well researched is to make a spectacular understatement. Author Simon Louvish's study is almost academic in its approach; indeed, his ability to weigh up conflicting accounts of Marx Brothers' history (particularly their childhood years, which until now have been perhaps sluggishly chronicled) is admirable. Correcting even the brothers' own autobiographies at times, the author leaves the reader with the impression that no stone has been left unturned in the quest to find the truth.

The danger, of course, is that many an academic study fails to capture the spirit of a comedy act such as this. Louvish's obvious love of his subject, however, is the perfect antidote, allowing quotes and jokes from the brothers themselves to creep into the text, lightening the mood where necessary, and illustrating many a point better than any description could manage. Included also are several key Marx brothers script extracts, particularly from early film outings and theatre scripts, which will no doubt allow real Marx aficionados to trace the evolution of their favourite sketches.

Here is the full story of the Marx family; including for the first time a biography of Zeppo; the last-but-one son who bowed out of showbiz because of a stutter. Uncle Al also makes an appearance, and Louvish explains the incalculable help his stage experience and play writing had on the style of the fledgling foursome.

In later years, fame in pantomime personas allowed The Marx Brothers a certain freedom outwith their characters, and Louvish eagerly retells tales of Harpo's acceptance into intellectual cafe society, and the brothers' brushes with the FBI. This is a matter-of-fact tale, told with neither an over-rosy view of these cinematic heroes nor an agenda to shock. One for fans and film buffs alike. --Helen Lamont

Amazon.com

A serious book hiding behind a goofy title, Monkey Business captures a tremendous amount of detail in its pages, enough to satisfy the most hard-core Marx Brothers aficionado. Author Simon Louvish has a talent for showcasing contrasts, and it's these contrasts--along with a few surprises--that make the brothers such fascinating characters. Among all the scripts, photos, and quotes are some unexpected discoveries, especially the real story of Margaret Dumont. While lamenting the tall tales that have circulated around this actress's life so far, Louvish applauds her image as the ultimate "straight" lady when she was really pulling a lifelong practical joke. And while the one-liners are as entertaining as always, it's refreshing to see glimpses of Groucho's serious side. One chapter begins with an earnest letter to his daughter's boyfriend about the young man's struggles with anti-Semitism, advising him to "comport yourself in such a manner that you will ultimately gain their respect." Of course, he immediately follows up with "Tomorrow we're having tea at the White House. I hope they have pumpernickel": this is Groucho we're talking about, after all. Louvish takes the same one-two narrative punch with the other brothers, interspersing real-life slapstick with tales of gambling debts, relationship difficulties, and professional disappointments and triumphs. Complete with a chronological list of life events and films, a complete reference list, and a thorough index, Monkey Business is the biography serious Marx Brothers fans have been waiting for. --Jill Lightner -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verf�gbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

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Low Marx for this Bad Book (OUCH!) 24. Juli 2000

Von Ein Kunde

Format:Gebundene Ausgabe

I'm sorry, I wanted to like this book, I truly love the Marx Brothers. And there is reference material here that is useful. BUT -- and this is a major roadblock to my enjoyment of this book -- the writer insists upon injecting the very worst type of punning, constantly parenthesizing himself, letting us know how "amused" he is by his subject matter, that you imagine yourself reading a speech transcript of some purple-prosed Victorian-era wit, but without any real humor attached to it. The Marx Brothers at their best are timeless, wonderful, and hilariously funny. Reading this book was the first time I felt as though the Marxes belonged to some dead ancient art form.

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Probably the last great book on the Marx brothers 18. Juli 2000

Von Nate Goyer

Writing a new book about the Marx Brothers is a tough job simply because, unless someone can unearth a treasure chest full of Marx memorabilia, there is little left to be found. True, the Marx Brothers have been well documented by many past efforts, but many of these books rely heavily on folklore, old memories reminiscing, documents generated by the studio, or worse, from the mischievous minds of the Marxes themselves! Simon Louvich does a wonderful and thorough job of providing facts, rather than blindly supporting the legendary stories.

For instance; The Marx Brothers always claimed that their father Frenchy was the worst tailor in New York City. The Marx history is riddled with tales of poorly-cut jackets, ill-fitting pants, angry customers and no repeat business. Louvish had the initiative to investigate this story by looking at turn-of-the-century census records of their neighbors to see their occupations. Surprize! Their neighbors were butchers, store owners, and other occupations well above the poverty line, suggesting that Frenchy could not have been so bad a tailor as to live in a decent neighborhood. Louvish's initiative has also led to the unearthing of previously lost scripts of vaudeville routines by checking with the Library of Congress for copies submitted at the beginning of the century for copyright protection. In the book there are many more examples of the very creative detective work performed by Mr Louvish.

Most complaints of this book stem from the writing style Louvish chose to use for the book; He uses Marx quotes to pepper the book with a humorous, familiar tone, which seems to bother some readers. I appreciated the style, mainly because biographies can tend to be quite dry, and Marx Brother fans repeatedly use the same quotes in their shared conversations as well. This led me to take Mr Louvish for a full-scale Marx Brothers fan and the chatty tendency confirmed to me that he is a friend, interested in my favorite comedy team and speaking to me as other fans do. A very brave risk on his part, popularly misconstrued, but hit home with me.

This book is the closest factual account of the Marxes that we'll probably ever see. It's well worth the journey.

Worst-written book of the Marxes yet! 18. Juli 2000

Paul Wesolowski, ardent Marx chronicler, performed a disservice when he turned Mr. Louvish loose on his wealth of Marx Brothers memorabilia to produce this ineptly written, clunky, annoyingly cutsey biography. Paul should have written the book himself, he's got what it takes as a chronicler and as a writer. This is the worst written book on vintage comedians since Louvish's previous abortion on the life of W.C. Fields. Do yourselves a favor and get Hector Arce's GROUCHO (which happens to cover the story of all the brothers) if you want a good biography on this outstanding comedy team.