Groucho or Harpo?

[Dookus]

Poll question: Groucho or Harpo?

Who cracked you up more? Just the movies, not You Bet Your Life.

Poll result (29 votes)
Groucho	(21 votes, 72%)	Vote
Harpo	(8 votes, 28%)	Vote

[NoPasaran]

1. Who do you think?

[Dookus]

2. I voted Harpo

as a young kid I was a HUGE Marx Bros. fan. I loved 'em all, but always had a special place in my heart for Harpo.

[moof]

4. Honk, but a tub full of frogs

[NoPasaran]

7. I like Chico as well

The exchanges between Groucho and Chico (like "Why a Duck" in the Coconuts or "Tootsy Fruitsy Ice Cream" in A Day at the Races)are some of my favorite parts of Marx Brothers flicks.

[Dookus]

8. yeah... I love him, too

but I'm a die-hard fan.

But the fact is, Groucho and Harpo were the real comic geniuses, and Chico was along for the ride.

I'd recommend any of a variety of biographies of them, or any of their autobiographies. Fascinating background. Frenchie, Minnie, early vaudeville.... a fantastic American success story.

[NoPasaran]

11. I've read several biographies over the years

Including Harpo Speaks.

I've never quite been able to believe that Margaret Dumont never understood what they were doing.

[Dookus]

12. heheh

that's one of my favorite aspects of them. Evidently she really didn't have any clue. Which might explain why she was such a good straight-woman.

I've also read a number of reports that Lucille Ball was distinctively unfunny off-camera. It can happen.

[tokenlib]

3. You would make this difficult...

I can't do it. I cannot choose between these two.

[Dookus]

6. good for you

I adore them both, too. Comic geniuses, both of 'em. Groucho was the intellectual one, and his humor holds up today. Harpo was just a fantastic character.

Have you ever read Harpo's autobiography, Harpo Speaks? I read it when I was a kid and just fell in love with him. He was as smart and witty as Groucho, but did all his comedy silently. He was part of the Algonquin Round Table, hanging out with Dorothy Parker, S. J. Perelman, Alexander Woollcott, etc.

[mitchum]

5. Surprisingly, Harpo...

although I'm a Groucho type (if he were taller, clean-shaven and WASP)

[corporatewhore]

9. Chico!!

[Dookus]

10. Zeppo!

[OneBlueSky]

13. love Harpo, but gotta go with Groucho . . .

he was the glue that held the Marx Brothers together . . .