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Julius Henry (Groucho) Marx was born in New York City in 1890, the son of German immigrants. He had four brothers: Leonard (Chico); Adolph, later known as Arthur (Harpo); Milton (Gummo); and Herbert (Zeppo). The brothers began their stage careers in various vaudeville acts, sometimes with their mother Minnie. Groucho played the guitar and sang outrageous songs – preparation for the halcyon days when he broke audiences up with ‘Lydia the Tattooed Lady’ and ‘Hello, I Must Be Going’. The Marx Brothers made their Broadway debut in the 1924 musical I’ll Say She Is and followed this with The Cocoanuts (1925, filmed in 1929) and Animal Crackers (1928, filmed in 1930). They went on to star in many other classic films, including Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933), A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937). Love Happy (1949) was the last film they made together.

Of all the brothers, Groucho had the most successful independent career. He made several other films, such as Copacabana (1947), A Girl in Every Port (1952) and Skidoo (1968), and hosted the television quiz show You Bet Your Life between 1950 and 1961. He wrote several books, including Beds (1930); an autobiography, Many Happy Returns! (1942); Groucho and Me (1959); and The Groucho Letters (1967). The Marx Brothers all had well-defined screen personas, but Groucho’s was always recognizable with his cigar and bushy eyebrows; plastic versions of his glasses and over-sized moustache are sold in toy and costume shops all over the world to this day. His character was also considered by audiences to be more human and easy to relate to. He is one of the most frequently quoted comedians of all time, with such memorable wise-cracks as ‘Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana’ and ‘If you want to see a comic strip, you should see me in the shower’. He died in 1977.