Groucho Marx: The Comedy of Existence

Lee Siegel

Published by Yale University Press 2016

Groucho Marx

The Comedy of Existence

Lee Siegel

In the series Jewish Lives

https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300216639

Overview
Contents

About this book

A trenchant examination of an iconic American figure that explores the cultural and psychological roots of his comic genius

Born Julius Marx in 1890, the brilliant comic actor who would later be known as Groucho was the most verbal of the famed comedy team, the Marx Brothers, his broad slapstick portrayals elevated by ingenious wordplay and double entendre. In his spirited biography of this beloved American iconoclast, Lee Siegel views the life of Groucho through the lens of his work on stage, screen, and television. The author uncovers the roots of the performer’s outrageous intellectual acuity and hilarious insolence toward convention and authority in Groucho’s early upbringing and Marx family dynamics.

The first critical biography of Groucho Marx to approach his work analytically, this fascinating study draws unique connections between Groucho’s comedy and his life, concentrating primarily on the brothers’ classic films as a means of understanding and appreciating Julius the man. Unlike previous uncritical and mostly reverential biographies, Siegel’s “bio-commentary” makes a distinctive contribution to the field of Groucho studies by attempting to tell the story of his life in terms of his work, and vice versa.

Author information

Lee Siegel, author of six books and the recipient of a National Magazine Award, has written about culture and politics for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other publications.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction: A Fateful Condition Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Nothing Will Come of Nothing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
2. Human, All Too Human Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	32
3. Fathers and Sons Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	56
4. Groucho and Me: A Match Made in Heaven Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
Interlude: Words Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	84
5. Beyond the Pleasure Principle Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
6. Groucho the Jewish Aristocrat Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	108
7. Groucho the Jewish Outsider-Philosopher Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	121
Epilogue: Gone Today, Here Tomorrow Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	138
A Note on Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	149
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
Credits Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157

Language: English
Publisher: Yale University Press
Pages
- Main content: 176

eBook

Published: January 12, 2016
ISBN: 9780300216639