Before film made them international comedy legends, the MarxBrothers developed their comic skills on stage for twenty-fiveyears. In Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers onStage, Robert S. Bader offers the first comprehensive history ofthe foursome's hardscrabble early years honing their act in frontof live audiences.
From Groucho's debut in 1905 to their final live performancesof scenes from A Night in Casablanca in 1945, the brothers' stagecareer shows how their characters and routines evolved beforetheir arrival in Hollywood. Four of the Three Musketeers drawson an unmatched array of sources, many not referenced elsewhere.Bader's detailed portrait of the struggling young actorsboth brings to vivid life a typical night on the road for the MarxBrothers and also illuminates the inner workings of the vaudevillebusiness, especially during its peak in the 1920s.
As Bader traces the origins of the characters that would latercome to be beloved by filmgoers, he also skillfully scrapes awaythe accretion of rumors and mythology perpetuated not only byfans and writers but by the Marx Brothers themselves. Revealing,vital, and entertaining, Four of the Three Musketeers will take itsplace as an essential reference for this iconic American act.
Before film made them international comedy legends, the MarxBrothers developed their comic skills on stage for twenty-fiveyears. In Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers onStage, Robert S. Bader offers the first comprehensive history ofthe foursome's hardscrabble early years honing their act in frontof live audiences.
From Groucho's debut in 1905 to their final live performancesof scenes from A Night in Casablanca in 1945, the brothers' stagecareer shows how their characters and routines evolved beforetheir arrival in Hollywood. Four of the Three Musketeers drawson an unmatched array of sources, many not referenced elsewhere.Bader's detailed portrait of the struggling young actorsboth brings to vivid life a typical night on the road for the MarxBrothers and also illuminates the inner workings of the vaudevillebusiness, especially during its peak in the 1920s.
As Bader traces the origins of the characters that would latercome to be beloved by filmgoers, he also skillfully scrapes awaythe accretion of rumors and mythology perpetuated not only byfans and writers but by the Marx Brothers themselves. Revealing,vital, and entertaining, Four of the Three Musketeers will take itsplace as an essential reference for this iconic American act.
Robert S. Bader is the editor of Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales and a writer and producer for television.
"As far as I'm concerned, the Marx Brothers practically invented
comedy. And I love this great new book about them by Robert Bader!"
--Jerry Seinfeld, New York Times
"A new benchmark in Marx scholarship." --Los Angeles Times "Who
would have dreamed that there could be much, much more to learn in
still another book about the Marx Brothers? Not I. And yet, Robert
Bader--focusing on the under-researched vaudeville days of the
hilarious siblings--has gone where no man went before, discovering
a treasure trove of Marxiana to delight the hearts and minds of
those of us who can never get enough." --Dick Cavett "I have read
virtually every book ever published about the Marx Brothers. I have
even written about them myself. Robert Bader's book is a
revelation." --Leonard Maltin, author of Leonard Maltin's Movie
Guide and The Great Movie Comedians
"In discussing the brothers' personal and professional
accomplishments, Bader gives each man his due individual and group
justice. Dozens of good books have been written on these brothers .
. . and Bader's rich volume joins those." --CHOICE "In Four of the
Three Musketeers Robert S. Bader shows that Groucho, Chico, Harpo
and Zeppo had nothing on Minnie Marx--the booster, nag and agent
who set them on their way to fame." --Wall Street Journal "A book
that no devoted Marx Brothers fan should be without . . . Four of
the Three Musketeers is a fascinating, indispensable book that
details the evolution of one of the greatest comedy teams as they
went through a long, bumpy trial by fire." --Montreal Times
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