The Marx Brothers

The Marx Brothers
Bibliography

Books and articles which have the Marx Brothers not as
their main topic, but have a significant part about them

(N.N.): A Night in Casablanca - with the mad Marx Brothers
One page article and two pages of pictures from the movie
- in: "Preview 1947, World Film Publications, London, UK, 1947

Ager, Cecilia: Review of 'A Day at the Races'
- in: Cooke, Alistair (ed.): "Garbo and the Night Watchmen", Jonathan Cape, London, UK, 1937

Allen, Steve: The Funny Men
About TV comedians popular at the time (1950's). Each of the sixteen chapters is devoted to one comedian. Groucho appears among Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Milton Berle and others
- Simon and Schuster, New York, NY, 1956, Library of Congress: 56-7492

Allen, Steve: Funny People
This book is a kind of updated version of his earlier book. He added some contemporary comedians like Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, but there is also a chapter about Groucho.
- Stein and Day Publishers, New York, NY, 1981, ISBN: 0 8128 2764 3 / Click on flag to order from amazon:
- Stein and Day Publishers, New York, NY, 1984, ISBN: 0 8128 8011 0 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Bayer, William: The Great Movies
The book covers what Bayer has decided are the 60 greatest movies of all time, Duck Soup made the list.
- Grosset & Dunlop Inc., A Ridge Press Book, 1973, ISBN: 0 448 2217 6

Boller, Paul F., Jr.; Davis, Ronald L.: Hollywood Anecdotes
Good stories, authentic and apocryphal about making movies in Hollywood and those involved. Keywords: Hollywood, DeMille, Gary Cooper, Jack Warner, Sam Goldwyn, Walt Disney, Groucho Marx, Jimmy Cagney, Greer Garson, Billy Wilder
- William Morrow and Company, New York, NY, 1987, ISBN: 0 688 05875 2 / Click on flag to order from amazon:
- Ballantine Books, 1988, ISBN: 0 345 35654 3 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Brandlmeier, Thomas: Filmkomiker: Die Erretung des Grotesken
Chapter: Die Marx Brothers
- (deutsch) Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 1983

Burns, George: All My Best Friends
with David Fisher
Many funny stories about Harpo Marx, Jack Benny, etc.
- Putnam, New York, NY, 1989

Cantor, Eddie: As I Remember Them
Includes chapter on Groucho
- Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, NY, 1963

Carabba, Claudio; Vannini, Andrea: Sogni proibiti : i comici di Hollywood dai Marx Brothers a Woody Allen
- (italiano) Vallecchi, Firenze, Italy, 1979

Chesler, Judd: Toward a Surrealist Film Aesthetic with an Investigation into the Elements of Surrealism in the Marx Brothers and Jean Vigo
Ph.D. thesis
- Northwestern University, 1976
- University Microfilm No. 7701229, Ann Arbor, MI, 1977

Cooke, Alistair (ed.): Garbo and the Nightwatchmen
A collection of film criticism compiled in 1937. Included are articles about ANATO by Otis Ferguson, and about ADATR by Cecelia Ager.
- Jonathan Crape, 1947
- McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1971, Library of Congress: 79-135303

Dale, Alan: Comedy Is a Man in Trouble
"Rather than attempt of account for every low-comedy star and his/her entire repertoire, Dale focuses on a handful of key superstars - specifically Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, the Marx Brothers and Jerry Lewis - and combines biography with cinematic analysis to create a convincing timeline of the rise, fall, and rebirth of one of the movies' most popular genres. He also takes time to examine the controversial role of women in Hollywood comedy, ultimately anointing Katherine Hepburn as the Queen of Slapstick." - Fade In
- University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2000, ISBN: 0 8166 3657 5 / (hardcover) / Click on flag to order from amazon:
- University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2002, ISBN: 0 8166 3658 3 / (paperback) / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Durgnat, Raymond: The Crazy Mirror - Hollywood comedy and the American Image
Chapter 'Four against alienation', based on his booklet for the Östereichisches Filmmuseum, same chapter in "Durgnat on Film"
- Latimer Trend & Co., Plymouth, UK, 1969
- Faber, London, UK, 1969
- Horizon Press, New York, NY, 1970
- Dell Publishing Co., New York, NY, 1972, ISBN: 0 440 01616 9

Durgnat, Raymond: Durgnat on Film
Selection from Durgnat's earlier works. Marx Brothers chapter 'Four against alienation', based on his booklet for the Östereichisches Filmmuseum, same chapter in "The Crazy Mirror".
- Faber and Faber, London, UK, 1976, ISBN: 0 571 10656 0 / has the Marx Brothers on the cover

Edelson, Edward: Funny men of the movies
Chapter 7: "The Marx Revolution"; "Traces the development of comedy in film, discussing such comedians as Chaplin, Keaton, the Hardys, Marx Brothers, Fields, Jerry Lewis, and Woody Allen." (NYPL info)
- Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY, 1976, ISBN: 0 385 09688 7 / Click on flag to order from amazon:
- Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY, 1976, ISBN: 0 385 09693 3 / Click on flag to order from amazon:
- Pocket Books, New York, NY, 1980, ISBN: 0 671 29912 3 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Feibleman, James: Praise of Comedy: A Study of its Theory and Practice
Chapter 5: "The Comedy of Everyday Life: The Marx Brothers"
- George Allen & Unwin, London, UK, 1939
- Russell & Russell, New York, NY, 1939

Fowler, Christopher; Buckley, Stuart (Ills.): How to Impersonate Famous People
Has instructions for dressing up as Groucho or Harpo
- Crown Publishers, Prince Paperbacks, New York, NY, 1985, ISBN: 0 517 55838 6

Freedland, Michael: So Lets Hear the Applause
The Story of the Jewish Entertainer. Biographies of: The Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, B. Streisand, Walter Matthau, Bob Dylan & others
- Vallentine Mitchell, London, UK, 1984, ISBN: 0 85303 215 7

French, Philip; Wlaschin, Ken (eds.): The Faber Book of Movie verse
Poems about movie stars and cinema in general. Has "Ode to Groucho" by Martin Bell, "To the Lady Portrayed by Margret Dumont" by John Hollander, "Villanelle for Harpo Marx" by John Wain, "To Harpo Marx" by Jack Kerouac and "Harpo Marx" by Robert Lowell
- Faber and Faber, 1993, ISBN: 0 571 16660 1 / (hardcover) / Click on flag to order from amazon:
- Faber and Faber, London, UK, 1994, ISBN: 0 571 17329 2 / (paperback) / Click on flag to order from amazon:
- Ramboro Books PLC, 1997, ISBN: 7 215 99561 5 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Galante, Pierre: Les Rois de rire
has a chapter about the Brothers
- (français) Hachette, Paris, France, 1972

Giesen, Rolf (Bernhard Matt ed.): Lachbomben: die grossen Filmkomiker
Comedians from silent films to the 1940s
- (deutsch) Heyne, München, Germany, 1991, ISBN: 3 453 04937 3

Gore, Chris: The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made
Mentions the Billy Wilder project "A Day at the United Nations"
- St. Martin's Press, New York, NY, 1999, ISBN: 0 312 20082 X / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Guttmacher, Peter: Legendary Comedies
This book covers comedy movies from Harold Loyd to Robin Williams. The Marx Brothers have four pages devoted to them.
- Metrobooks - Friedman/Fairfax, New York, NY, 1996, ISBN: 1 56799 239 0

Halliwell, Leslie: Halliwell's Hundred
includes DS, ANATO, ADATR, ANIC
- Scribner's

Herrmann, Dorothy: With Malice Toward All
Lives and loves of some 20th century American wits (Groucho Marx, Benchley, Woollcott, Fields, Parker)
- G.P. Putnam, 1982, ISBN: 0 399 12710 0 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Hytner, Nicholas: Film - 20th Century Icons
Selected by Nicholas Hytner, text by Simon Braund. The Marx Brothers are on the cover. Paperback featuring director Nicholas Hytner's ("The Madness of King George") choice of films of the century. Features "A Night at the Opera" among others movies like "Lawrence of Arabia", "Psycho", "Rashomon", "The Godfather", "The Wizard of Oz"
- Absolute Press, Bath, UK, 1999, ISBN: 1 89979 187 6 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Jordan, Thomas H.: The Anatomy of Cinematic Humor, with an Analytic Essay on the Marx Brothers
- Revisionist Press, New York, NY, 1974/1975, ISBN: 0 87700 209 6 / also sometimes listed with (wrong) ISBNs 0 685 04343 6, 0 87700 205 3 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Kanin, Garson: Together Again: Stories of the Great Hollywood Teams
chapter "The Marx Brothers - the hilarious relatives"; does not give very much information and is full of errors
- Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY, 1981

Krassner, Paul: My acid Trip with Groucho Marx
In this 16-page booklet Krassner describes meetings with people like Timothy Leary and Otto Preminger. All stories have something to do with LSD or Groucho (or both)
- High Times / first publication, titled: "See the secret Word and Win $100"
- Blue Angle, Inc., New York, NY, 1982

Kyrou, Ado: Le Surréalisme au Cinéma
The Marx Brothers are prominently mentioned
- (français) Arcanes, Paris, France, 1953
- (français) Le Terrain Vague, 1963

La Polla, Franco: Il riso, la morte e i diavoli: Ancora su Woody Allen e i fratelli Marx
American literature; 1900-1999; Allen, Woody; film; treatment of Jews; compared to Marx Brothers films; general literature; film
- (italiano) in: Fink, Guido, Morisco, Gabriella (eds.): "Il recupero del testo: Aspetti della letteratura ebraico-americana", Cooperativa Lib. Univ. Ed. Bologna, Bologna, 1988

Leeflang, Thomas: De wereld van de comedy
has a chapter on the Marx Brothers
- (nederlands) Uniebook B.V., Netherlands, 1985
- (nederlands) Van Holkema & Warendorf, Netherlands, 1986
- Windward, Leicester, UK, 1988, ISBN: 0 7112 0493 4
titled: The World of Comedy, translated by: Phil Goddard

LeMaster, David James: Charlie Chaplin and Harpo Marx as Masks of the Commedia dell'Arte: Theory and Practice
Keywords: dramatic arts; film; role of Chaplin, Charles Spencer; Marx, Harpo; relationship to commedia dell'arte
- Texas Tech University, Ph.D. thesis, 1995
- University Microfilm No. 9529798, Ann Arbor, MI, 1995

Lloyd, Ann (ed.): Movies of the Thirties
Has a four page article about the Marx Brothers by Charlotte Chandler, of which half a page is an article about Margret Dumont
- Orbis Publishing, London, UK, 1983, ISBN: 0 85613 523 2

Maltin, Leonard: Movie Comedy Teams
chapter "The Marx Brothers"
- Signet Books, W4453, New York, NY, 1970
- Plume/New American Library, New York, NY, 1974
- 1985

Maltin, Leonard: The Great Movie Comedians: From Charlie Chaplin to Woody Allen
This book features classic comedians like: Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, W.C.Fields, Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis. There is one chapter about the Marx Brothers.
- Crown Publishers, New York, NY, 1978, ISBN: 0 517 53241 7
- Harmony Books, New York, NY, 1982

Manchel, Frank: The Talking Clowns: From Laurel and Hardy to the Marx Brothers
Brief sketches of the life and careers of the great talking film comedians of the 1930's: Laurel and Hardy, W. C. Fields, Mae West, and the Marx Brothers. (Book summary) (130 pages, 34 page chapter about the Marx Brothers)
- Franklin Watts, New York, NY / London, UK, 1976, ISBN: 0 531 01153 4 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Matthews, J.H.: Surrealism and Film
The Marx Brothers are prominently mentioned
- University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 1971

McCaffrey, Donald: The Golden Age of Sound Comedy: Comic Films and Comedians of the Thirties
Chapter 4: "Zanies in a Stage-Movieland"
- A.S. Barnes and Co., New York, NY, 1973

Montgomery, John: Comedy Films: 1894-1954
Chapter 16 "The Eccentrics" devoted to the Marxes and W.C. Fields
- 1954
- George Allen & Unwin, London, UK, 1968

Neibaur, James L.: Movie Comedians: The complete guide
Not nearly as complete as the title suggests. For each comedian or team there's a very brief biography and information about the films. (TFG)
- McFarland & Co, Jefferson, NC

New York Times: The New York Times Film Reviews
- The New York Times & Arno Press, New York, NY, 1970, 1971

Norman, Barry: The Movie Greats
This one is a collection of chapters about 9 personalities: Chapter 3 is about Groucho. The others are: Marilyn Monroe, Peter Finch, Jack Hawkins, Edward G. Robinson, Robert Donat, Gracie Fields, Leslie Howard, Charlie Chaplin and a final chapter on Hollywood in general.
- Hodder and Stoughton, London, UK, 1981, ISBN: 0 340 25972 8 / also has ISBN 0 563 17972 4 for BBC publication
- Arrow, London, UK, 1982, ISBN: 0 09 929170 3

Norman, Barry: The Film Greats
- Hodder and Stoughton / British Broadcasting Corp., Sevenoaks, Kent, UK / London, 1985, ISBN: 0 340 35270 1
- Futura, London, UK, 1986

Parish, James Robert; Bowers, Ronald L.: The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era
a few pages about the Marx Brothers
- Arlington House, New Rochelle, NY, 1973

Parish, James Robert; Leonard, William T.; Mank, Gregory W.; Hoyt, Charles: The Funsters
This book presents 62 movie comedians from Charlie Chaplin to Woody Allen. It has a 13-page chapter on the Marx Brothers.
- Arlington House, New Rochelle, NY, 1979, ISBN: 0 87000 418 2

Robinson, Jeffrey: Teamwork: The Cinema's Greatest Comedy Teams
The chapter "The Marx Brothers" takes 17 of the 128 pages
- Proteus, New York, NY, 1982, ISBN: 0 86276 107 7 / (paperback)
- Proteus, New York, NY, 1982, ISBN: 0 86276 108 5

Rossi, John P.: A Night in Philadelphia
Keywords: American literature; 1900-1999; Johnstone, William B.; and Johnstone, Tom; I'll Say She Is; drama; role of Marx Brothers
- Four-Quarters, 8:1, 3-8, 1994, Spring

Rothe, Anna (ed.): Current Biography 1948
"Marx, Chico, Groucho, Harpo"
- The H.W. Wilson Company, New York, NY, 1949

Seeßlen, Georg: Klassiker der Filmkomik
has a chapter about the Marx Brothers
- (deutsch) Roloff und Seeßlen, München, Germany, 1976, ISBN: 3 88144 201 4
- (deutsch) Roloff und Seeßlen, München, Germany, 1976, ISBN: 3 88144 101 8
- (deutsch) Rowohlt, Reinbek, Germany, 1982, ISBN: 3 499 17424 3 / Programm Roloff und Seeßlen, "Grundlagen des populären Films 10"

Sennett, Ted: Laughing in the Dark - Movie Comedy from Groucho to Woody
Part of the chapter "The Comedy Icons of the Thirties" is about the Marx Brothers
- St. Martin's Press, New York, NY, 1992, ISBN: 0 312 06280 X / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Sinyard, Neil: Classic Movie Comedians
Chapter 6: "The Marx Brothers"
- Smithmark Publishers / Brompton Books Corp., New York, NY, 1992, ISBN: 0 8317 1451 4

Sjögren, Olle: Lekmannen i skrattspegeln. En kulturpsykologisk analys av tio manliga filmkomiker
The title translates as: "The (P)Layman In The Funny Mirror. A Psychocultural Analysis Of Ten Leading American Film Comedians". Abstract: "The subject of this thesis is the professional humor competence of the film comedians Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, W. C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy, The Marx Brothers, Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen."
- (svenska) PhD Thesis, Stockholms Universitet, Stockholm, Sweden, 1990, ISBN: 91 971157 1 1

Skolsky, Sidney: Times Square Tintypes
Short, 4 to 5 page "typewriter caricatures" of famous persons connected to Broadway in the 1920's, from the Marx Brothers to Fanny Brice to Flo Ziegfeld to Eugene O'Neill (50 in all). Delightful line drawing caricatures by Gard accompany each vignette.
- Ives Washburn, New York, NY, 1930

Took, Barry: Comedy Greats: A Celebration of Comic Genius Past and Present
Has a chapter about the Marx Brothers. Also featured are Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Barry Humphries, Jacques Tati and others
- Equation, Wellingborough, UK, 1989, ISBN: 1 85336 039 2

Wanamaker, Marc: Star Profiles
has two pages about Groucho
- London, UK, 1984

Weales, Gerald: Canned Goods as Caviar: American Film Comedy of the 1930s
Chapter 3: "Duck Soup"
- The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL / London, UK, 1985, ISBN: 0 226 87663 2 / hardcover
- The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL / London, UK, 1985, ISBN: 0 226 87664 0 / paperback

Wilson, Earl: The NBC Book of Stars
Keywords: television and radio Steve Allen Milton Berle bob hope Dinah shore Perry como Dave garroway George gobel Groucho Marx biography illustrated caricatures by wachsteter
- Pocket Books (1184), New York, 1957

Winokur, Mark Brian: American Laughter: Immigrants, Ethnicity, and 1930's Hollywood Film Comedy
Abstract: "My dissertation begins with the fact that American film comedy is produced by a disproportionate number of ethnics and immigrants, from creative staff (Chaplin, the Marx Brothers) to businessmen (Mayer, Thalberg, Zukor). I use historical parallels in literature to justify the sence that thematic treatment of assimilation in comedy is a distinctly American development. [..] But the bulk of the work consists of readings of three comedies, and so of three comic subgenres: Modern Times and silent comedy, Duck Soup and antic comedy, The Thin Man and the screwball. "
- PhD thesis, University Of California, Berkeley,CA, 1985
- St. Martin's Press, New York, 1995, ISBN: 0 312 12342 6 / Click on flag to order from amazon:

Woollcott, Alexander: While Rome Burns
Has the articles 'Obituary [for Minnie Marx]' and 'My Friend Harpo'
- Amereon, ISBN: 0 89190 148 5
- Grosset & Dunlap, New York, NY, 1934
- The Viking Press, New York, NY, 1934 / 12th printing October 1934

Woollcott, Alexander: Long, Long Ago
"I Might as Well Have Played Hooky" Comic essay. Joining Harpo as the subject of this piece are Irving Berlin and Norman Bel Geddes
- World Book Company, New York, NY, 1943
- The Viking Press, New York, NY, 1943

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