Other editions of book Groucho And Me

The “Me” in the title is a comparatively unknown Marx named Julius (1895-1977), who, under the nom de plume of Groucho, enjoyed a sensational career on Broadway and in Hollywood with such comedy classics as Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, and A Day at the Races. His solo career included work as a film actor, television game show emcee, and author of The Groucho Letters, Memoirs of a Mangy Lover, and his classic autobiography, Groucho and Me.With impeccable timing, outrageous humor, irreverent wit, and a superb sense of the ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York’s Upper East Side; the crooked world of small-time vaudeville (where they learned to carry blackjacks); how a pretzel magnate and the graceless dancer of his dreams led to the Marx Brothers’ first Broadway hit, I’ll Say She Is!, how the stock market crash in 1929 proved a godsend for Groucho (even though he lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars); the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their hilarious films, and Groucho’s triumphant television series, You Bet Your Life!. Here is the life and lunatic times of the great eccentric genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.“The book is never less than readable and its glimpses of American show business at its least glamorous are simple, true and sometimes rather touching.”—Times Literary Supplement“My advice is to ration yourself to a chapter a night—it’s that delectable.”—Chicago Sunday Tribune

"An important contribution to the history of show business and to the saga of American comedy and comedians, comics and comicality."--James ThurberWith impeccable timing, outrageous humor, irreverent wit, and a superb sense of the ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York's Upper East Side; the crooked world of small-time vaudeville (where they learned to carry blackjacks); how a pretzel magnate and the graceless dancer of his dreams led to the Marx Brothers' first Broadway hit, I'll Say She Is!; how the stock market crash in 1929 proved a godsend for Groucho (even though he lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars); the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their hilarious films, and Groucho's triumphant television series, You Bet Your Life! Here is the life and lunatic times of the great eccentric genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.

With timing, humor, and sense of ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York's Upper East Side, the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their films, and Groucho's triumphant television series. Here is the life and lunatic times of the great genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.

GROUCHO AND ME is the autobiography of Groucho Marx -- sort of. The book is certainly written by Groucho, contains his inimitable style and sense of humor, and does tell a few stories about his life. But anyone looking for any sort of detail surrounding Groucho's life would be well advised to try someplace else. But instead of criticizing the book for what it isn't, I'd rather spend this review talking about what it does well. Groucho is an engaging and hilarious writer. He admits right at the very beginning that most of the stories and anecdotes may not be entirely accurate. To publish a truthful and precise account is something that he says he would not be comfortable doing unless he was dead. Since a live Groucho writes infinitely better than a dead Groucho, we are left with this "pure ersatz Groucho", as he calls it. And to be honest, the lack of detail doesn't particularly hurt the book. Without having to deal with all the messiness that reality brings, Groucho is able to jump into all sorts of hilarious stories and asides. Marx is much more interested in telling a funny story than he is about historical accuracy, and I certainly can't complain, given how amused I was by his hilarious lunacy. Groucho tells a lot of stories and he tells them well. Telling a linear autobiography is not one of his priorities, as he bounces between decades with as much enthusiasm as Harpo chasing after a particularly beautiful blonde. His stories range from the time that he wrote the book (1959) back to his childhood in New York. The stories are occasionally tender, but most of the time they are just very funny. Groucho tells an anecdote in such a way that not only is the punch line funny, but so are most of the lines leading up to it. His family appears in many of his more memorable stories, not just his famous brothers, but also his young daughter, Melinda.

With impeccable timing, outrageous humor, irreverent wit, and a superb sense of the ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York's Upper East Side; the crooked world of small-time vaudeville (where they learned to carry blackjacks); how a pretzel magnate and the graceless dancer of his dreams led to the Marx Brothers' first Broadway hit, I'll Say She Is!; how the stock market crash in 1929 proved a godsend for Groucho (even though he lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars); the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their hilarious films, and Groucho's triumphant television series,You Bet Your Life! Here is the life and lunatic times of the great eccentric genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.

With impeccable timing, outrageous humor, irreverent wit, and a superb sense of the ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York's Upper East Side; the crooked world of small-time vaudeville (where they learned to carry blackjacks); how a pretzel magnate and the graceless dancer of his dreams led to the Marx Brothers' first Broadway hit, I'll Say She Is!; how the stock market crash in 1929 proved a godsend for Groucho (even though he lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars); the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their hilarious films, and Groucho's triumphant television series,You Bet Your Life! Here is the life and lunatic times of the great eccentric genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.