Woody Allen about Groucho

Woody Allen 1972 at "An evening with Groucho":

"Some years back, after a childhood of preocupation with comedy that led me to observing the styles of all the great comedians, I came to the conclusion that Groucho Marx was the best comedian this country ever produced. Now I am more convinced than ever that I was right. I can't think of a comedian who combined a totally original physical conception that was hilarious with a matchless verbal delivery. I believe there is a natural inborn greatness in Groucho that defies close analysis as it does with any genuine artist. He is simply unique in the same way that Picasso or Stravinsky are and I believe his outrageous unsentimental disregard for order will be equally as funny a thousand years from now. In addition to all this, he makes me laugh."

The Life and Times of the Marx Brothers

Dear Marxists,

The Marx Brothers combined musical comedy and slapstic with their unique anarchistic humor. Their gags were often mindless and profound at the same time. The times in which the Marx Brothers lived, were turbulent, to say the least - the beginning of a new century, the rise of the movie business, the breakdown of the world economy, two world wars and the start of a rather cold one. The Marx Brothers were children of their time, Harpo for example was the first American actor to perform in the Sovjet Union and also traveled trough Nazi-Germany... I for myself can't understand, why there is a movie about someone like "the aviator" Howard Hughes, but not about the Marx Brothers. But well, at least this blog is all about the Marx Brothers, their films, biographies, in short - the Life and the Times of the Marx Brothers.