State of the Podcast, and a Marx Mystery Solved
We’re taking the month off from our normal festivities, but here’s an important update on our plans going forward, followed by the resolution to a Room Service mystery.
Episode 50: The Gods Look Down and Laugh (Our Animal Crackers Deep Dive featuring Heidi Gassel)
Not every Marx Brothers fan would name Animal Crackers when asked which film is their favorite, but as it happens, all three of your hosts would. And so would our especially special guest, Heidi Gassel.
Episode 49: Four Empty Dunces (featuring Brad Sohlo)
Splendacious Alexander Woollcott expert Brad Sohlo joins us for a discussion of the affinity between the Marx Brothers and the intellectual elite. This episode is not immoral, illegal, or fattening.
Episode 48: Your Silent Partner
"I am the most fortunate self-taught harpist and non-speaking actor who ever lived." — Harpo Marx
Scott's Term Paper
This is the text of Scott Alexander's May 17, 2022 post in the Marx Brothers Council group on Facebook, discussed in Episode 47 of the podcast.
Episode 47: Bert & Harry Go West (featuring Scott Alexander)
Not a fan of the Marxes' Go West? Wish it had been done by the guys who wrote Duck Soup? Well, it almost was. Acclaimed screenwriter and friend of the Council Scott Alexander joins us to discuss the film’s early scripts, penned by the legendary team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby.
Episode 46: Deridin' the Range (Our Go West Deep Dive)
In 1851, Horace Greeley said: "NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR A PODCAST ABOUT GO WEST, YOUNG MAN!" This is a story of three men who made Horace Greeley wish he had said it louder.
Episode 45: That En-cy-clo-pidia! (featuring Glenn Mitchell)
It speaks well of the Marx Brothers and their fans that there are so many outstanding books about the team. Near the top of that list is Glenn Mitchell's ambitious Marx Brothers Encyclopedia. The man himself joins us for a discussion of his work.
Episode 44: Double Disappointment (featuring Anthony Strand)
Isn't it interesting that Groucho made some movies without his brothers? Back in Episode 20, we tackled Copacabana (1947), and concluded that yes, it is interesting. And now, joined by Anthony Strand, we apply the same thinking to Groucho's odd double feature of early-fifties RKO releases, Double Dynamite (1951) and A Girl in Every Port (1952). Are these films interesting? Is this episode interesting? These are interesting questions -- or are they?
Episode 43: I Take it Out Once in a While (featuring Jay Hopkins)
It’s our first episode of 2022, and here we are again with a thousand dollars for one of our couples. Say the secret word and divide an extra hundred dollars. It’s a common word…