Episode 77: And Always Zeppo
We’ve commented frequently about the glorious steady expansion of the Marx Brothers bookshelf, with new Marx Brothers (or Marx Brothers-adjacent) books published every year. It’s also worth pointing out that no single figure is responsible for more of those books than Robert S. Bader, who in the last decade has given us Four of the Three Musketeers, Speaking of Harpo, and now Zeppo: The Reluctant Marx Brother (in addition to the earlier collection Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales).
There was a time when the idea of a Zeppo Marx biography would have struck even die-hard Marx Brothers fans as not just a profound unlikelihood, but an hilarious joke. How could there possibly be a book's worth of interest in a man whose public presence was defined by not being very interesting?
Well, in real life, he was very interesting. We’ve known that for a long time, but now we really know it — and aside from the separate question of whether we like Zeppo, our fascination with him has never run higher. In the preface to the new book, Bader writes, “If the story of the Marx Brothers is a triumphant show business tale, Zeppo’s is a dimly lit film noir based on a gritty crime novel.” Zeppo: The Reluctant Marx Brother is as tough and turbulent as that description suggests. There was always something vaguely menacing about the Marx Brothers, but Zeppo was the only one who spent his entire life getting into public brawls and fistfights. He also launched, mastered, and abandoned several careers in diverse fields, as if to demonstrate that while he might have been the worst Marx Brother, he was the best at everything else.
In the MBCP episode you’ve been waiting for — thanks for your patience! — Matthew and I discuss the book and our responses to it, while making an effort to preserve some of its revelations for listeners who haven’t yet read it.
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We don’t have a photo of ourselves recording Episode 77, so we’re reusing this photo of ourselves recording Episode 76, and hoping you won’t notice.
Official description: “Noah and Matthew dive into Robert S. Bader’s new book, Zeppo: The Reluctant Marx Brother, the first-ever biography of the universally acknowledged youngest Marx Brother.
“The guys explore Zeppo’s life of career-shifts, ties to organized crime, and strained family relationships. They delve into why he didn’t bask in the glory of the Marxes’ 1960s and 70s resurgence, and find proof of his rumored great wit. Oh, and Matthew discovers a Groucho ‘Holy Grail’ buried in Bader’s pages...
“Not too spoilery, this episode is a must-listen whether you’ve read the book or not.”
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Footnotes:
You can get Zeppo: The Reluctant Marx Brother wherever books are sold — we recommend bookshop.org.
Visit zeppomarx.com, where you can watch a great seven-minute video about Zeppo and the book.
Here is a nice review of the book, by Betsy Sherman, which also includes a nice mention of The Marx Brothers Council Podcast. Nice!
Carl Bergmanson is the kind Council member who sent Matthew a copy of the book, when Amazon UK had supply issues. Thanks, Carl!
