Angel of Laughter

Synopsis:  A biopic based on Adolph Arthur ‘Harpo’ Marx’s remarkable life and the people he touched, including myself.   

~*~CAST~*~

Arthur Marx:

Milton ‘Gummo’ Marx:

Leonard ‘Chico’ Marx:

Julius ‘Groucho’ Marx:  

Herbert ‘Zeppo’ Marx:

Susan Fleming/Marx:

William ‘Bill’ Marx:

Alex Marx:

Minnie Marx:

Jimmy Marx:  

Minnie Schoenberg:

Sam ‘Frenchie’ Marx:

Al Shean: (maternal uncle)

‘Sorry, I tend to get a bit excited when I’m around the remarkable.’--Aunt Pleakley, Lilo & Stitch/Kim Possible Crossover  

‘The only tradition in our family was our lack of tradition.’--Harpo Marx

Scene 1--Joy Is Born

(November 23, 1888 reads out on the screen.)  

Arthur:   There I am, pink and vulnerable, just come into the world.   I was the third eldest in the family.   There was one brother that we Marxes had long before I was ever born.  His name was Manfred, and he died at 6 months.   None of us ever knew him and as far as I recall, Minnie and Frenchie never mentioned him, so we never really asked.   However, I feel, as much as any of my brothers do, to mention Manfred.   Wouldn’t be right to leave him out.    

(We quickly move forward to life in the Marx household.)

Arthur:  I was born Adolph but I never really cared for the name.   People often called me ‘Ahdieh’ when I was little.   

(We see Arthur growing up in a rather rough ghetto neighborhood, he’s even picked on in school.   At the age of 8, he decides he’s had enough of it and starts going into odd jobs and learning how to play the piano.)  

Arthur:  Growing up, we lived in a very unsettling neighborhood.   I went to school as most boys my age did, but I was happy to leave.   Miss Flatto often said I would never amount to anything and the boys in my classroom would throw me out the window daily.   When I walked away from that school, boy, I tell ya, I never once looked back.     I soon learned how to get by in the world even without much of an education.   It was all ‘on the job’.   Although we were always poor, Minnie, my mom, made certain that all of us had food to eat and that we did well in school.   Dad was a tailor and even though he sewed pants, it was my mom that wore the pants in our family.   

(Scene shift)  

Scene 2--The Birth of Harpo

Groucho:   Adhie, what are you looking at ?  

Arthur:   Just grandpa’s harp.   I’ve always what it would sound like.

Gummo:  We’ve got places to go.   

Chico:   Yeah, come on.   We don’t got all day.   

Zeppo:   Where to now ?  Another opening, another show ?

Groucho:  You know ma.   But tonight, we’re playing poker.   

Chico:   (getting a little bit overly excited)   This is gonna be a cake walk.   

Gummo:  I’m hoping’ we hit the big time soon.   All these shows are exhausting.   

Groucho:   Guys, come on.  Don’t be so down in the mouth.   We’ll get our chance yet.   I’ve met all the right people on all the right avenues.   

Chico:  I hope you’re right, Julius.    I hope you’re right.    

Arthur:  (narrating)  That night, we played poker and one of the guys started calling me ‘Harpo’.  Needless to say, the nickname stuck.   We were all working in our different venues, apart but never on the same stage.   Once we all started working together, everything changed.    Jules was right all along.    

(We see the Marx Brothers transformation.  Unfortunately, Gummo is usually the one forgotten, left on the sidelines.    They finally hit the big time and the fabled harp comes into Harpo’s life.   Later, he meets Susan and his life changes once more.)

Scene 3--Who is Pursuing Whom ?

Susan:  (wistfully, narrating)  I remember Arthur picking me out of a crowd during the filming of Animal Crackers.   During that entire scene, he hadn’t taken his eyes off me.   I had to leave the scene due to embarrassment.  I asked him out on a date, but he abruptly declined.   He forgot but I, alas, did not.    Sam GOldwyn organized a dinner where we met again.   I proposed to him 3 times over a four year period but I finally won him over in 1936.   

Arthur:  (narrating, recalling jovially)  Other than my bar mitzvah and beginning a family of my own, our wedding was the single most significant moment of my entire life.   I had always chased ladies around the sets but she raced her way into my heart.   I felt slightly guilty for Gummo and I having such a strong marriages.    Groucho struggled with his as did Chico.   I felt like the odd man out, but it seemed no matter where we went, there was love and laughter in our family.  

(Scene fade)   

Scene 4--Actually I Did Speak

Arthur:   The only reason I didn’t speak on stage was because of one bigot telling me off.   I spoke plenty of other times.  

Groucho:  Yeah, you even sang with us.  

Chico:  The way you answered the phone at home in your notable accent.   You always had a way to put people at ease.   

Gummo:   We never had any troubles, except for the time when you and Bill were making a film and they had changed it to include all of us.   

Arthur:   Yeah, yeah.   I was pretty sore over the whole thing.    That’s the only instance I can remember absolutely loathing the whole filming process.   

Zeppo:  (laughing)  It’s so funny how so many people thought he was mute.   

Groucho: All because of that comment in Des Moines about his act.   

Arthur:   Funny how things work out.    Even though it was a racist remark and hurt me deeply, I continued to pantomime.  

Gummo:  Had you not, we’d have never become big.   I faded into the background, not really caring.   You four deserved the spotlight more than I did.   

(Scene fade, however we see Arthur’s rise to fame, his methodology of practice and the animals he owned all the way up to his death.    We even see Bill being dubbed official prop man of his father’s trunk when he’s old enough to help his father out.)

Scene 5--It All Came Back to the Harp

Bill:   My dad was always ‘at one’ with his instrument.   He played piano but he only knew a couple songs very well that would be included in his bits with my Uncles.    Honestly, when I was small, I never knew I would be incorporated into this incredible, entertaining world, but he taught me, Jimmy, Alex and Minnie so much.  

Minnie:  Remember those 10 rules pop had ?   

Jimmy:   Oh yeah.    

Alex:  Do I ever !    Those are good for any situation.    

Minnie:   I recall him waking me up at 3 in the morning to play jacks, just because he had insomnia !   

(They all laugh)   

Bill:   And to think it all began in rinky dink hotels, just going from one place in another, trying to scrimp, claw and bite just to get by.    

Alex:  There isn’t anyone who could play the harp like pop could though.  

Minnie:   True, but concert harpists never took him seriously due to the fact he was self taught.   

Jim:   He owed that all to practice.   He taught himself clarinet, harmonica, and of course piano.    We all knew that his true instrument was the harp.   

Bill:   I’m so pleased he taught us to have a love of music, art and theatre.   I don’t think any of us would’ve chosen our fields had it not been for dad’s influence.   

(In all this we are treated to family photos, real recordings of Harpo playing many different pieces, varying from classical, jazz and even rock n’ roll.   We see him playing such venues as Ed Sullivan and the like and all over the world.   He is seen palling around with different big names, even future comedians.)   

Jim:   It was sad though, once he had that heart attack.    

Alex:   Much worse after the death of grandma and grandpa.   I think losing them made him feel like he lost a part of himself and it broke his heart.   

Bill:  I know it’s wrong to think so but I felt like he betrayed us in his death.    I didn’t want him to go, but I suppose he had to.    It was dad’s final open heart surgery and their 28th wedding anniversary.   He had survived Groucho, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo’s death.   I know this affected mom the most deeply even though she remained resolute, making certain that we stuck close to our goals and dreams and continued in her pursuit of art.  Susie Q stuck around a bit longer, outliving pop for 40 years.    She died in 2002, also of heart attack.   

Minnie:   We all miss them both so much.   

Jim:   But the legacy both of them left behind will never be forgotten.   Through media like the Internet, dad still lives on.   There are comedians today that owe their schtick due to his zany, spontaneous, hyper acts.   I just hope that what we’re doing honors them both.  

(There’s a warm feeling as both the spirit of Susan and Arthur are standing behind them, hugging them close.)   

Alex:  I get the feeling that we are, guys.   Let’s keep the legacy continuing.  

(We see what became of the harp that he had and El Rancho as well as how many people, including myself have been touched by The Marx’s genuine, wacky, spontaneous, madcap humor.   I owe it to Harpo and I feel like I have earned his stamp, nay, honk of approval here.   I even squeak with my own squeaky toy I recently got.   It gets a lot of smiles.  I love spreading smiles.  It’s the simplest, sweetest, most genuine form of agape that exists.  Blooper reels are run from actual Marx productions including that of my actors and actresses.   I want to include actual interviews with people who were touched by Harpo or the Marxes whoever they were or are.   Thank you, bless you all.   Laughter truly is the best medicine.)