It is implied that Harpo is singing (baritone) in the opening scene of Monkey Business (1931), where the four Marx Brothers, stowed away in barrels aboard a cruise liner, sing a four-part harmony of "Sweet Adeline."
I have a recording of him talking about an incident that happend to him during a gig where he got sick, but it only last 30 seconds. Its the only known recording of him other than this.....at least that I know of.
@teejhead for some reason I'm not able post any links so i'm just going to direct you; it's in the end of the documentary Inside The Marx Brothers
the docu is here on youtube and it's the last part, just after they tell about chico's death, somewhere on the half of the last part <if you get what i mean
however there is also another, with the same clip, where you don't have to go through the whole documentary, but i'm not sure how to explain that
@benthemiester i've heard the same clip; it's from before he went on vaudeville; he used to work for this women Mrs Chang and she always called him That Jew Son Of A Bitch and she was some kind of mobster women or something. When he got the measles she fired him.
I make skits that are chock-full of puns and one-liners, please take a look and let me know what you think! I'm a huge fan of The Marx Brothers and want to reach out to an audience who likes that sense of humor
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It is my sad duty to inform you that Arthur Julius Marx, prolific screenwriter and director and son of Julius Henry 'Groucho' Marx, passed away recently at the age of 89.
It is with great sadness that I inform you that Arthur Julius Marx, prolific screenwriter and son of Julius Henry 'Grouchl' Marx, passed away recently at age 89.
@takineko Yes, the son of Groucho and nephew of Harpo (ne Adolph, later Arthur) passed away. Arthur Marx was prominent in his own right, having served as a director and screenwriter.
@Juliaflo Thank you for sharing. I've been recently looking at alot of Marx related things and really enjoyed hearing the stories some of their decedents were telling. That's sad.
I was giving "outtaker" credit for catching it by saying "Absolutely" to HIS previous post.
( I think Harpo's 1st "line" is usually missed cuz it comes so quick, before we're oriented, and cuz it also kind'a sounds like a muffled voice-over . . or even like the other guy is already speaking !! )
Of course, the fact that this is always presented as "Harpo says 'honk, honk'" helps one see it that way too.
But I don't know what tannalv means by "I didn't miss it?" as a question.
I'm glad we get to hear him speak at the beginning, but it's the HONK! HONK! that cracks me up every time. I suspect he was a lot of fun to hang around with.
He also had a nice voice. It's too bad he didn't do more voice work on the side, apart from his Harpo character. Now I have to go chase down a copy of the "Sweet Adeline" number from Monkey Business and see if I can hear Harpo's beautiful baritone. :-)
At the very beginning he says ¨You gotta do the talking here.¨ He was off-mike and must have thought it wouldn't pick up his voice. I bet that's the only time his voice was captured on film since the early days of the Marx Brothers stage shows. Groucho said in a TV interview that a newspaper critic had made fun of Harpos's voice and he vowed never to speak on stage again.
@hfelton Not his voice but the way he delivered lines. An alternate theory is that because Harpo's voice was more resonant he was discouraged from talking. I've read that he did talk a lot on set even when the cameras were rolling.
@princesstamika in the marx bro's bio they say harpo had a real hard time remembering his lines so the bro's got the idea to make him ' mute ' to help him out . it was their secret but they sold it to the studio that harpo would be funnier ' mute ' groucho the 1 liners , zeppo the straight man , chico the ' accent " & harpo they passed off as the ' mute " and the studio bought it.
@jerseyman34 I read in his autobiography, he had a review for one of their stage shows saying: "Arthur (Adolph) is a wonderful pantomime, and ruins it when he opens his mouth. " He vowed to never speak in the act again.
Can't people appreciate both the Marx Bros. and The Three Stooges, as I do? Love both teams, for their individually unique approaches to comedy. I grew up watching the Marxes and the Stooges on television, and have many happy memories of much laughter from Groucho, Chico, Harpo (and sometimes, Zeppo, kind of...), as well as Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Joe Besser (and sometimes, Curly Joe, kind of..).
I don't think that anybody in the rest of the world would know who the Stooges were, but I would find it strange if somebody said that they didn't know who the Marx Brothers were.
Heard of Larry, Curly and Moe? If so, you've heard of the Three Stooges. Guessing by your name that you aren't very old... Stooges were well known when I was a child and a cartoon series was shown in a children's time slot so I knew of them long before I knew of the Marx Brothers.
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@the5muzos No, never heard of them... and that was precisely my point. And having watched three episodes of them in youtube, i can only say I wat that half-an-hour back. To sum it all up: 3 monkeys hitting one another is NOT fun to watch.
The Stooges are more known in modern culture because you don't need to know the slang of the day to appreciate their slapstick. More people "get" them at first glance. And generally, the Stooges are taught to kids first and the Marx Bros rarely come up if at all. I'm the only person I know who even knows who the Marx Bros were. But everyone knows the Stooges. Slapstick is always reaches more people.
@princesstamika Oh, well, that's why they got an Oscar honorary Award! No, wait! That was Groucho Marx. Having seen three episodes of the Stooges in youtube, I think the comparison is even insulting to the Marx Brothers. The wit in a single minute of a Marx Bro film puts the other-whatever-their-name to shame.
@LisaSimpsonRules1st I'm from Poland and what's interesting - everybody here recoginze the Marx Brothers, know who their where and know some of the movies, but nowbody knows who the Three Stooge are.
@Philtration Are you kidding? All those guys did was hit each other! The Marx Brothers had wit, style and class and were hillarious too! There's a reason they worked best in 15 minute shorts. After 15 minutes, hitting becomes a boxing match, not funny at all.
@Philtration Well, they made some of the best comedies in the history of cinema. Plus they are known all over the world. I don't even know who the Stooges are or what they did, but Marx bro were really original in the way they presented their gags. They had a lot going on in their films. There are many references to the Depression times, and Duck Soup is much more politically aware than what it seems at first sight. If you don't like them it's OK, but don't compare them to other comedians.
@Philtration I suppose it just comes down to the fact that I just plain can't see a bunch of guys slamming each other funny. A pie in the face is slapstick, 15 minutes of punching, slapping and pretend eye gouging is no substitute for great scripts and acting and timing honed to a keen edge by about 20 years on stage before they shot a single frame of film.
@budgienation Yes I know about their stage act. Just like the Stooges worked the stage for years before being filmed. Like I said... I have nothing against the Marx Brothers. I just think that Columbia gave the Stooges a raw deal and if given the chance they could have made some great full length films. You have to look past the eye poking and that sort of stuff.
It is just my opinion that they were better. I did not like Abbott & Costello either.
@budgienation The Stooges spent a fair amount of time on stage too. They were contemporaries so probably 30 years or so. I'm not too keen on the Stooges for reasons you mentioned but I still end up watching them. Sometimes.
@budgienation They were vaudevillians just like everyone else back then ^__^
It took them a lot longer than the Marx Bros to get a film deal (the Marxes were almost 40 when they got theirs). I think they were around the same age if not exactly.
You're totally right about Harpo's adopted family. It's all in a chapter of the book Harpo speaks. Harpo had no problem speaking but as a boy he had a very high voice which didn't carry to the back of the music halls and I think it was his Uncle, Minnie's brother, who suggested the dumb act.
I have read some comments that Harpo and Susan Marx s childern were not thier real kids because they were adopted. Besides being insulting to all involed, you clearly havent read Harpo Speaks. Go to the Harpo Tribute on the internet. There is a link caled Harpo Tells A Story taken fom his autobiogphy. It tels how he and Susan exsplined adoption to THIER kids. It is beatiful. And NONE of them grew up to write trash on thier parents. Read it THEN tel me who s kids they were and ARE
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but Harpo said a few words right at the start of the Video! He said, "You better do the talking". and if you look at harpo's mouth it's proof that he said it!!!
hah yea i had a massive crush on mostly him and then it was chico when i was a little one. it was weird, my current boyfriend of five years is a short little italian too.. kinda funny but i still love the marx brothers, always have and probably will aways have an appreciation for them.
I had a crush on Harpo as a girl. I've grown up to resemble him as a middle aged woman. And I've thought about it... the good and the bad of it. And decided it's fine. I should have seen it coming. I had such a crush on him that I thought, well, I can't possibly look like him. I'm just imagining it. Must look more like Chico. But no. It's him.
@carva9 Well not for this ex child now middle age adult lady. All the Brothers were clearly gifred BUT Harpo was, is, and forever will be THE best, funniest and greatest of the Marx Bros. . I think, just my opion, he was the happiest in his personal life, not that that makes you the funniest. In a nutshall Harpo is THE MAN
I believe that the man with Harpo is Alexander Woollcott, a critic who worked for New Yorker Magazine. Mr. Woollcott and Harpo were good friends and were members of the Algonquin Round Table. Woollcott hosted the popular radio program "Town Crier".
It's said that Harpo didn't speak because he had a voice that was too similar to Groucho's, and which didn't project well.
@TomBarristerX It's Herb Williams. On the Busby Berkeley boxed set there is a short feature (on 42nd Street?) starring Herb. He did an amazing act where a piano would fall apart while he tried to play it and his top hat would keep rolling to the back of his head. Worth checking out.
@MrProjection so am I !!! and I am loving it!!! got me interested about the Algonquin round table. (watch "Mrs Parker and the vicious circle" here on youtube!) and increased the admiration I had for Ruth Gordon. Wish I could have met them back in those days. What a life they had!!!!!
This is the first time I've ever heard him. As a kid I thought he was mute. :) Thanks everyone for the bits of history. I'd read that about him, that he was gentle. And they really loved each other and would get together with their families all the time, if I remember correctly. Thank you so much for posting this!
This is the first time I've ever heard him. As a kid I thought he was mute. :) Thanks everyone for the bits of history. I'd read that about him, that he was gentle. And they really loved each other and would get together with their families all the time, if I remember correctly. Thank you so much for posting this!
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@Rosetylerfano1o1 Sheen is doing nothing wrong, just enjoying his life and money, We all do what we want with our lives, he is not hurting anyone, other than himself...........He is not starting wars, killing " fetuses" as doctors call them. CHILDREN in abortion clinics, AND/OR spending your money, If we know of him, it is because the media is always reporting about him...BREAKING NEWS!!! instead of reporting how bad the situation in the country is. Captas.
@Rosetylerfano1o1 I am not upset, they are funny, i cannot argue that, these people make me laugh everytime i watch..but let's face it, sheen is a different kind of funny, he is just reenacting the modern men and women of the century.
@victoriakirolos Just stop talking, ur anoying, this person mad a harmless, funny, comment that was obviously a joke, now stop saying things that make u look stupid and crazy. That was a good comment that u should NOT take so seriously because it wasnt serious. XP now chill! game over, stop talking ur only making people not like u.
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@heatless21 and they would make fun of you...they will tell you dont you care about your country..instead of posting here on you tube, go write your congressmen/women
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@heatless21 You people are so disgusting, because of people like you the country is in shambles,,,you only care about the point of view of others instead of focusing on what your governors are doing. Pathetic
@Rosetylerfano1o1 The classics never die.Charlie Sheen is perhaps the most arrogant,self centered lowlife I have ever seen.The world would be so much better without all these parasites.Nothing but hype.But to the legends of film,music,literature and art I salute.
harpo sings in the begining of monkey business...the day at the races washing hands scene...sneezes loudly in at the circus...and coughs and almost chokes while eating in a night in casablanca!
How delightful to at least hear the late great Harpo say those few words at the beginning. From what I've read, offscreen he was a kind and gentle man. And actually quite intelligent; he was good friends with many of the New York Algonquin Roundtable set. And as is well known he was an incredibly devoted family man. Groucho wrote that he & his wife loved children & would have liked to have adopted a LOT more if he'd been able. THANKS so very much for sharing this fascinating footage!
@JubalCalif Also Groucho named his son Arthur after Harpo because that was the name Harpo went by. Arthur wrote that the first time he saw his father cry was when Harpo died. Harpo knew how to listen and thus educated his self by listening to others
Thanks so much for that fascinating background info, miss gibb! From what I've read, the late great Harpo was universally loved with no one in or out of show biz ever having a bad word to say about him. I appreciate your insightful comments! :)
Wow. I've yet to read any of thier books. I have been a Marx Brothers fan for a few years now. Its great to find these clip in order to show my friends.
This is a gem. Where did it come from? I've been a Marx Bros fan for over forty years and to actually hear Harpo speak is like finding the Holy Grail. The closest I've previously come to it is at the beginning of Monkey Business when they are singing close harmony from inside the barrels and you realise that there are four voices, Thanks for sharing this teejhead.
I used to have a big crush on him too, he has classic good looks that are both impish and sweet. And his voice is so rich and deep and suave. I also love his accent, so exotic...no wonder so many of us girls are swooning!
@midguardz What makes you think we wouldnt know who he was. You asume way too much. I have seenplenty of pictures of him in every day clothes so do not asume. I would not swom, but i would hug him and thank him for the joy of laughter and Harp music And it is a testament to the power of REAL talent that people still adore him. And he was by far the most handsome of al 5 Marx Bros. But talent gid run dep in the Marx family
I've just re-read 'The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx' by Stefan Kanfer. It's a biography of grouch of course. Is that the one you read? Published by Penguin. Also re-watching all their movies with my English students. They all seem to like 'The Big Store' best.
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Harpo sounded like Groucho in that brief sentence at the beginning. Women ALWAYS love ANY man with money, power or talent. Look how they went goof-@ss over Obongo! There are thousands of guys walking around New York who are just as cute as Harpo but UNLESS they got the $, FORGET IT! AM I RIGHT, GUYS?
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While that is actually true there's no reason it shouldn't be. You're probably just jealous that you don't have any money to get any pu***.
Men have a leg up in most departments including that one, an ugly woman is still an ugly woman no matter how much dough she makes.
In comedy, especially, ugly male comedians make it a point to only hire big titted fucktoys- the Marx Bros certainly did that. It's an avenue of power. Imagine a female Groucho and you've probably got me.
Special note: if a woman does have money, expect a Groucho character to waltz in and start insulting her.
Comedy is a very sexist thing. The world is a very sexist place. No need to get mad at women for exploring one of the only avenues of power we have. Seems a bit jealous.
Also, if you can hook us up with guys that look and sound like Harpo. ...you win the internets. They have to be delicious cuties who look good in fedoras!
Harpo Marx actually hung out with Alexander Woolcott and the Algonquin round table. He wrote an autobiography published a few years before his death called "Harpo Speaks."
One of my favourite autobiographies, a really good read. I've just read a Groucho biography and it's not a patch on it. In fact, can anyone recommend a really good Groucho biography?
Have you read Groucho's autobiography, "Groucho and Me"? It's one of my all-time favorite books. Funny, of course, but poignant also. It doesn't give a very clear factual history of his life, and he's a bit guarded about his personal life, but if you want to get feel for what his life was like, I can't suggest anything better.
"Hello, I Must Be Going", by Charlotte Chandler is an excellent read. She interviewed him for "Playboy", they became friends and he shared a lot of stories about his life and career with her
By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. No one understood this better than Harpo Marx.
clockwize 3 weeks ago
It is implied that Harpo is singing (baritone) in the opening scene of Monkey Business (1931), where the four Marx Brothers, stowed away in barrels aboard a cruise liner, sing a four-part harmony of "Sweet Adeline."
MrRF1958 3 weeks ago
What he says is "You gotta do the talking on the air" then "honk honk"
marcusbarone 3 weeks ago
I love it. He says I don;t talk then SAYS honk honk. Classic.
yryriza 1 month ago
I thought the "honk" comment was about the poor quality of the audio, but nope!
purvicide 1 month ago
harpo didnt talk cause he got bad reviews when he spoke and never spoke again in movies.plus harpo was a good listener.
brittperry21 1 month ago
I wonder if one of the reasons Harpo didn't talk was that he had a really deep voice which may not have worked for his character.
ElmozGhost 2 months ago
@ElmozGhost I heard that he did not talk because he was not good at reading lines.
TheHarlean 1 month ago
@ElmozGhost I've heard that as an alternate reason. that his voice drew attention away from Groucho.
princesstamika 3 weeks ago
Love him.
yourVeiledLodger 2 months ago
I just heard it. Look up harpo talks. But it is kind of spooky to see him here out of costume talking.
blabbermouth777 3 months ago
Harpo Marx was unique, they don't make that kind anymore.
chienferoce 3 months ago
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cesar4mar 4 months ago
I have a recording of him talking about an incident that happend to him during a gig where he got sick, but it only last 30 seconds. Its the only known recording of him other than this.....at least that I know of.
benthemiester 5 months ago
@benthemiester Is it available somewhere? I'd love to hear it.
teejhead 5 months ago 2
@teejhead for some reason I'm not able post any links so i'm just going to direct you; it's in the end of the documentary Inside The Marx Brothers
the docu is here on youtube and it's the last part, just after they tell about chico's death, somewhere on the half of the last part <if you get what i mean
however there is also another, with the same clip, where you don't have to go through the whole documentary, but i'm not sure how to explain that
littlemissmello 5 months ago
@teejhead watch?v=19prL2ue4pk
LouisLambert 5 months ago
@teejhead It's here:
watch?v=19prL2ue4pk
sthugh 2 months ago
@teejhead It won't let me put the link in, but look up harpo marx speaks, and the video will have 3 of the brothers with Karl Marx.
yryriza 1 month ago
@benthemiester i've heard the same clip; it's from before he went on vaudeville; he used to work for this women Mrs Chang and she always called him That Jew Son Of A Bitch and she was some kind of mobster women or something. When he got the measles she fired him.
littlemissmello 5 months ago
@littlemissmello Of course Alexander Woollcott would use that libelous phrase when Harpo got him good! (See "Harpo Speaks".)
therebis 2 months ago
@benthemiester There's also a recording involving him talking about him getting thrown out of a window by bullies when he was a kid.
EarthCrash95 2 weeks ago
I always wondered what Harpo was really like, and getting to see him like this, wow
Dulcie19 5 months ago 3
@Dulcie19 read his book! from how he appears in that book, he was almost as crazy IRL as in the movies. + he seemed to have a very kind heart.
kyrastube 4 months ago
I make skits that are chock-full of puns and one-liners, please take a look and let me know what you think! I'm a huge fan of The Marx Brothers and want to reach out to an audience who likes that sense of humor
Seinfeld182 5 months ago
@stations44
U couldn't be more correct. :)
Thanks.
Aaron13plus 6 months ago
Harpo: "you gotta do the talking on air- honk honk!
mravantgarde123 7 months ago
Harpo, in real life was a doll!!!
aoc36 8 months ago
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DONT READ THIS CAUSE IT ACTUALY WORKS. YOU WILL GET KISSED ON THE NEAREST POSSIBLE FRIDAY BY THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE. TOMMORROW WILL BE THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE.HOWEVER IF YOU DONT POST THIS COMMENT TO AT LEAST THREE VIDEOS YOU WILL DIE WITHIN TWO DAYS.NOW YOU STARTED READING THIS DONT STOP.THIS IS SO SCARY.PUT THIS ON AT LEAST FIVE VIDEOS IN 143 MINUTES WHEN UR DONE PRESS F6 AND UR LOVERS NAME WILL APPEAR IN BIG LETTERS. THIS IS SO scarycause it works
WhattheCode 8 months ago
"You gotta do the talking on the air"
andromaeda5 9 months ago
You can clearly hear Harpo tell his rep "You gotta do the talking...."
CGAWLEY 9 months ago 2
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It is my sad duty to inform you that Arthur Julius Marx, prolific screenwriter and director and son of Julius Henry 'Groucho' Marx, passed away recently at the age of 89.
Juliaflo 9 months ago
It is with great sadness that I inform you that Arthur Julius Marx, prolific screenwriter and son of Julius Henry 'Grouchl' Marx, passed away recently at age 89.
Juliaflo 9 months ago
@Juliaflo Seriously? :(
takineko 9 months ago
@takineko Yes, the son of Groucho and nephew of Harpo (ne Adolph, later Arthur) passed away. Arthur Marx was prominent in his own right, having served as a director and screenwriter.
Juliaflo 9 months ago
@Juliaflo Thank you for sharing. I've been recently looking at alot of Marx related things and really enjoyed hearing the stories some of their decedents were telling. That's sad.
takineko 9 months ago
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@takineko I was reading about them Today.
victoriakirolos 9 months ago
@victoriakirolos What did you read?
takineko 9 months ago
@takineko I read about them in wikipedia. i honestly read about all the brothers.
victoriakirolos 9 months ago
@victoriakirolos I like to as well ^^
takineko 9 months ago
@victoriakirolos Me too.
Littlemissmazda 9 months ago
i liked the part when he said honk honk
davidtregenza 9 months ago
funny. whenever somebody farts I always say "Harpo speaks!"
mrspivvy 11 months ago
Is this his voice at 00:02?
maciekur 11 months ago 2
@maciekur Yeah XD he said "Your gonna do the talking today." lol
Rosetylerfano1o1 10 months ago
Harpo actually DOES speak from 0:02-0:04; saying, "You gotta do the talk now, yea..."
outtaker 1 year ago
@outtaker Absolutely, funny how we all miss that.... it's rather obvious.
DmRofAtoZ 1 year ago
@DmRofAtoZ I didn't miss it?
tannalv 1 year ago
@tannalv Huh ?
I was giving "outtaker" credit for catching it by saying "Absolutely" to HIS previous post.
( I think Harpo's 1st "line" is usually missed cuz it comes so quick, before we're oriented, and cuz it also kind'a sounds like a muffled voice-over . . or even like the other guy is already speaking !! )
Of course, the fact that this is always presented as "Harpo says 'honk, honk'" helps one see it that way too.
But I don't know what tannalv means by "I didn't miss it?" as a question.
DmRofAtoZ 1 year ago
@DmRofAtoZ you said "we all miss that". I didn't read a single comment, I just watched the vid and I caught it.
tannalv 1 year ago
Comment removed
DmRofAtoZ 1 year ago
Never has one man broke through the walls of silence with absolutely no words at all!!
ermayo93 1 year ago
The nicest guy that ever lived,in my opinion.
frediablo 1 year ago
He has such a completely different voice than i imagined....I LOVE IT!
DINOLOVER6717 1 year ago
What year was this? Anyone know? Crush on a man born 95 years before me. Weird
.
selfmute 1 year ago
@selfmute..... premier of Ziegfeld follies 1946
ARoundOfApplause 1 year ago
@selfmute I think it was around 1936
flowerpainter 1 year ago
Harpo talking is like Curly with hair!
EchoBoomer1987 1 year ago
I've been in love with Harpo since I was 14 :>
reversereverie 1 year ago
He sounds like Chico.
bobjfs 1 year ago 2
Harpo was wonderful; the sweetest and the nicest of the Marx Brothers.
cynthiacher 1 year ago 2
-swoon-
freakoffreaks145 1 year ago
I'm glad we get to hear him speak at the beginning, but it's the HONK! HONK! that cracks me up every time. I suspect he was a lot of fun to hang around with.
He also had a nice voice. It's too bad he didn't do more voice work on the side, apart from his Harpo character. Now I have to go chase down a copy of the "Sweet Adeline" number from Monkey Business and see if I can hear Harpo's beautiful baritone. :-)
bohemianspiritmn 1 year ago
Why aren't men like him nowadays???
trilceOOO 1 year ago 2
@trilceOOO
Honk, honk!
AmosPressley 1 year ago
@trilceOOO Feminism.
jimmy27paul 1 year ago 2
LOVE HIM XD
NeverEndingPromises 1 year ago
I had such a huge crush on Harpo....and then Groucho!! lol
I even got the Harpo outfit all assembled with both a red and a blond wig! :D Even tried to learn the harp, well almost! lol
SusanDRobinson 1 year ago
At the very beginning he says ¨You gotta do the talking here.¨ He was off-mike and must have thought it wouldn't pick up his voice. I bet that's the only time his voice was captured on film since the early days of the Marx Brothers stage shows. Groucho said in a TV interview that a newspaper critic had made fun of Harpos's voice and he vowed never to speak on stage again.
hfelton 1 year ago
@hfelton Not his voice but the way he delivered lines. An alternate theory is that because Harpo's voice was more resonant he was discouraged from talking. I've read that he did talk a lot on set even when the cameras were rolling.
princesstamika 1 year ago
@princesstamika in the marx bro's bio they say harpo had a real hard time remembering his lines so the bro's got the idea to make him ' mute ' to help him out . it was their secret but they sold it to the studio that harpo would be funnier ' mute ' groucho the 1 liners , zeppo the straight man , chico the ' accent " & harpo they passed off as the ' mute " and the studio bought it.
jerseyman34 1 year ago
@jerseyman34 I read in his autobiography, he had a review for one of their stage shows saying: "Arthur (Adolph) is a wonderful pantomime, and ruins it when he opens his mouth. " He vowed to never speak in the act again.
selfmute 1 year ago
@selfmute Yeah i heard something similar years ago.
LuminousGuy 1 year ago
Can't people appreciate both the Marx Bros. and The Three Stooges, as I do? Love both teams, for their individually unique approaches to comedy. I grew up watching the Marxes and the Stooges on television, and have many happy memories of much laughter from Groucho, Chico, Harpo (and sometimes, Zeppo, kind of...), as well as Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Joe Besser (and sometimes, Curly Joe, kind of..).
sassyjass 1 year ago
I don't think that anybody in the rest of the world would know who the Stooges were, but I would find it strange if somebody said that they didn't know who the Marx Brothers were.
LisaSimpsonRules1st 1 year ago
@LisaSimpsonRules1st
Heard of Larry, Curly and Moe? If so, you've heard of the Three Stooges. Guessing by your name that you aren't very old... Stooges were well known when I was a child and a cartoon series was shown in a children's time slot so I knew of them long before I knew of the Marx Brothers.
@others in general
I agree that some aspects of both groups left a bit to be desired but there was genuine humour and insight from both that's worth seeing.
the5muzos 1 year ago
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@the5muzos No, never heard of them... and that was precisely my point. And having watched three episodes of them in youtube, i can only say I wat that half-an-hour back. To sum it all up: 3 monkeys hitting one another is NOT fun to watch.
LisaSimpsonRules1st 11 months ago
@LisaSimpsonRules1st Are you talking about the Marx Brothers?
MrCommunistJesus 11 months ago
@LisaSimpsonRules1st
The Stooges are more known in modern culture because you don't need to know the slang of the day to appreciate their slapstick. More people "get" them at first glance. And generally, the Stooges are taught to kids first and the Marx Bros rarely come up if at all. I'm the only person I know who even knows who the Marx Bros were. But everyone knows the Stooges. Slapstick is always reaches more people.
princesstamika 1 year ago
@princesstamika I suppose I'm the opposite. I've never seen the Stooges but I love the Marx Brothers. :)
Areida77 1 year ago
@princesstamika Oh, well, that's why they got an Oscar honorary Award! No, wait! That was Groucho Marx. Having seen three episodes of the Stooges in youtube, I think the comparison is even insulting to the Marx Brothers. The wit in a single minute of a Marx Bro film puts the other-whatever-their-name to shame.
LisaSimpsonRules1st 11 months ago
@LisaSimpsonRules1st I'm from Poland and what's interesting - everybody here recoginze the Marx Brothers, know who their where and know some of the movies, but nowbody knows who the Three Stooge are.
maciekur 11 months ago
@maciekur
I do
dinerouk 10 months ago
What I wouldn't do for that microphone....
ExplorerFreak 1 year ago
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elainescolors 1 year ago
The Stooges were so much better than the Marx brothers.
Columbia screwed them by not giving them feature films.
The crammed more laughs into a 15 min. short then all the Marx Brothers films put together.
Philtration 1 year ago
@Philtration Are you kidding? All those guys did was hit each other! The Marx Brothers had wit, style and class and were hillarious too! There's a reason they worked best in 15 minute shorts. After 15 minutes, hitting becomes a boxing match, not funny at all.
budgienation 1 year ago
@budgienation
If you believed that the Stooges did nothing but hit each other then you never really watched them.
What is funny about a guy with a painted on mustache, another one blowing a horn and a third doing a really bad imitation of an Italian?
It was dull.
Philtration 1 year ago
@Philtration Well, they made some of the best comedies in the history of cinema. Plus they are known all over the world. I don't even know who the Stooges are or what they did, but Marx bro were really original in the way they presented their gags. They had a lot going on in their films. There are many references to the Depression times, and Duck Soup is much more politically aware than what it seems at first sight. If you don't like them it's OK, but don't compare them to other comedians.
LisaSimpsonRules1st 1 year ago
@LisaSimpsonRules1st
You really don't know the Stooges?
I have nothing against the Marx Brothers actually.
Philtration 1 year ago
@Philtration I suppose it just comes down to the fact that I just plain can't see a bunch of guys slamming each other funny. A pie in the face is slapstick, 15 minutes of punching, slapping and pretend eye gouging is no substitute for great scripts and acting and timing honed to a keen edge by about 20 years on stage before they shot a single frame of film.
budgienation 1 year ago
@budgienation Yes I know about their stage act. Just like the Stooges worked the stage for years before being filmed. Like I said... I have nothing against the Marx Brothers. I just think that Columbia gave the Stooges a raw deal and if given the chance they could have made some great full length films. You have to look past the eye poking and that sort of stuff.
It is just my opinion that they were better. I did not like Abbott & Costello either.
Philtration 1 year ago
@budgienation The Stooges spent a fair amount of time on stage too. They were contemporaries so probably 30 years or so. I'm not too keen on the Stooges for reasons you mentioned but I still end up watching them. Sometimes.
princesstamika 1 year ago
@princesstamika Stooges on stage. No kidding? Well, that's a new one on me.
budgienation 1 year ago
@budgienation They were vaudevillians just like everyone else back then ^__^
It took them a lot longer than the Marx Bros to get a film deal (the Marxes were almost 40 when they got theirs). I think they were around the same age if not exactly.
princesstamika 1 year ago
You're totally right about Harpo's adopted family. It's all in a chapter of the book Harpo speaks. Harpo had no problem speaking but as a boy he had a very high voice which didn't carry to the back of the music halls and I think it was his Uncle, Minnie's brother, who suggested the dumb act.
tommyrockon 1 year ago
I have read some comments that Harpo and Susan Marx s childern were not thier real kids because they were adopted. Besides being insulting to all involed, you clearly havent read Harpo Speaks. Go to the Harpo Tribute on the internet. There is a link caled Harpo Tells A Story taken fom his autobiogphy. It tels how he and Susan exsplined adoption to THIER kids. It is beatiful. And NONE of them grew up to write trash on thier parents. Read it THEN tel me who s kids they were and ARE
missgibbdreamer 1 year ago 3
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but Harpo said a few words right at the start of the Video! He said, "You better do the talking". and if you look at harpo's mouth it's proof that he said it!!!
TheCharlesChaplin 1 year ago
hah yea i had a massive crush on mostly him and then it was chico when i was a little one. it was weird, my current boyfriend of five years is a short little italian too.. kinda funny but i still love the marx brothers, always have and probably will aways have an appreciation for them.
anarttest 1 year ago
I eagerly rushed to click the link when I saw the title, but it's kinda like finding dad eating Santa's cookies, isn't it?
ILoooooveCamels 1 year ago
He does speak in the very beginning and sounds just like Chico
Kandizcsr83 1 year ago
Harpo and Chico would occassionally played each parts on stage to trick the auidence.
RebelSCV 1 year ago
He sounds just like Chico. Amazing.
bobjfs 1 year ago 2
I had a crush on Harpo as a girl. I've grown up to resemble him as a middle aged woman. And I've thought about it... the good and the bad of it. And decided it's fine. I should have seen it coming. I had such a crush on him that I thought, well, I can't possibly look like him. I'm just imagining it. Must look more like Chico. But no. It's him.
brelfan 1 year ago 2
gagz won???
ericarocks2 1 year ago
haha! "honk-honk!" wonderful! what a cutie he was
kyrastube 1 year ago 18
During the 30s Groucho was maybe the favorite among adults.
But I once read that he was the most popular of the brothers
for the children of the time or any time
carva9 1 year ago
@carva9 Well not for this ex child now middle age adult lady. All the Brothers were clearly gifred BUT Harpo was, is, and forever will be THE best, funniest and greatest of the Marx Bros. . I think, just my opion, he was the happiest in his personal life, not that that makes you the funniest. In a nutshall Harpo is THE MAN
missgibbdreamer 1 year ago
I don't agree.
TheIMC8 1 year ago
I believe that the man with Harpo is Alexander Woollcott, a critic who worked for New Yorker Magazine. Mr. Woollcott and Harpo were good friends and were members of the Algonquin Round Table. Woollcott hosted the popular radio program "Town Crier".
It's said that Harpo didn't speak because he had a voice that was too similar to Groucho's, and which didn't project well.
TomBarristerX 1 year ago
@TomBarristerX I do not know if one would call his voice "similar" to Groucho's but it certainly did not project well; for his roles anyway.
Scottrchrdsn 1 year ago
@TomBarristerX No, that's not Woollcott. Woollcott was very rotund and always wore glasses.
princesstamika 1 year ago
@TomBarristerX The other man is Herb Williams. Great vaudeville comedian.
BlaineKneece 1 year ago
@TomBarristerX I believe someone else has told you, that's not Woollcott.
bashbrannigan 1 year ago
@bashbrannigan Odd, because it looks and sounds like the man.
TomBarristerX 1 year ago
@TomBarristerX It's Herb Williams. On the Busby Berkeley boxed set there is a short feature (on 42nd Street?) starring Herb. He did an amazing act where a piano would fall apart while he tried to play it and his top hat would keep rolling to the back of his head. Worth checking out.
BlaineKneece 1 year ago
great clip. Who is the man on the right and what year is this? I'm reading Harpo's biography.
MrProjection 1 year ago
@MrProjection so am I !!! and I am loving it!!! got me interested about the Algonquin round table. (watch "Mrs Parker and the vicious circle" here on youtube!) and increased the admiration I had for Ruth Gordon. Wish I could have met them back in those days. What a life they had!!!!!
cardona89 1 year ago
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This is the first time I've ever heard him. As a kid I thought he was mute. :) Thanks everyone for the bits of history. I'd read that about him, that he was gentle. And they really loved each other and would get together with their families all the time, if I remember correctly. Thank you so much for posting this!
Songsmirth 1 year ago
This is the first time I've ever heard him. As a kid I thought he was mute. :) Thanks everyone for the bits of history. I'd read that about him, that he was gentle. And they really loved each other and would get together with their families all the time, if I remember correctly. Thank you so much for posting this!
Songsmirth 1 year ago
He was given a testimonial dinner once and started his speech with: "Unaccustomed as I am to speaking..."
DLance1501 1 year ago
Never expected to hear him speak. That is a rare clip. Thanks for sharing.
3rdstooge 1 year ago
I wish more people these days were like Harpo...
eurasianempress 1 year ago 15
@eurasianempress Yeah we need more people that are like Harpo and we need less Charlie Sheen's. ;)
Rosetylerfano1o1 10 months ago 89
This comment has received too many negative votes show
@Rosetylerfano1o1 Sheen is doing nothing wrong, just enjoying his life and money, We all do what we want with our lives, he is not hurting anyone, other than himself...........He is not starting wars, killing " fetuses" as doctors call them. CHILDREN in abortion clinics, AND/OR spending your money, If we know of him, it is because the media is always reporting about him...BREAKING NEWS!!! instead of reporting how bad the situation in the country is. Captas.
victoriakirolos 9 months ago
@victoriakirolos LOL uumm i was just kidding i dont hate charlie sheen **jeessshhh** Sorry if i upset u hun, i promise i was just joking... :D
Rosetylerfano1o1 9 months ago 3
@Rosetylerfano1o1 I am not upset, they are funny, i cannot argue that, these people make me laugh everytime i watch..but let's face it, sheen is a different kind of funny, he is just reenacting the modern men and women of the century.
victoriakirolos 9 months ago
@victoriakirolos Ya its ok ^ ^ Im not mad at all i was just joking ;)
Rosetylerfano1o1 9 months ago 6
@victoriakirolos Just stop talking, ur anoying, this person mad a harmless, funny, comment that was obviously a joke, now stop saying things that make u look stupid and crazy. That was a good comment that u should NOT take so seriously because it wasnt serious. XP now chill! game over, stop talking ur only making people not like u.
Oliviaieatrainbows 9 months ago 24
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@Oliviaieatrainbows Maybe it's best if you ran a spell check before posting comments...
KoH4711 9 months ago
@victoriakirolos UUUmm ,she was just making a joke O.o lol woowww, the marx brothers would make fun of you...........
heatless21 9 months ago 2
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@heatless21 and they would make fun of you...they will tell you dont you care about your country..instead of posting here on you tube, go write your congressmen/women
victoriakirolos 9 months ago
@victoriakirolos SHE never said he was anyways, it was a joke silly, go play with your action figures.....
heatless21 9 months ago 3
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@heatless21 You people are so disgusting, because of people like you the country is in shambles,,,you only care about the point of view of others instead of focusing on what your governors are doing. Pathetic
victoriakirolos 9 months ago
@Rosetylerfano1o1 The classics never die.Charlie Sheen is perhaps the most arrogant,self centered lowlife I have ever seen.The world would be so much better without all these parasites.Nothing but hype.But to the legends of film,music,literature and art I salute.
stations44 7 months ago 2
The other man is not W C Fields, and his films were great also. He died in 1946.
TheTmny876able 1 year ago
harpo sings in the begining of monkey business...the day at the races washing hands scene...sneezes loudly in at the circus...and coughs and almost chokes while eating in a night in casablanca!
savante914 1 year ago
"You gotta do the talking on the air."
LOL.. Well, Harpo, *you* did some talking on the air!
Quizcoot 1 year ago
How delightful to at least hear the late great Harpo say those few words at the beginning. From what I've read, offscreen he was a kind and gentle man. And actually quite intelligent; he was good friends with many of the New York Algonquin Roundtable set. And as is well known he was an incredibly devoted family man. Groucho wrote that he & his wife loved children & would have liked to have adopted a LOT more if he'd been able. THANKS so very much for sharing this fascinating footage!
JubalCalif 1 year ago
@JubalCalif Also Groucho named his son Arthur after Harpo because that was the name Harpo went by. Arthur wrote that the first time he saw his father cry was when Harpo died. Harpo knew how to listen and thus educated his self by listening to others
missgibbdreamer 1 year ago
@missgibbdreamer
Thanks so much for that fascinating background info, miss gibb! From what I've read, the late great Harpo was universally loved with no one in or out of show biz ever having a bad word to say about him. I appreciate your insightful comments! :)
JubalCalif 1 year ago
Is the other man W.C. Fields?
amp427 1 year ago
xlnt quality film clip showing Harpo attending a Zigfield picture, and he speaks!!! thanks a million for posting these.
chubbsuperfly 1 year ago
Harpo speaks there is a god !
PREZ150 1 year ago 3
Are there any more like this I would love to see them
GreysAnatomyLoverr 1 year ago
He does speak at the very start, and he honks at the end.
His voice reminds me of Groucho.
PinkLederhosen 2 years ago
Wow. I've yet to read any of thier books. I have been a Marx Brothers fan for a few years now. Its great to find these clip in order to show my friends.
lvpretor 2 years ago
Sounds like Groucho haha!
SouthyA 2 years ago
This is a gem. Where did it come from? I've been a Marx Bros fan for over forty years and to actually hear Harpo speak is like finding the Holy Grail. The closest I've previously come to it is at the beginning of Monkey Business when they are singing close harmony from inside the barrels and you realise that there are four voices, Thanks for sharing this teejhead.
Meliesmoon 2 years ago
I used to have a big crush on him too, he has classic good looks that are both impish and sweet. And his voice is so rich and deep and suave. I also love his accent, so exotic...no wonder so many of us girls are swooning!
SteppedonRose 2 years ago 50
@SteppedonRose how can you girls swoon over a man you wouldn't recognize without the wig as Barney Flart says.
midguardz 1 year ago
@midguardz That has little to do with how dapper he was.
princesstamika 1 year ago
@midguardz What makes you think we wouldnt know who he was. You asume way too much. I have seenplenty of pictures of him in every day clothes so do not asume. I would not swom, but i would hug him and thank him for the joy of laughter and Harp music And it is a testament to the power of REAL talent that people still adore him. And he was by far the most handsome of al 5 Marx Bros. But talent gid run dep in the Marx family
missgibbdreamer 1 year ago
@SteppedonRose That's sick. He's dead.
TheMerriamLookout 1 year ago
@TheMerriamLookout And you're an idiot.
McSqueaky 1 year ago
Absolutely - sounds like Groucho.
CamillusUSA 2 years ago
I've just re-read 'The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx' by Stefan Kanfer. It's a biography of grouch of course. Is that the one you read? Published by Penguin. Also re-watching all their movies with my English students. They all seem to like 'The Big Store' best.
DENISMURRELL 2 years ago
Harpo has the sexiest voice...<3
DiamondRainPrincess 2 years ago 22
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4freespeech 2 years ago
Not all women are so shallow 4freespeech, stop being silly.
ManedLioness 2 years ago 5
This comment has received too many negative votes show
While that is actually true there's no reason it shouldn't be. You're probably just jealous that you don't have any money to get any pu***.
Men have a leg up in most departments including that one, an ugly woman is still an ugly woman no matter how much dough she makes.
In comedy, especially, ugly male comedians make it a point to only hire big titted fucktoys- the Marx Bros certainly did that. It's an avenue of power. Imagine a female Groucho and you've probably got me.
princesstamika 2 years ago
Special note: if a woman does have money, expect a Groucho character to waltz in and start insulting her.
Comedy is a very sexist thing. The world is a very sexist place. No need to get mad at women for exploring one of the only avenues of power we have. Seems a bit jealous.
princesstamika 2 years ago
Also, if you can hook us up with guys that look and sound like Harpo. ...you win the internets. They have to be delicious cuties who look good in fedoras!
princesstamika 2 years ago 4
I'm glad to know other people think he's hot, I thought I was the only one who noticed. And I used to have such a huge crush on him!
MaimedAngel 2 years ago 6
Harpo Marx actually hung out with Alexander Woolcott and the Algonquin round table. He wrote an autobiography published a few years before his death called "Harpo Speaks."
dougrhon 2 years ago 3
One of my favourite autobiographies, a really good read. I've just read a Groucho biography and it's not a patch on it. In fact, can anyone recommend a really good Groucho biography?
wolfboyattacks 2 years ago
Have you read Groucho's autobiography, "Groucho and Me"? It's one of my all-time favorite books. Funny, of course, but poignant also. It doesn't give a very clear factual history of his life, and he's a bit guarded about his personal life, but if you want to get feel for what his life was like, I can't suggest anything better.
tanzerin37 2 years ago 2
Harpo Speaks is also a great autobiography.
dkt13 2 years ago
"Hello, I Must Be Going", by Charlotte Chandler is an excellent read. She interviewed him for "Playboy", they became friends and he shared a lot of stories about his life and career with her
ScorpioBrendo 2 years ago
i was SO in love with Harpo when I was a little girl... he was HOT!!!!
punkaroos123 2 years ago 6
Ever since I fell in love with Harpo I've had a thing for men in top hats. ..
princesstamika 2 years ago 3
i think i'm the onlyone who thinks he was ..... handsome
sillypoochi 2 years ago 7
You're not the only one. I've stumbled across a few others who think the same.
princesstamika 2 years ago 3
no dont worry you're not the only one!! :D
americanweirdo39 2 years ago 6
:D! cool ~
sillypoochi 2 years ago