Well, we asked you to ask us questions, and you asked us questions, and now, we answer some of the questions we asked you to ask us. Thanks to all who asked, and please let us know if you have any questions.
Episode Description: "For this installment, we kill a couple of hours answering listener questions as well as attempting to pronounce names of various Council members…one of whom won’t be happy at all with our open-mindedness. Plus, Matthew looks for stuff."
What will be the content of Episode Eight of The Marx Brothers Council Podcast?
This is much too important a question to leave in the hands of such unsavory characters as the show’s producers and co-hosts. For that reason, and also because we couldn’t think of anything else, we’re leaving it all up to you, and will spend Episode Eight answering whatever questions you'd care to ask — about the Brothers and their career; the podcast; the co-hosts and their middling achievements and infuriating opinions; or anything else that may warrant, or not warrant at all, an answer.
You can ask questions anonymously, or send us a video or audio file, here.
You can ask questions publicly in the Marx Brothers Council Facebook group, here.
You can even ask questions in the comments section of this very blog post.
And of course, just because we’re asking for questions doesn’t mean you have to give us one. Feel free to offer an observation, a thesis, a conversation-starter, or anything else you’d like us to respond to, and let’s just see what happens, okay?
Matthew, Noah, and Bob over-analyze Monkey Business, the Marxes' first film shot in Hollywood and first written exclusively for the screen. You’ll learn how many stowaways are singing, if Siri knows who played Alky Briggs, and in what century the portable lighter was invented. Musicologist and Zeppocologist Andrea Orlando stops by to offer some much-needed informed insight.
End Music: “I’m Daffy Over You,” performed by Josh Max.
Here's the still referred to by Bob in this episode -- apparently showing an elaborate deleted gag from the barbershop scene in Monkey Business:
And here's the beloved "Theatrical Agency" sketch, written by Herman Timberg for On the Mezzanine, later included in I'll Say She Is, and thankfully committed to film in 1931 (with some small adjustments) for Paramount's promotional feature The House That Shadows Built:
Marx Brothers scholar Rodney Stewart Hillel Tryster joins the guys for a look into now-lost moments from the Marxes' career. Some are legendary, some are obscure...and some may never have occurred. Bob interviews Thomas Racz, who details his exciting discovery of a unique print of A Night at the Opera at the Hungarian Film Archive. Rodney and Matthew talk about why the odds of finding Humor Risk may be greater than Groucho would have you believe.
Screenwriter and Marx Brothers fanatic Cinco Paul (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, Bubble Boy) joins the guys to discuss and play their favorite musical moments from Marx films. Cinco also talks about how the Brothers influence his work, and the Marx references he has and has not been able to incorporate into his films. Songs include…nah, you’re going to have to listen.
And we're back, with a little something extra. You will recall that Episode 4 of the Marx Brothers Council Podcast included an excerpt from Noah's recent interview with masterful Marxian revivalist Les Marsden. As soon as it was released, adamant crowds gathered at our doors to demand that we release the interview in its entirety. Not ones to say no to an angry mob, we're pleased to present the whole strange interlude, as a bonus episode, right now.
Here's the official description:
"The full-length interview with actor / musician / writer / director Les Marsden, who has portrayed three of the brothers onstage, in addition to writing and starring in the one man show A Night at Harpo’s. Among the topics Les discusses with Noah are audience expectations, learning to play the harp, pitching the one-man show to Harpo’s widow Susan, and his encounter with Groucho. End Music: 'Why Am I So Romantic?' (from Animal Crackers), as performed by Les Marsden."
As always, if you enjoy the Marx Brothers Council Podcast, we invite you to discuss this episode here on the blog, or in the Marx Brothers Council Facebook group; and if you feel the urge to write a positive review on iTunes, or anywhere else, we'd certainly appreciate it.
In Episode 4 of The Marx Brothers Council Podcast, Noah, Bob, and Matthew deflate some accepted Marx myths that get under their skin, then examine the fan favorite 1969 LP The Marx Bros. - The Original Voice Tracks From Their Greatest Movies, narrated by Gary Owens. Later, Noah talks with Les Marsden, who has portrayed three of the four brothers onstage, and also wrote and starred in the one-man show A Night at Harpo’s.
End Music: “You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me” by Maurice Chevalier…eh.
Here's the photograph of young Mr. Bob Gassel, in his room, circa 1972. Note the Marx Brothers "pop poster," as included with the Original Voice Tracks album, hanging on the wall, just above the exquisite bedspread:
Album artwork from the 1969 Decca release (click for a larger view):
The Marx Brothers Original Voice Tracks album:
The W.C. Fields Original Voice Tracks album:
Noah's "Fake History of the Marx Brothers":
And some Les Marsden magic:
As always, if you enjoy The Marx Brothers Council Podcast, we invite you to discuss this episode here on the blog, or in the Marx Brothers Council Facebook group; and if you feel the urge to write a positive review on iTunes, or anywhere else, we'd certainly appreciate it.
