Episode 85: That’s a Rodeo You’re Thinking Of
People are always saying that the Marx Brothers succeeded in — or, more often, that they conquered — every medium of show business. On my way home yesterday, four people said that to me on the subway. But as Matthew points out in his introduction to this episode, the attention this podcast has paid to the Brothers’ radio work is pretty paltry, considering how much there is to talk about.
Members of the Marx Brothers Council Facebook group are keenly aware that John Tefteller is taking strides toward the release of the first volume of his Marx Brothers radio project, which is sure to receive robust attention on this podcast. So, this is a good time to catch up with the radio Marxes. And because the first volume of John’s project will cover the 1930s, we’ve devoted this episode to post-1939 appearances (with one exception), so superior versions of these programs are not as imminent. (If you’re not familiar with the work of John Tefteller and his place in the Marxian saga, a good place to start is Episode 28 of this podcast, “Flywheel, Shyster, and Tefteller.”)
Of course, the best thing about devoting a podcast episode to some of the Marx Brothers’ radio appearances is that you can play the clips. Which means that our guests for this episode are the Marx Brothers themselves.
Faces for radio
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Official description: “This month we listen to and examine some of Groucho’s, Chico’s and (yes even) Harpo’s most notable radio guest appearances. We discuss how while most of their radio work was pedestrian, when paired with the right writers and co-stars, the brothers could flourish. These guest spots also let the brothers experiment in ways they couldn’t elsewhere — and even when the results were uneven, they were always fascinating.”
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