Comments on: Respect Dad's harp

Respect Dad's harp

Paragon — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:31:21 -0800

Harpo's Place A tribute to Harpo Marx, by his son Bill.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:45:10 -0800

Cool, looks like a good read. Also fun: The Story Behind Harpo's Gookie Face (auto playing music) (linked previously)

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:54:10 -0800

As if the Marx Brothers' undeserved association with Marxism wasn't bad enough, Harpo's real name was Adolph? Laugh to keep from crying.

By: Gator

Gator — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:55:59 -0800

What a wonderful tribute. I loved this, thanks for sharing it. Harpo was always my favorite Marx Brother. I always loved it when they came to whatever flimsy excuse they came up with in the movie for him to play the harp; he would completely lose the loony, bug-eyed expression of the Harpo character and just lose himself in his love for the music.

By: eye of newt

eye of newt — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:01:49 -0800

I loved the Harpo Family Rules First two: #1: Life has been created for you to enjoy, but you won't enjoy it unless you pay for it with some good, hard work. This is one price that will never be marked down. #2 You can work at whatever you want to as long as you do it as well as you can and clean up afterwards and you're at the table at mealtime and in bed at bedtime.

By: Countess Elena

Countess Elena — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:09:12 -0800

Harpo was always my favorite, and it's sweet to see this.

By: .kobayashi.

.kobayashi. — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:15:23 -0800

Harpo speaks! Sort of. Honk, Honk!

By: hanoixan

hanoixan — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:16:52 -0800

I got to see A Night at the Opera a couple months ago. I didn't realize what a great musician Harpo was until the scene on the ship's cheap deck where he plays the piano and then the harp. And it's realllly inspiring to know that he was self taught on so many instruments as an adult.

By: sswiller

sswiller — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:22:46 -0800

This scene from Monkey Business is IMHO one of the funniest movie moments ever.

By: That's Numberwang!

That's Numberwang! — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:29:33 -0800

Harpo makes me happy every time.

By: shinybaum

shinybaum — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:45:11 -0800

That's so sweet and like the anti Mommy Dearest.

By: bovious

bovious — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:56:25 -0800

I prefer the quieter, gentler mirror scene, but Harpo has enough golden moments that I'm not going to quibble over what's funniest. I will say, Harpo and the original King Kong are the things caused me to sit up and take notice as a child that "old" movies had much to offer. By the way (and no, no need to quibble over this either.;) , this is the funniest scene in film. And for so much aside from the signature "bags" line. M'nai!

By: arishaun

arishaun — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:07:16 -0800

There's so much here that makes me go "Aww!!!" Groucho's my man, but I have gained a new appreciation for Harpo.

By: John Cohen

John Cohen — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:15:35 -0800

Harpo's real name was Adolph? From Wikipedia:

Harpo had changed his name from Adolph to Arthur by 1911. This was due primarily to his dislike for the name Adolph (as a child, he was routinely called "Ahdie" instead).

By: davebush

davebush — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:26:55 -0800

When Harpo Played His Harp

By: emilyd22222

emilyd22222 — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:35:35 -0800

If you have an impulse to do something that you're not sure is right, go ahead and do it. Take a chance. Chances are, if you don't you'll regret it - unless you break the rules about mealtime and bedtime, in which case you'll sure as hell regret it. Jesus, I hope I'm that ballsy if I ever pop one out.

By: Melismata

Melismata — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:45:58 -0800

Ever read Harpo's autobiography? It's fantastic.

By: Melismata

Melismata — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:51:03 -0800

Anybody who mistreats a pet or breaks a pool cue is docked a months pay. OMG priceless!!

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:51:40 -0800

Nice find..thanks! I loved that in Harpo's prop trunk was a set of the standard Groucho glasses and fake mustache!

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:06:38 -0800

Harpo speaks! There's also this. There's a documentary about the Marx brothers where Bill Marx and some of Harpo's other kids are interviewed extensively and I have rarely seen people who radiate so much love and kindness (especially in relation to the other Marx kids, who appear to have had more...complicated relationships with their dads).

By: briank

briank — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:17:34 -0800

Ever read Harpo's autobiography? It's fantastic. I have, and it is. It's almost as much a memoir of Alexander Woollcott as it is of Harpo, since the two men were especially close. Groucho's autobiography is also an excellent book.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:18:28 -0800

Harpo's autobiography, Harpo Speaks, is my favorite of all the books by or about the Marx Brothers. In terms of writing, Groucho was quite good, but he couldn't catch a break - Harpo turns out to be the better writer. And I'm a Groucho man, too.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:19:05 -0800

Oh, and this link is fricken' fantastic. Well done, Bill Marx and thank you Paragon for sharing it.

By: briank

briank — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:29:29 -0800

Harpo turns out to be the better writer Well, he had a ghostwriter. IIRC, Groucho wrote his own stuff.

By: Splunge

Splunge — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:45:24 -0800

Wow. I read Harpo's autobiography at the age of, maybe, 13? The Algonquin Round Table always fascinated me. Great post.

By: Splunge

Splunge — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:57:18 -0800

Briank, sometimes a ghostwriter is someone that you tell your stories to and then he or she writes them down. It doesn't mean that they are not pure Harpo. You will not ruin my memories! I still have my Harpo statue. So chill dude. Honk, honk!

By: John Cohen

John Cohen — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:59:59 -0800

Harpo's autobiography, Harpo Speaks, is my favorite of all the books by or about the Marx Brothers. In terms of writing, Groucho was quite good, but he couldn't catch a break - ~~Harpo~~ Rowland Barber turns out to be the better writer.

By: kinnakeet

kinnakeet — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 19:06:18 -0800

Interesting and fun reading, great thread links as well.

By: emhutchinson

emhutchinson — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 19:41:53 -0800

My second son has always reminded me (and numerous friends, acquaintances and strangers) of an odd confluence of Harpo, the young Bob Dylan and Michaelangelo's David (not necessarily in that order). Just take my word for it. I'm looking forward to reading "Harpo Speaks." Thanks for the post.

By: jleisek

jleisek — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:06:10 -0800

Tonight I read this post in my pajamas. How it got into my pajamas I don't know. (I realize it's the wrong brother, but the comments already included too many honks.) What a wonderful site. I am lost in Marxian bliss. Thank you for the post.

By: John Cohen

John Cohen — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:18:06 -0800

Harpo was my favorite Halloween costume when I was a kid. (My brother was Groucho.)

By: bonefish

bonefish — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:18:10 -0800

Can't believe I clicked the whole thing! Love how Bill represents for Harpo the harpist.

By: Hardcore Poser

Hardcore Poser — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:00:26 -0800

The author, Harpo's son Bill, was twelve years old when Dad made him his permanent personal prop man for all his subsequent stage and television appearances. Items in his prop trunk: Telescope Teeth Long black formal Jacket w/tails Yellow and maroon flannel shirt with sheriff badge that spins Two ladies black satin skirts Long horn Extendable box Bubble liquid Lots of fake money Several rubber bands Skirt-cutting scissors and powder bag Giant scissors Giant diamond ring Small diamond ring (with a jeweler's magnifying glass) Tuners Piano ticker (metronome Seth Thomas) Trunk that says name of the theater on top Knives that come out of coat (and coat) Two wigs and wig head in excellent shape Wardrobe trunk (empty) with Algonquin Hotel tags and Savoy Hotel stickers on it Long black box with more teeth Makeup Another bag of knives Rubber chicken More wigs Two mechanical monkeys Large telescope in box Hatchet and table (for cutting cards) Black top hat Wooden vase with flowers painted on and elastic attached to top Three shoes with skates on bottom Long metal tube with string that pulls out - weighted Rubber carrot Three belts Rubber mallet Two short horns Tape measure Large cow bell Huge cigar Long rope (for opening) Clarinet (with mechanical bubble machine and tube) Four harmonicas Harp string case with tuning keys Orchestra music for act Signs for sewing on singers' rear end Marshmallows Garter belt From this I have to conclude that Harpo single-handedly put some hardware, clothing and novelty store owners' kids through college.

By: .kobayashi.

.kobayashi. — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:06:22 -0800

That's an awesome list, Hardcore Poser. And now I'd like to announce to everyone that, if I ever start a successful rock band, you're looking at my rider right there. Two mechanical monkeys, or we don't play.

By: Graygorey

Graygorey — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:51:22 -0800

I will occasionally throw my leg over the hand of the person I have put my own hand out to shake, a move I have borrowed from Harpo. I'm encouraged to hear that the successors of his estate have such an appreciation for his genius - this helps me feel less thief than inspired follower.

By: timsteil

timsteil — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:32:58 -0800

This is the sort of thing that makes me glad the internet exists, and that MeFi is out there kinda weeding out the sheep from the goats. It's incredibly sweet, informative, and wonderful all at once, and most important, it is done out of sheer love. Is there anyway we can upgrade Paragon to the Silver Club membership or whatever ? Just for the whole awesomeness aspect. I'm cool if you require he can only talk through a horn anymore. If he cant play the harp...eh..can he harp sync? Really. NICE.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:52:51 -0800

harpo and lucy redo the mirror scene

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 02:56:24 -0800

Nthing the recommendations for Harpo Speaks (whoever wrote it). it's realllly inspiring to know that he was self taught on so many instruments as an adult. I seem to recall that Harpo went to a noted harp teacher and asked for lessons to help him play better. After watching him play the "wrong" self-taught way, the teacher advised against it -- trying to teach him the "right" way would not help. I loved that in Harpo's prop trunk was a set of the standard Groucho glasses and fake mustache! Hey, you never knew when they might come in handy. On at least one occasion, Groucho couldn't make it to the theatre, and Zeppo filled in for him, undetected.

By: CCBC

CCBC — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 03:23:02 -0800

Good link. It was interesting to read commentary on Groucho as the "stage Jew"and Chico as the Italian (who never got the dialect right). Reminded me of Robert Crumb's analysis of the Marx Brothers as ethnic types: Groucho/Jew, Chico/Mediterranean, and Harpo, the White guy, "crazy, but with some kind of magic or other".

By: JMOZ

JMOZ — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 06:04:19 -0800

Reading the first page, I found myself confused for a moment- his son described Harpo as a "confirmed bachelor" before his mother married him. I had always thought that term was used exclusively as a euphemism.

By: storybored

storybored — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:34:47 -0800

Boy I remember seeing the "mirror scene" for the very first time. I was about twelve and for the first time in my life I laughed so hard, my stomach hurt. The other scene where Harpo shines in Duck Soup is the ongoing fight that he and Chico have with the popcorn salesman... but then the whole film is terrific.

By: grumblebee

grumblebee — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:01:33 -0800

The term "confirmed bachelor" or "lifelong bachelor" can refer to men who show little interest in marriage or classes of committed relationships. Additionally, a "confirmed bachelor" was and is used as a polite euphemism to describe gay men, dating to the Victorian Era. This agrees with my understanding. The term can mean gay or straight-but-never-marrying. My guess is that the "gay" meaning is winning out, because the term is sort of creaky anyway. I rarely hear anyone even say "bachelor" any more. Guys just "aren't married," "gay," "players," "too nerdy to get a girlfriend" or "single." I have a (straight) friend who is very much the "confirmed bachelor," and I wish people would call him that, because it trips off the tongue better than "that guy who is not interested in being in a relationship," but, still, no one calls him a "confirmed bachelor," either because they don't want to create the gay confusion or because it's not 1963.

By: mfoight

mfoight — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:11:30 -0800

What a fun site! I have always been a great fan of the Marx brothers but my especial favorite was Harpo. My knickname has always been Harpo as I bear a striking resemblance to him with the wig on, and I've often carried a horn in my trench coat. Check out his album of harp music: Harpo in Hi-Fi / Harpo at Work

By: rmd1023

rmd1023 — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:34:01 -0800

I loved Harpo's autobiography. It's really a quite wonderful read.

By: timsteil

timsteil — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 14:22:42 -0800

Confirmed bachelor. Indeed.

By: Wavelet

Wavelet — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:42:13 -0800

Awww. I'm so happy that Harpo's kids are confirming that Harpo was, indeed, an awesome father. If they were writing a book about how Harpo was an asshole at home, that would just break my heart.

By: Melismata

Melismata — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:26:49 -0800

Yeah, I think back then confirmed bachelor, to the public anyway, implied just straight-but-won't-settle-down-for-whatever reason. Who knows nowadays how many of those people were, sadly, gay and had to hide it. Somewhere, there was a scholarly article suggesting that Harpo and Woollcott had a great love for each other but "probably not physical", without elaborating on that point. It notes that the autobiography spends way more time on Woollcott than his wife, and that they adopted four children and named one of them after Woollcott. Again, how sad that he may have had to hide his true feelings, if that was the case.

By: ObscureReferenceMan

ObscureReferenceMan — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:57:26 -0800

This looks great. And I'll be nthing Harpo's biography.

By: wending my way

wending my way — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:29:32 -0800

Oh, wow. I saw Bill Marx play the piano when I was little and he was touring. After my current piano teacher talked me up, he told her I should get in touch when I was older if I was still interested in music. I took that very seriously and remembered that throw away comment for at least the next seven years when I needed motivation to keep practicing and working. I am so tickled to find out that he seems just as much like a nice guy now as I'd built him up to in my seven-year old mind.