Monkey Business: The Lives and Legends of The Marx Brothers

Monkey Business: The Lives and Legends of The Marx Brothers by Louvish, Simon. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780312252922.

Strange but true: this is the first authentic account of the Marx Brothers, their origins and of the roots of their comedy. First and foremost, this is the saga of a family whose theatrical roots stretch back to mid-19th century Germany. From Groucho Marxs first warblings with the singing Leroy Trio, this book brings to life the vanished world of Americas wild and boisterous variety circuits, leading to the Marx Brothers Broadway successes, and their alliance with New Yorks theatrical lions, George S. Kaufman and the Algonquin Round Table. Never-before-published scripts, well-minted Marxian dialogue, and much madness and mayham feature in this tale of the Brothers battles with Hollywood, their films, their loves and marriages, and the story of the forgotten brother Gummo.