Stefan Kanfer (1938–2018)

This is an interesting, well-written biography of an important figure in American culture. Kanfer here makes a strong case for the pervasive nature of the Marx Brothers' (and in particular, Groucho's) influence on comedy in particular and our national zeitgeist in general. The sections on the brothers' art, including vaudeville and movies, and on Groucho's post-Brothers work, is detailed, informative and enjoyable. Unfortunately, Groucho the person was a different kettle of fish. Kanfer show more presents Groucho as having been permanently scarred by the brothers' determined stage-mom, Minnie, who gave preferential treatment to the two older brothers (I'll use stage names here for ease of communication) Chico and Harpo and younger brothers Zeppo and Gummo, to the detriment of Groucho, the middle son. In fact, Minnie's name for Groucho during childhood was a Yiddish phrase meaning "the jealous one." More specifically, Minnie dragged Groucho out of school at before he was 10 so that he could take part in the family stage act. The result, according to Kanfer, was a man who would remain suspicious of and cold to the women in his life, including three wives and two daughters, all of whom he drove away. Groucho's son, Arthur, evidently didn't fare much better in his relationship, either. It seems unfortunate, even if understandable, that Kanfer chose to spend so much time dwelling on the mostly unhappy concluding chapters of Groucho's long life. This is a biography of Groucho, the man, rather than solely of Groucho the star, but, still the concluding chapters do dive down into a lot of depressing details. So we can see this both as an illuminating biography of a beloved and important figure in American comedy, arts and culture and as a cogent cautionary tale that famous and even revered public figures are not necessarily happy, or even necessarily particularly nice people. Bottom line, though: I found the writing and the subject matter entirely engaging. Very much recommended. show less

A hard look at a painfully funny, painfully unpleasant man. Woe to any woman who crossed paths with Groucho. Three wives and two daughters, all who had to battle demons - one of which was Groucho. He seemed to be fine with most of the men he came in contact with (excepting his own son), but had painfully complicated relationships with the women. The best parts are those with his brothers - I'd prefer to read a compendium of their skits, honestly. Reading this just made me sad for those who show more came in contact with them - except Harpo, who comes off here as a genuinely nice and intelligent, if poorly educated man. show less

There's a long list of 'characters' in this one - blacklistees and blacklisters - but Kanfer does a good job of reminding us who's who. One chapter switches to present tense, which is off-putting, and Kanfer sprinkles the text with many metaphors and asides (maybe it's a 1970s thing?), yet it is a good read about an awful time. The performative HUAC hearings and the 'concerned' citizens out to make a buck are strangely reminiscent of the MAGA crowd. Plus ca change.

As a biography it's a bit tedious, listings of films and appearances and anecdotes about their making. As a cultural history of the first half of the 20th century it's quite possibly the best book I've read. A nearly perfect encapsulation of the zeitgeist of the times. A real surprise find for me - I didn't expect the nuance and color at all. For history buffs, a must read.