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VOICE ONE:
I’m Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
Today we tell about the Marx Brothers. They made many funny movies in the
nineteen-thirties and nineteen-forties that are still popular today.
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VOICE ONE:
There were five Marx Brothers. The most famous were Julius, Leonard and
Adolph. They were born in New York City between eighteen eighty-six and
eighteen-ninety. Their father made clothing. Their mother wanted them to
become performers. Julius, Leonard and Adolph started performing when they
were children. Along with their two brothers, they performed in stage shows
called vaudeville in New York. They sang songs, danced and told jokes.
Julius, Leonard and Adolph Marx began making funny movies in nineteen twenty
-nine. They changed their first names. Julius became Groucho. Leonard became
Chico. Adolph became Harpo. Another brother, Herbert, appeared in the first
five Marx Brothers movies. He was called Zeppo. He did not play a funny man
like the other three. He played a good-looking young man.
VOICE TWO:
Groucho Marx looked funny. He had large black eyebrows and a hairy mustache.
But they were painted on his face. He spoke very quickly. And he walked in a
funny way. He played people with funny names, like Rufus T. Firefly. Otis B.
Driftwood. And Doctor Hugo Z. Hackenbush.
Groucho was not a very nice person in the movies. He often insulted or made
fun of rich or important people. He made fun of doctors, college officials,
opera singers, diplomats and government officials. He even insulted his son,
played in this example by Zeppo.
(SOUND)
((ZEPPO: Dad, let me congratulate you. I’m proud to be your son.
GROUCHO: My boy, you took the words right out of my mouth. I’m ashamed to be
your father. I’d have horsewhipped you if I had a horse. You may go now.
Leave your name and address for the girl outside and if anything turns up, we
’ll get in touch with you. Where are you going?
ZEPPO: Well, you just told me to go.
GROUCHO: So that’s what they taught you in college. Just when I tell you to
go, you leave me. You know you can’t leave a schoolroom without raising your
hand, no matter where you’re going.
ZEPPO: Anything further, father?
GROUCHO: Anything further, father? That can’t be right. Isn’t it “anything
father, further”? The idea! I married your mother because I wanted children.
Imagine my disappointment when you arrived!))
VOICE ONE:
Chico Marx talked as if he was born in Italy. He spoke English that was not
correct. Many other funny men spoke as though they came from other countries.
They were making fun of themselves and other immigrants who did not speak
English well. Chico also made funny jokes about words and expressions that
sound alike but have different meanings. For example, in one movie a woman
sings with a very high falsetto voice. She says “I have a falsetto voice.”
Chico then says, “Well, my last student had a false set of teeth.”
Chico also was known for performing what was called the comedy of the absurd.
He talked about things that were so untrue or unreasonable that they were
funny. Here is an example. Chico is supposed to spy on someone called Rufus
T. Firefly. Chico reports his progress to the man who asked him to spy on
Firefly. To “shadow” someone is to secretly follow that person.
(SOUND)
((CHICO: Well, you remember you gave us a picture of this man and said follow
him?
MAN: Oh, yes.
CHICO: Well, we get on the job right away. And in one hour, even less than
one hour, we lose the fix. That’s pretty good work, eh?
MAN: I want a full, detailed report of your investigation.
CHICO: All right. I tell you. Monday we watch Firefly’s house. But he no
come out. He wasn’t home. Tuesday we go to the ballgame, but he fool us. He
no show up. Wednesday, he go to the ballgame, but we fool him. We no show up.
Thursday was a double-header, nobody show up. Friday it rained all day. There
was no ballgame. So we stayed home. We listened to it over the radio.
MAN: Then you didn’t shadow Firefly!
CHICO: Oh, sure, we shadow Firefly. We shadow him all day.
MAN: What day was that?
CHICO: It was Shadowday (Saturday)! That’s some joke, eh, Boss!))
Chico also played the piano in a funny way. Chico did to music what he did to
the English language. He made fun of it.
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