THEY LIVED HERE – GROUCHO MARX

The bushy eyebrows hiding behind his slim circular eyeglass frames and the large mustache had become Groucho Marx's trademark. Calmly chewing on a cigar, he would often say, &#8220I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.” With such quick-witted jokes, Marx established himself as one of the most recognizable figures in the world of comedy. A native New Yorker, Marx once called Bayside, his home.
Julius Henry Marx, was born on October 2, 1890. Growing up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Marx and his four brothers were all pranksters and comedians. Their mother, Minnie, rigorously encouraged her boys to consider show business as a career. Their uncle, Al Shean, had made a living in show business and she wanted the same for her sons. Though Marx had aspirations of becoming a doctor, he was forced to leave school and help support the family at the age of 12. &#8220I worked my way up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty,” he joked later in his career.
After failing at various office jobs, Marx committed himself to a career as a singer. At 14, he accepted a job as a boy soprano with a group called The LeRoy Trio. While traveling with the group was a great experience, Marx was stranded in Colorado and was forced to perform at small venues to work his way back home. Once he was home, Marx and his brothers practiced different accents and their mother assembled the boys as a singing group called The Four Nightingales.
Singing was but one of Marx' many talents, he mostly enjoyed making people laugh. &#8220Humor is reason gone mad,” he said. In an attempt to liven up his act, he began throwing jokes and insults at the audience. The other boys in the group followed his lead and simply let their comedic nature take over.
They made a decision to become a comedy team, changing their names in the process. Marx adopted the name Groucho as the mustached, cigar-chewing leader of the group. His older brothers, Leonard and Adolph, became Chico, a slaphappy Italian and Harpo, a silent harlequin. His younger brothers, Milton and Herbert, became Gummo, a hopelessly lost man and Zeppo, a romantic.
&#8220Fun In Hi Skule,” was the Marx Brothers' first act as comedians. It emulated the popular Gus Howard comedy skit, &#8220School Days.” Before a performance one day, Marx misplaced his prop mustache and improvised by using greasepaint to draw one on. Playing a character with a German accent, Marx was booed as the sinking of the Lusitania remained fresh in the minds of the audience. He quickly abandoned the accent and adopted the fast talking, wise guy persona for which he later became famous.
Their success continued to grow on Broadway. Their 1924 show, &#8220I'll Say She Is,” became an instant hit, as did their 1925 show, &#8220The Cocoanuts.” While performing on Broadway, Marx lived at 214th Street and 32nd Avenue in Bayside.
As a hot commodity in show business, Paramount invited the Marx Brothers to perform on screen. Marx wanted to explore acting and he embraced the opportunity to work in Hollywood. Movies proved to be more difficult than anything he had done before. After a successful career in Hollywood, Marx moved on to do radio shows. He revived his career with the show &#8220You Bet Your Life,” which started on radio and later aired on television. By this time, Marx had separated himself from his brothers and was a solo performer.
At the ripe old age of 86, Marx passed away due to pneumonia. &#8220No man goes before his time, unless the boss leaves early,” he would say in his final days. Though Marx was a widely recognized figure, his death was overshadowed by that of Elvis Presley's, who had died three days earlier. &#8220I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it,” he said.