Strange but True case of the lifelong gambler Chico Marx
Their name is synomonous with the foundations of film comedy you hear about Charlie Chaplin, you hear about Laurel and Hardy and then you usually hear about the Marx Brothers. The former two I dont really care for, I mean dont get me wrong I understand their appeal but they just dont tickle my funny bones in any way, shape or form.
The Marx Brothers however were and in my opinion still are the standard bearers of great comedy. Whenever I watch a new comic release the first question that always comes to my lips is how does this compare to the films of the brothers Marx? Although critically acclaimed, (particularly so for films such as Duck Soup and Night at the Opera which are well worth checking out) they are not to everyones tastes.
I have sat and laughed a minute at their films next to people who maintained a stony eyed expression throughout. Some people just dont get it and this is fine. For me though, the films present a formula that I dont think Ill ever get tired of seeing, innovative slapstick and set pieces, genius one liners and plots so absurd that you cant help but admire the chaotic craftsmanship.
Before I turn into a complete red in the face, gushing fanboy however I feel that I should turn my attention to the subject of todays article and that is of the eldest Marx Brother Leonard Chico Marx. Chico, with his tiny physique, big mans walk, striking facial features and alluring eyes had the ability that most comedians can only dream of and that is to be funny without having to say a word. In fact this was a talent that all the Marx Brothers possessed, they didnt have to mistake acting whacky with acting funny (i.e. Robin Williams, Jim Carrey), or lowering or raising their voices for vocal comic variety (i.e. Adam Sandler); Chico and his brothers could have been funny just sat reading books in a library with absolutely no comic material they just had that natural comic aura about him. What many people might not be aware of though is just how thin the line was between Chicos flawless comic performances on screen and the flawed lifestyle that he led in real life which mirrored the same personality traits within those very same performances.
Years before Jerry Seinfeld and Charlie Sheen were majorly successful with comic roles that were essentially an extension of their real life personalities, Chico was already turning this process into an art form with many people claiming that if you took away the trademark Italian accent from the films then you were essentially watching the same man on screen as you would be in real life. So in short then (excuse the pun) a supremely gifted womanising piano player who was always planning schemes to make that extra buck. And its true that in real life the only thing Chico seemed to find more addictive than the presence of a woman was the presence of fellow gamblers. Whereas today you hear about celebrities and in particular footballers owing gambling debts up and down the country, Chico really took his addiction to a whole other level as he is said by his own account to have lost millions of dollars gambling; yes millions - that would seem an absurd amount today yet alone during the thirties and early forties when his addiction was at its zenith. Chico once claimed himself that if you added up how much his brother Harpo had earned then that same sum was likely to represent how much money he himself had lost through his obsession. And the scariest thing is that comment is probably not an exaggeration. Before we move on I think we should first of all just place this all into a modern day perspective now a recent comic force has been the hit and miss Judd Apatow comic stable featuring actors such as Seth Rogen, Jonan Hill, Michael Rudd and Kristen Wiig. Lets imagine that say Seth had a gambling problem to the extent that he had lost the same amount of money with his hobby as Michael Rudds career savings. It sounds like a quickly thought up storyline to a bad Christmas movie vehicle (guy loses money, realise the value of life etc) but its prove that once again truth is often indeed stranger than fiction. What is even stranger is that Chico actually had a good grasp of finance when it came to business transactions. He would seem like the last person in the world you would want to see put in charge of anything but he took on the role of manager of the Marx Brothers after his mother Minnie died and successfully cut a deal for himself and his performing brothers to receive a cut of their films gross receipts. This is common practice nowadays with the legendary stories of Jack Nicholsons supporting performance as the Joker earning him a mind boggling 60 million dollars through a lucrative percentage deal and actor Tom Cruise whose pay day has increased from twenty to thirty percent of the films gross as the years have gone by (gees, are these actors not being paid enough already? What next, theyll start charging for autographs....oh no wait, Cary Grant already mastered that trick). Whereas this is now a regular and somewhat disheartening scenario for todays top actors however, in the thirties and forties Chicos negotiations were somewhat groundbreaking and in light of todays world highly influential. 