Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends [Paperback]

Charlotte Chandler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2007

When Charlotte Chandler called Groucho Marx for an interview, he answered the phone himself. Declining to be interviewed, he invited her over to his house so he could tell her no in person. After talking with her for hours, Groucho asked, "Why aren't you writing?"

Hello, I Must Be Going is the story of Groucho and the Marx Brothers, told through Groucho's everyday conversations with Charlotte Chandler and his friends. And what a group of friends they were! Woody Allen, Jack Nicholson, Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby, Marvin Hamlisch, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Sidney Sheldon, and dozens of others walk through the pages of this fascinating book. Anyone interested in Groucho or the Marx Brothers, or who wants to spend a few hours in fabulous company, will find this book irresistible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Reading Hello, I Must Be Going is like really being there. And I should know. I love the book."

-- Zeppo Marx

"Hello, I Must Be Going is as funny, even funnier than Groucho has ever been."

-- Otto Preminger

"Charlotte Chandler's book is the real thing. Absolutely authentic, beautifully researched, a joy to read."

-- Billy Wilder

"Knowing Groucho was fascinating, but this book knows Groucho better than I did."

-- Mike Nichols

"The definitive book on Groucho Marx."

-- Irv Kupcinet, Chicago Sun-Times

"I wish I could have met Groucho, and now I have. In Hello, I Must Be Going, Groucho never disappoints."

-- Tennessee Williams

"I'd like to have a book like this written about me. Absolutely!"

-- Bette Davis

"Charlotte Chandler's Hello, I Must Be Going contains such a wealth of Groucho Marxisms that she qualifies as the late comedian's Boswell."

-- Richard R. Lingeman, The New York Times Book Review

"Hello, I Must Be Going is fabulous. The best book of its kind."

-- Elliott Gould

"Under those curls, Charlotte Chandler has a tape recorder in her head."

-- Jack Nicholson

About the Author

Charlotte Chandler is the author of several biographies of actors and directors, including Groucho Marx, Federico Fellini, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, and Mae West, all of whom she interviewed extensively. She is a member of the board of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and lives in New York City.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416544224
• ISBN-13: 978-1416544227
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,063,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare glimpse of Groucho toward the end of his life, December 11, 2000

By 

Gretchen Crumpacker "Weathergeek" (Costa Mesa, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends (Paperback)

As the author points out, Groucho was a willing participant in this book but didn't live to see its publication. Charlotte Chandler spent a good deal of time with Groucho in his home toward the end of his life, and it's a perspective not offered by other authors (and I've read a number of books on the Brothers). Ms. Chandler conveys a sense of mutual warmth between herself and Groucho but doesn't idolize Groucho the Legend to the point of forgetting to capture the man. I also appreciated her kindness and restraint in treating Groucho's twilight-years relationship with the much, much younger Erin Fleming (the subject of a lawsuit by son Arthur Marx and many vitriolic pieces by the tabloid press). My husband points out that a few of the stories are told twice (anecdotally by the author, then in interview form), but that's well worth the price of admission. Transcripts of coversations with Woody Allen, Bill Cosby and others are priceless.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs of a Mangy Reviewer, August 23, 2000

By 

Eric Draves (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends (Paperback)

I've read part of this book in the library. It contains MANY anecdotes and quotes NOT found in any other Marx Bros. books-- and I've read most of the main ones! Thrill to the revelations about the sixth Marx brother! Gasp in Amazement at the meeting between Groucho and Woody Allen! Cheer at the revelation of the Missing Sketch from "I'll Say She Is!". And last but least, laugh. Of course some tiny smidgen (say, what IS a smidgen, anyway?) of information is incorrect, but hey, beggars can't be writers. Or is that critics can't be boozers?

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hello , Groucho KNOWS he's going, September 27, 2007

By 

K. Nallen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends (Paperback)

Unlike anything I have seen or read about the Marx Brothers, this book was,overall depressing. Constant focus on Groucho's mortality, especially his personal observation of it, were the main cause of this doom and gloom. Additionally, many stories of "the good ol' days" were repeated througout the book.
Although I concur this is new material, the material is not uplifting - the impending fall of an icon