The Music of the Marx Brothers: A Bio-Discography of the Works of Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, and Zeppo Marx (Paperback)

~ Michael A. Yahn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the 1930s and 40s the Marx Brothers kept the world laughing in good times and bad with such screen classics as Animal Crackers, Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera. Comedy was always the driving force behind the Marx Brothers team on-screen. Off-screen they were three unique individuals who shared a love of music. Music from Marx Brothers’ plays and movies has been recorded by a variety of artists since the early 1920s, but it may surprise some to learn that the Marx Brothers, themselves, also left behind an impressive body of work on record.

Product Details

• Paperback: 293 pages
• Publisher: PublishAmerica (April 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1424169712
• ISBN-13: 978-1424169719
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,282,840 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT COMEDY BOOK CONTRIBUTION!, November 22, 2007

By	Frank (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Michael Yahn has made a significant contribution the the Marx Brothers legacy with this book. Every comedy aficionado should have a copy of this work in their library. Music and comedy go hand in hand with the Marx Brothers and the rhythm of their written work is completely musical. It is remarkable to witness the extent of the Marx Brothers influence on pop music and a thrill to finally see all of their contributions compiled in one resource. Thank you, Mr. Yahn, for a detailed, delightful take on the legendary, musical Marx Brothers!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not particulary daffy over this book, February 2, 2008

By	[e-mail] (Kentucky, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

I won't quibble over such fannish preoccupations as why Harpo's hair is blond on the cover or why Zeppo is not there at all; nor more serious concerns such as that this work has no index (yes, it does need one). My biggest complaint is that this book does not finally and formally end the long-lived and oft-repeated falsehood that the song most associated with Chico Marx (the song he "can't think of the ending" of in Animal Crackers, that is the main theme and is played by Harpo in Monkey Business, and is Chico's motif in Horse Feathers) is "Sugartime" (which itself is often misidentified by its first line, "Sugar in the Morning").

The song in question is, "I'm Daffy Over You" written by Chico and Sol Violinsky (Sol Ginsberg). "Sugartime" was written by Charlie Phillips and Odis Echols (born in 1937 and 1930, respectively) and published in 1957, and was a huge hit for the McGuire Sisters in 1958. Yahn lists "I'm Daffy Over You" in connection with a radio program and sheet music, but does not identify it with any film. He clearly misidentifies the song several times as, "Sugartime."

That this book, ostensibly focusing on the Marxes' music, does not address this issue is shameful, particularly since the matter has been resolved on Marx Brothers listservs and websites (for instance, see Stefan Timphus' magnificent site at marx-brothers dot org [Amazon won't allow URLs, y'know]; you can even find the lyrics to "I'm Daffy Over You" there in the Media Files > MIDI Files).

How reliable is the balance of Yahn's research?

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooray for Michael Yahn, November 13, 2007

By	Paul Bauer "ArchersBooks_com" (Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Given the large number of books devoted to the Marx Brothers, it's amazing that so little attention has been paid to their music. That omission is finally corrected with the publication of The Music of the Marx Brothers: A Bio-Discography. Michael Yahn successfully weaves the Brothers' extensive and sometimes tangled discography with a wealth of biographical material. The resulting book, which includes music performed by Groucho and Harpo as well as others, is as fun as it is informative. It is sure to please both the casual Marx Brothers fan (if such an animal exists) as well as the hard-shell Marxist. Hooray for Captain Spaulding--and for Michael Yahn!