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Groucho and Elmo
Spike Milligan imitates Groucho Marx
Fozzie in Groucho glasses at the El Sleezo Cafe.
David imagines Gordon with Harpo hair
The Marx Brothers were an iconic American comedy troupe, led by Julius "Groucho" Marx (1890-1977) and included brothers Harpo and Chico (all stage and film work), Zeppo (in early films), and Gummo (in the stage era). The brothers performed on stage and in a series of successful farcical movies, including A Day at the Races, A Night at the Opera, A Night in Casablanca, Duck Soup, and Animal Crackers, amongst others. Groucho, with his greasepaint moustache, thick cigar, spectacles, and wavy hair, developed the persona of consummate wisecracker and con artist.
As a solo performer, Groucho hosted the radio and television game show You Bet Your Life, a series which relied less on the suspense of competition than on the host's patter and rapport with contestants.
References
- The song "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady," first performed by Groucho Marx in the film At the Circus, was used in The Muppet Show episode 102.
- Duck Soup featured Groucho and Harpo Marx in a now famous mirror scene: in an empty hallway, Harpo would mime to be the reflection of Groucho, confusing him in the process. A similar routine appears in The Muppet Show episode 104 featuring Kermit and Robot Kermit.
- Gonzo, upon entering George Burns' dressing room in episode 210, is addressed as "One of the Marx Brothers: Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Gonzo."
- Spike Milligan assists Sam the Eagle with an oration on The Muppet Show episode 317, in which he comes out on stage representing an English gentleman. However, he speaks in such a thick brogue, that Sam can't understand him and claims he is not speaking the Queen's English. Spike replies in an eyebrow-raising, faux cigar-holding Groucho-Marx pose, "Why should I? She never speaks any of mine."
- One of Spike Milligans partners from The Goon Show, Peter Sellers, tended to slip in a Groucho voice every now and again in his career. He appears as a gypsy violinist on The Muppet Show episode 219, being told "play" by the Muppets. Temporarily breaking away from his gypsy voice, Peter said in Groucho style, miming cigar-holding, "Listen, any more talk like that and I will play!"
- In The Muppets Go Hollywood, Dick van Dyke catches Fozzie Bear with a bag of cement, planning to add his own signature to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre sidewalk. Fozzie explains, "I know it's crazy -- but, you see, my dream is to be here with all the Hollywood comedian greats, you know? My pawprint right here with them, like Abbott and Costello, and the Marx Brothers, and -- oh, look, the Ritz Brothers!"
- "Groucho glasses," combining Groucho's trademarked spectacles with fake nose, mustache, and (usually) thick eyebrows, are a recurring Muppet prop. Fozzie wears a pair in The Muppet Movie when he first appears on stage at the El Sleezo Cafe. Kermit the Frog and friends use the glasses as a disguise when raiding the Mallory Gallery in The Great Muppet Caper. The Fozzie Bear Action Figure came with a pair. Red Fraggle dons Groucho glasses in the Fraggle Rock episode "The Secret Society of Poobahs," and Elmo can be seen wearing them in Music Works Wonders. Baby Scooter and Baby Skeeter also wear the glasses as a disguise to get snacks from the kitchen in "Pigerella." In the virmup video "Bohemian Rhapsody," Fozzie sports Groucho glasses along with another standard comedy prop, the fake-arrow-through-the-head popularized by Steve Martin. Furthermore, the reverse side of the Muppet Parodies series of postcards show a small picture of Kermit wearing Groucho glasses.
- The Merrill Lunch Hungerdunger McCormack All Accountant Marching Society, from The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson is a reference to the "Hungerdunger, Hungerdunger, Hungerdunger and McCormack" scene from Animal Crackers.
- In a 1970s Sesame Street segment, David and Maria imagine Gordon with a variety of hairstyles. At one point, David imagines him with "hair like Harpo."
- Elmo appears as Groucho Marx (with Telly Monster as Harpo and Herry Monster as Chico) in A Brief History of Motion Pictures
- According to designer Stephen Rotondaro in production notes for The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, "The Mayor of Grouchland is our version of Groucho Marx."
- A Muppet caricature of Groucho, performed by Matt Vogel, appears in Elmo's World: Noses. In addition, a set of floating Groucho glasses talks to Elmo in Elmo's World: Eyes.
- In Shalom Sesame: "Kids Sing Israel (Grouches Don't)", Moishe Oofnik tries to make a request under the guise of "Groucho Oofnik", complete with Groucho Glasses.
- In the video "Sing Yourself Silly", Maria and Luis don a pair of Groucho glasses and imitate his cigar-holding pose as they remark "Now that's silly!".
- Episode 1576 of Sesame Street features a group of birds called the "Canary Brothers", two of which are named Zeppo and Gummo Marx.
- In the storybook I Want to See..., Baby Rowlf's pet fish Tillie wears a pair of Groucho glasses.
- The Sesame Street song "Everything's Coming Up Noses" ends with Harvey Fierstein wearing a pair of Groucho Glasses.
- An episode of "Monsterpiece Theater" based on the musical Anything Goes, featured dancers in Grouch Glasses singing "Anyone's Nose.
- Neon caricatures of the brothers are shown in the background of The Comedy Store in The Jim Henson Hour episode "Miss Piggy's Hollywood".