Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Four of a Kind

Fellow blogger #167 Dad has tagged me with a task to come up with sets of four things that have something in common. This is one of those chain-letter type things that happen on the internet, I think. Normally, I abhor such activities, but since #167 invited me politely and didn't threaten death and destruction on me and my family if I don't participate, I'm doing it. As I understand it, there is no restriction on the number of sets. The only requirements are to come up with original topics and not copy those of the tagger, and to then to tag someone else.

So, below are the lists I came up with, all having to do with the Marx Brothers. I am tagging the following blogs:

Urban Sludgewater
Lolita's Classics

4 Women Who Appeared in Marx Brothers Movies and Later Had Regular Roles in TV Series

Kitty Carlisle - Female romantic lead in "A Night At The Opera." Was a regular panelist on the game show "What's My Line?"

Maureen O'Sullivan - Female romantic lead in "A Day At The Races." Hosted a syndicated TV show, "The Children's Hour," and was a cast member of the soap opera, "All My Children" for a season.

Eve Arden - Played acrobat Peerless Pauline in "At The Circus." Starred in the 50s sitcom, "Our Miss Brooks."

Lucille Ball - Appeared in "Room Service." Starred in the sitcom "I Love Lucy" and later "The Lucy Show."

4 Movies In Which Groucho's Character Proposed to Margaret Dumont's Character

Animal Crackers - Groucho proposes simultaneously to Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Rittenhouse and Margaret Irving as Mrs. Whitehead: Yes, I don't think I've ever seen four more beautiful eyes in my life. Well, three anyway. You know, you two girls have everything. You're tall and short and slim and stout and blonde and brunette, and that's just the kind of a girl I crave. We three would make an ideal couple. Why, you've got beauty, charm, money. You have got money, haven't you? 'Cause if you haven't, we can quit right now.

Duck Soup - Groucho: Why don't we get married, and take a vacation? I'll need a vacation if we're going to get married. Married! I can see you now, in the kitchen, bending over a hot stove. But I can't see the stove!

A Day At the Races - Groucho: Emily, I have a little confession to make. I really am a horse doctor, but marry me and I'll never look at any other horse.

The Big Store - Dumont: Oh, I'm afraid after we're married a while a beautiful young girl will come along and you'll forget all about me.
Groucho: Don't be silly. I'll write you twice a week.

4 Abandoned Marx Brothers Projects

Humor Risk - a 1921 silent film featured the Marx Brothers. The film was completed, but never released, and was either lost or destroyed.

Giraffes on Horseback Salads - Salvador Dali wrote the script for this surrealistic film, which was never produced. See earlier post about Dali and the Marx Brothers.

Deputy Seraph - a proposed TV Series featuring Harpo and Chico as angels who periodically came to to earth and occupied the bodies of living humans to help them out. Groucho was to appear intermittently as their supervisor, The Deputy Seraph. A few director's rushes remain from the pilot, but the project never got off the ground.

The New Marx Brothers Show - a cartoon series featuring Harpo, Chico, and Groucho, proposed in the mid60s, but never produced. Not strictly a Marx Brothers project, as Harpo and Chico had died in the early 60s, and it's doubtful Groucho would have participated.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for humoring me.
    Great stuff.
    I didn't realize Lucille Ball appeared in Marx Brothers film. I knew she said she was influenced by Harpo. Absolutely loved the mirror scene with Harpo on I Love Lucy.
    The Groucho marraige proposals made my day.
    #167 Dad

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  2. Not sure if this is relevant, but I recall an item in the Chicago Sun-Times (Kup's Column) sometime in the mid-70's...there was a story about comedian Morey Amsterdam, and he mentions a new project he's involved with being "an animated version of The Marx Brothers"...

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