RIP, Son of Groucho

Somehow I missed the passing of Groucho's son Arthur at age 89 on April 14, 2011. His obituary at the New York Times is quite interesting.

Marx and Lennon

As detailed in the April 28, 1995 New York Times article Philatelists Just Wanna Have Fun, the Republic of Abkhazia,a rebellious region in the northwest of Georgia, or a printing company claiming to be the Republic of Abkhazia, issued a stamp set commemorating not Karl and Vladimir, but Groucho and John. When my wife bought me a few sheets from the International Collectors Society some fifteen or so years ago, the retail price was $12.72 per sheet. Now they can be found on eBay for as little as $7.00. No doubt many "Limited Editions" from companies which flood the market with "collectibles" have suffered similar fates.

I still like the stamps, though.

Zeppo's Ex Writes a Book

Barbara Sinatra, fourth and final wife of Frank Sinatra, has written a book about her years with the singer.


In an interview appearing in the Sunday, June 6, 2011 New York Times Magazine, she answers a number of questions about Frank's violent streak, his drinking, and his infidelity--none of which seemed to bother her very much as long as he gave her birthday presents like a Rolls Royce Corniche. The subject of her marriage to Zeppo Marx, to whom she was married when she met Sinatra, gets only a brief mention by the interviewer. I don't imagine Zep was that easy to live with, but I think he came out ahead in the deal.

Barbara Marx today, with the same smooth skin she had several decades ago on the book cover.