Dedicated to the wit and comedy of Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, and Gummo
Gummo Marx
Birth Name
Milton Marx
Date of Birth (Location)
Oct 23, 1893 New York, NY
Date of Death
April 21, 1977
Bio
Gummo Marx was the fifth son of Minnie and Sam Marx. While the census of 1900 gives 1892 as his birth year, on his death certificate and his grave the year 1893 is given.
He is the Marx Brother that is almost forgotten by the fans. The reason for this is that Gummo had stopped performing with the boys before they became stars on Broadway. He and Groucho were the original performers in the family, both appearing in an act known as the Three Nightingales. Actually Gummo was the first of the boys to be on the stage. He appeared with his Uncle Julius in a ventriloquism act.
When Gummo joined the army he was replaced on stage by Zeppo. Gummo went into business selling dresses and cloth after the war and continued at it until he was lured back to show business. Not as a performer but as a partner in a talent agency. He managed his brothers for years and made a good name for himself as an agent.
He was nicknamed for his gumshoe way of sneaking up on people. He died on April 21, 1977, in Palm Springs, California. His younger brother recalls...
"Gummo was a love. The hero. He was with the boys ahead of me, and...he went into the Army and I had to take his place. He was in the dress business when he came out of the Army.... He had a lot of friends in that business and he thought it would be a good business for him...(but) it didn't take him long before he was bankrupt. He didn't know a thing about the business. It was typical because my father went into all kinds of business and was out three or four days after he started. Then he (Gummo) wanted to come to the coast where I had a very big agency business. So I said 'alright, you come to the coast and you join me, but first of all open an office in New York so you have a start there and then you'll come out here.' So he opened an office in New York and he did very well. He got Glenn Ford as a client, and he got quite a few other clients, so I said, 'well come on out' and he got himself a little house and I put him in my business and he did very well." --Zeppo Marx interview for The Hollywood Greats, copyright © 1982, BBC.
Taken From: www.marx-brothers.org and www.webcasting.com
