# Did Harpo Marx ever speak aloud on screen?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 10, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379 "2004-03-10T00:14:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379/1 "2004-03-10T00:14:21Z")

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The title says it all. No one at work can remember hearing him speak.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379/2 "2004-03-10T00:55:41Z")

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Harpo never spoke on screen in character.

[This Marx Brothers page](http://www.marx-brothers.org/living/harposp.htm) talks about some of the times his voice has been caught on tape.

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**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379/3 "2004-03-10T01:28:55Z")

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I defer to my brother **Exapno** on all Harpo questions.

Besides, he’s right.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379/4 "2004-03-10T01:34:58Z")

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It was suggested by a producer that Harpo speak in one of the movies in order to produce it. Harpo shook his head.

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**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379/5 "2004-03-10T01:38:29Z")

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Nope. It is fabled (and reported in many resources including the book “Groucho - the life and times of Julius Marx”) that Harpo at one time spoke during one of the vaudville acts and the critics were so scathing he went back to his pantomime act.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379/6 "2004-03-10T01:38:38Z")

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…and two more hard-boiled eggs.

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**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-harpo-marx-ever-speak-aloud-on-screen/233379/7 "2004-03-10T02:17:57Z")

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Granted, but in a parallel universe, it was Harpo who told Greta Garbo the hilarious joke that finally made her laugh…

Garbo actually did laugh on screen, but it was atypical of her – a point made throughout the classic “Ninotchka”.