# Marx Brothers Question re: Zeppo and Chico **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395 "2022-09-28T15:05:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/1 "2022-09-28T15:05:31Z")
In any of the movies with Zeppo does he ever speak to Chico, or vice versa? I know there are scenes with all four brothers (most notably the big musical number in _Duck Soup_) but from what I remember all of Zeppo’s one on one interactions with another brother is with Groucho. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/2 "2022-09-28T16:03:52Z")
Good question. I’d like to know the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/3 "2022-09-28T16:16:53Z")
I’m pretty sure the answer is no. Chico’s preferred straight man was Groucho. One of my favorite Marx Bros. jokes is actually Zeppo’s (taking dictation for Groucho); “How do you spell semicolon?” ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/4 "2022-09-28T16:50:39Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I’m pretty sure the answer is no. Chico’s preferred straight man was Groucho. It doesn’t have to be a funny line. Especially not from Zeppo. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/5 "2022-09-28T16:57:15Z")
Can we count [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BGwSGD-d52Y)? (_“My name is Sammy Brown…”_) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/6 "2022-09-28T17:02:12Z")
I’m just saying, Groucho was the only one who used Zeppo as a straight man. There are basically three significant straight men in those films. Zeppo, Margaret Dumont, and Groucho (who played it to Chico). Zeppo was delegated (when he was lucky) to either Groucho’s straight man/lacky or romantic lead (a minor role in a Marx Bros. film). I can only think of three actual gags written for Zeppo: the stenography joke above, his Maurice Chevalier impersonations, and (paraphrasing) “I’ll never leave you, Mary…Bye”. Not for lack of talent, apparently. Zeppo was Groucho’s understudy on Broadway, and apparently played the role to perfection when Groucho couldn’t go on stage. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/7 "2022-09-28T17:28:41Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Zeppo was Groucho’s understudy on Broadway, and apparently played the role to perfection when Groucho couldn’t go on stage. Beat me to it. Chico would have played to Zeppo’s Groucho many times in the theater. Obviously there’s no film record of this, but contemporary accounts suggest the audience had no idea it wasn’t the “real” Groucho. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/8 "2022-09-28T17:47:40Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Can we count [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BGwSGD-d52Y)? > > (_“My name is Sammy Brown…”_) So far it’s the only example, but I was looking for something from their movies. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/9 "2022-09-28T17:55:10Z")
Zeppo does speak to Harpo at least once, in _[Horsefeathers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERjz02gLA0s)_ (start around 2:05). ---
**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:** [September 28, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/10 "2022-09-28T20:08:48Z")
I don’t think there was ever a plot reason that would have had them talking. Zeppo talks to Groucho to advance the plot, Chico talks to Groucho to advance the humor, Harpo doesn’t talk to Groucho because he’s an imp from the ninth dimension. My spellchecker doesn’t recognize Harpo, Zeppo, and Groucho. Curse you culturally ignorant philistines! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/11 "2022-09-29T03:03:36Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > So far it’s the only example, but I was looking for something from their movies How about [this](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7clor), technically? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/12 "2022-09-29T03:19:02Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Harpo doesn’t talk to Groucho because he’s an imp from the ninth dimension. The rest of the boys weren’t there but Harpo had lines and spoke in the 1925 movie Too Many Kisses. You still can’t hear him though because it was a silent movie. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marx-brothers-question-re-zeppo-and-chico/972395/13 "2022-09-29T12:28:05Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > How about [this](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7clor), technically? Chico: How do you know it was Chevalier? Zeppo: I got his passport right there. That counts. And it’s as brief as I thought it would be.