# The oldest Marx Brother: Cheeko or Chicko? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544 "2017-03-19T14:59:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/21 "2017-03-19T18:48:23Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > You are a gentleman and a scholar. I happen to know that **Little Nemo** always requests _extra_ mayonnaise on his chicken sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/22 "2017-03-19T18:49:40Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I know it’s supposed to be Chicko, but I’ve been saying Cheeko so long, I can’t change now. It’s far from the only word I pronounce wrongly … and I’ll bet there isn’t a soul here that doesn’t have one or two mispronunciations (and misspellings) in his or her repertoire. > > (Wasn’t there a similar poll on Betelgeuse?) Maybe; but how many light-years away is that ? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/23 "2017-03-19T18:55:32Z")
I would’ve gone, but I was washing my hair. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/24 "2017-03-19T18:57:34Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I happen to know that **Little Nemo** always requests _extra_ mayonnaise on his chicken sandwiches. But always on the side. So I can dip my french fries in it. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/25 "2017-03-19T19:00:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But always on the side. So I can dip my french fries in it. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I can just _see_ **Exapno** curling up into himself, like a slug in salt. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/26 "2017-03-19T19:05:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But always on the side. So I can dip my french fries in it. FWIW, I have sometimes dipped fries in ranch dressing. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/27 "2017-03-19T19:46:20Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > FWIW, I have sometimes dipped fries in ranch dressing. Dude, that’s just wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/28 "2017-03-19T19:54:10Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The oldest was Karl. His stage name was Pinko. ---
**Author:** ![Debillw3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Debillw3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debillw3)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/29 "2017-03-19T20:42:40Z")
Wait… You people are telling me that it’s pronounced “Chick-o”?! What…the…what?! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/30 "2017-03-19T20:43:19Z")
I pronounce it Cheeco. And if he doesn’t know how to pronounce his own name, that’s his problem. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/31 "2017-03-19T20:50:15Z")
I became a fan at such a young age, and started reading the biographies so early, that I got used to the idea of “Chick-o” and didn’t have to unlearn the Spanish pronunciation\*. It does help, as mentioned earlier, that he was “Chick-o-lini” (Chicolini) in _Duck Soup_, as well as “Chick-o” (Chico) in _The Cocoanuts_ and _Monkey Business_. \*That said:if you listen to people talk about the Marx Brothers–even relatively authoritative people, talking about pop culture on television, radio, etc.-- then you hear the Spanish pronunciation SO often that you have to kind of fight it off. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/32 "2017-03-19T21:02:46Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Dude, that’s just wrong. Well, the controlling criterion is taste. Try it sometime. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/33 "2017-03-19T21:13:47Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > FWIW, I have sometimes dipped fries in ranch dressing. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Dude, that’s just wrong. > [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Well, the controlling criterion is taste. Try it sometime. 😛 I WILL! It sounds really, really yummy! Cocktail sauce, and BBQ sauce, and hot mustard sauce, and… Dang, french fries are good with nearly anything! How about a nice pesto, or an alfredo? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/34 "2017-03-19T21:34:15Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I WILL! It sounds really, really yummy! > > Cocktail sauce, and BBQ sauce, and hot mustard sauce, and… Dang, french fries are good with nearly anything! How about a nice pesto, or an alfredo? They both sound good to me…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/35 "2017-03-19T21:35:41Z")
Even though I eventually learned it was supposed to be Chicko, I still say it the wrong way. Just as I know baseball’s greatest shortstop was HAH-nus Wagner, but still say HOE-nus, because the correct pronunciation sounds wrong! ---
**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 19, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/36 "2017-03-19T21:38:25Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I can just _see_ **Exapno** curling up into himself, like a slug in salt. The laugh’s on you. That’s my natural state. > [@Sherrerd](#): > > I became a fan at such a young age, and started reading the biographies so early, that I got used to the idea of “Chick-o” and didn’t have to unlearn the Spanish pronunciation\*. It does help, as mentioned earlier, that he was “Chick-o-lini” (Chicolini) in _Duck Soup_, as well as “Chick-o” (Chico) in _The Cocoanuts_ and _Monkey Business_. As I mentioned in the [other thread that led to this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20077519&postcount=43), I always pronounced it Cheeko until I started reading biographies. None of my Marx Brethren friends ever corrected me. You’re right that he was Chico on the movie version of _The Cocoanuts_, but that’s only because they wouldn’t use the name he had in the stage version. Which was Willie the Wop. Maybe the only time in the 1920s a slur wasn’t used. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/37 "2017-03-19T21:46:50Z")
cheek-o [Here is a period guy pronouncing his name.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll36u9sATio) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/38 "2017-03-19T22:03:46Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Even though I eventually learned it was supposed to be Chicko, I still say it the wrong way. > > Just as I know baseball’s greatest shortstop was HAH-nus Wagner, but still say HOE-nus, because the correct pronunciation sounds wrong! Another one that’s usually mispronounced is Ikea. Pretty much everyone pronounces the first part like eye. But it’s supposed to be like ick. ---
**Author:** ![Debillw3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Debillw3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debillw3)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/39 "2017-03-19T22:07:34Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Just as I know baseball’s greatest shortstop was HAH-nus Wagner, but still say HOE-nus, because the correct pronunciation sounds wrong! …what… > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Another one that’s usually mispronounced is Ikea. Pretty much everyone pronounces the first part like eye. But it’s supposed to be like ick. YOU PEOPLE ARE TEARING MY WORLD APART ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544/40 "2017-03-19T22:15:46Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Just as I know baseball’s greatest shortstop was HAH-nus Wagner, but still say HOE-nus, because the correct pronunciation sounds wrong! It’s easy to remember if you know where the nickname comes from. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-marx-brother-cheeko-or-chicko/782544.md?page=3)