18 episodes, many of which were not part of the syndicated package. Lots of extras, including the outtake “stag reels” that were compiled of remarks too suggestive to air (mild as they are), the radio audition tape, and more.
More? Yes, fans, more. The big news isn’t the “lost” episodes, but the lost radio excerpt. You know the one I mean: the legendary, lost, ad lib contest between Groucho and Bob Hope on the Walgreen show in 1947 that lead to Groucho’s being offered the hosting job on a new radio quiz show. (Again, pretty mild. And given how awful the script was, too much of a temptation to pass up.) Where this comes from is never said. I know that I’ve been searching for it for years.
The beautiful packaging also includes a booklet by Marxian Robert Bader whom, he lets drop in an extremely modest way, I met at an Open House of the Marx Brotherhood a few years back.
And a warning: Be aware that the Marx Brothers Collection is not the promised five movies but evidently a lot of junk that only hardcore collectors like me would want - and I already have it all on video.
I remember when I saw the reruns ca.80s (why are these not out there anymore?Seems like a natural for Nik At Nite),I saw the “Feesh got To Svim” episode and still cracked up over it after about a 30 year lag.
Question:I have a DVD slot on my PC,but not a regular DVD player hooked to a TV.Any problems?
When you said “the lost radio excerpt” I had a dream that it would the the line about the woman with 10 children. sigh Forever lost to history, I’m afraid.
Julius, is it really lost? Seems like I remember hearing it in Groucho’s voice. (heh, seems funny to ask Julius a question about Julius) I’ll have to dig around in my brain and see if I can remember where or when.
Exapno, Mark said, ‘Great name.’
I say, “Thanks for the links.”
(anyone ever see any Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel stuff for sale?)
Exapno Mapcase, you seem like an expert. Why aren’t any of the Marx Brothers’ films currently available on DVD, and will they ever be? I know they made movies at at least two different studios, but I can’t imagine what the hold-up is. I’d love a nice box set of Marx movies, or at the very least, A Night At the Opera on DVD.
One episode featured a pair of girls, one of whom was Candice Bergen. I’ve forgotten the name of the other but she was probably some other celebrity’s daughter.
Lou: The fact that there are two different studios (four, actually: Room Service was made by RKO and A Night in Casablanca by United Artists) to deal with is a problem. The fact that the rights to the films have been sold all over the place is another problem.
That said, everybody thought the Marx Brothers Collection would be the major release of the Paramount films. I don’t know what happened there. It still might come out, though.
From a 12/14/03 New York Times article on Most Wanted DVDs:
And on the Yahoo Crazy For The Marx Brothers group, we heard this:
Rumor? Wishful thinking? Who knows.
Here’s an international listing of the Marx Brothers on DVD. Current availability may be spotty.
Jeff: The other girl was Groucho’s daughter, Melinda.
plnnr: Lots of other celebrities appeared on the show. The boxed set includes Ernie Kovacs, Art Linkletter, bridge guru Charles Goren, pioneer aviatrix Ruth Elder, decathlon champ Bob Mathias and boxing champ Archie Moore, Miss Sweden, and Gary Cooper’s mother.
I have the scripts, but I’ve never seen it on
tape or CD. I did find a CD of Duck Soup as done on the radio - very odd. (I got it in a thrift store for $.25)
www.radiogoldindex.com says that, in addition to the complete and aforementioned episode that aired on 5/22/1933, eight minutes of the episode that aired on 5/8/1933.
Other than that, it appears that “Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel”, like so much of early radio, is completely lost (other than the scripts, which, if I recall correctly, are all extant).
Thanks, but I meant before they were celebrities ala Diller (she did say that she wanted to be a comedian and Groucho asked her to tell a joke, which went over pretty well).
In “Harpo Speaks!”, there was a picture of the headline with his name in a Russian newspaper. IIRC it looked almost exactly like “XAP[symbol]P[/symbol]O MAPKC”.
