There is little in “The Unknown Marx Brothers” that isn’t known to any red-blooded Marxist. A more accurate title might have been “Rarely Seen Marx Brothers.”
Anyone who has read Joe Adamson’s seminal book, “Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo” knows, for instance, that Harpo appeared in a silent film, “Too Many Kisses,” or that the brothers filmed a television pilot, “The Deputy Seraph.”
But they may have never seen this vintage footage, and such found treasures make “The Unknown Marx Brothers” duck soup for fans.
Originally broadcast on the Disney Channel, this 126-minute documentary, expertly narrated by Leslie Nielsen, mainly eschews classic scenes from the team’s best comedies in favor of promotional films, original theatrical previews, talk show appearances, home movies and candid interviews with family members.
“The Unknown Marx Brothers” chronicles how their ambitious mother, Minnie, launched her sons into show business, how their comic personas evolved and how the team became vaudeville headliners, and stars on Broadway and in Hollywood. But there is, Nielsen teases, “a lot more to their story.”
Much of this program is given to the brothers’ solo careers after they retired from making movies in the late 1940s. Groucho had the biggest success as host of “You Bet Your Life.” The documentary unearths his audition film for the quiz show as well as outtakes, a kinescope of Groucho on “The Jack Benny Show” as well as his last TV appearance as an honored guest on Bill Cosby’s 1970’s variety show.
The Marx Brothers’ anarchic, anti-establishment comedy struck a chord with college students in the 1960s and ’70s. Why haven’t today’s young people likewise taken them to heart? “Because the films have been handed down to them and they can’t discover the Marx brothers in the same way,” offered Joe Adamson, who currently is updating his book. “These films once looked like rioting in the streets, but after `Saturday Night Live,’ Woody Allen, Jim Carrey and the Simpsons, the shock has just worn off.”
For the uninitiated, “Duck Soup” and “A Night at the Opera” are the Marxes most accessible films. The best overview of their movie career remains “The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell,” which is out of print, but may still be found in some video stores.
“The Unknown Marx Brothers” is available on the Fox Lorber Home Video label and retails for $19.98.
