HARPO MARX (born Adolph Marx, later Arthur Marx; November 23, 1888 - September 28, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and musician, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Groucho and Chico, Harpo’s comic style was visual, being an example of both clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish blonde wig, and never spoke during performances (he blew a horn or whistled to communicate). He frequently used props such as a horn cane, made up of a lead pipe, tape, and a bulbhorn, and he played the harp in most of his films.
Born in Manhattan, New York City into a Jewish family, he left grade school at age eight and began working numerous odd jobs alongside his brother Chico to contribute to the family income, including selling newspapers, working in a butcher shop, and as an errand office boy. In January 1910, Harpo joined two of his brothers, Julius (later “Groucho”) and Milton (later “Gummo”), to form “The Three Nightingales”, later changed to simply “The Marx Brothers”.
His first screen appearance was in the 1921 film Humor Risk, with his brothers. He was often cast as Chico’s eccentric partner-in-crime. In addition to films, he also made numerous television appearances in the 1960s, including The Today Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and Candid Camera.
He died in 1964 at age 75 in a West Los Angeles hospital one day after undergoing heart surgery.
ROWLAND BARBER (April 14, 1920 - September 5, 2012) was an American author, journalist, editor and teacher. Born in Portland, Oregon, his books include The Night They Raided Minsky’s.
