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Monkey Business
 
 
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Monkey Business [Paperback]

Simon Louvish (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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A serious book hiding behind a goofy title, Monkey Business captures a tremendous amount of detail in its pages, enough to satisfy the most hard-core Marx Brothers aficionado. Author Simon Louvish has a talent for showcasing contrasts, and it's these contrasts--along with a few surprises--that make the brothers such fascinating characters. Among all the scripts, photos, and quotes are some unexpected discoveries, especially the real story of Margaret Dumont. While lamenting the tall tales that have circulated around this actress's life so far, Louvish applauds her image as the ultimate "straight" lady when she was really pulling a lifelong practical joke. And while the one-liners are as entertaining as always, it's refreshing to see glimpses of Groucho's serious side. One chapter begins with an earnest letter to his daughter's boyfriend about the young man's struggles with anti-Semitism, advising him to "comport yourself in such a manner that you will ultimately gain their respect." Of course, he immediately follows up with "Tomorrow we're having tea at the White House. I hope they have pumpernickel": this is Groucho we're talking about, after all. Louvish takes the same one-two narrative punch with the other brothers, interspersing real-life slapstick with tales of gambling debts, relationship difficulties, and professional disappointments and triumphs. Complete with a chronological list of life events and films, a complete reference list, and a thorough index, Monkey Business is the biography serious Marx Brothers fans have been waiting for. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Told with tremendous style and sparkle, Louvish's composite portrait of the Marx Brothers offers an indispensable overview of the actors' saga. Decked out with photographs and sprinkled with excerpts from reviews, interviews, memoirs, film dialogue and hitherto unpublished skits and scripts, this biography captures the sheer exuberance of the foursome as they conquered vaudeville, Broadway and Hollywood. Louvish gives equal billing to all the brothersAJulius (Groucho), Leonard (Chico), Arthur (Harpo), Herbert (Zeppo), plus Milton (Gummo), who left the act to become a Hollywood agentAand vibrantly re-creates a supporting cast of characters that includes George Kaufman, Irving Berlin, Irving Thalberg, S.J. Perelman and Margaret Dumont. Yet the biographer of W.C. Fields (The Man on the Flying Trapeze) maintains critical detachment in assessing the brothers' onstage/onscreen antics and their often messy private lives. Groucho, for one, comes off as a lot more likable than in Stefan Kanfer's Groucho (Forecasts, Mar. 20). While Louvish fully acknowledges the abusive behavior that drove Groucho's first wife to alcoholism, Julius Marx seems more forgivably human here, and Louvish depicts Groucho's relationship with daughter Miriam as loving and solicitous. His fresh research clears up all manner of myths, embellishments and omissions in previous biographies and in the brothers' autobiographies. In this invigorating reappraisal, the Marx Brothers, more than "Minnie and Sam's boys who never grew up," are timeless satirists of pretension, folly, privilege and snobbery, in the tradition of Cervantes, Rabelais and Mark Twain. The "Four Horsemen of the Apoplexy," they embody an authentic acceptance of life's absurdity as well as a desperate need to leave one's mark. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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The year 1900. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2.0 out of 5 stars A disapointment, May 3 2002
By 
Considering an autographed picture of Groucho graces my office wall, I eagerly looked forward to a new look at the Brothers. Yet this volume is largely a disappointment. Louvish's stylistic flourishes (attempts at Marxesque puns, constant repetition of phrases throughout the book) distract from what should be a meaty read. The background on Margaret Dumont is interesting, but that's only a small portion of a 400 plus page book. I ended up skimming the last 200 pages in less than an hour. Ultimately this is a rehash of material better found elsewhere (Try Joe Adamson, Hector Arce, Harpo's autobiography, The Groucho Phile or Stefan Kanfer's flawed but fascinating Groucho bio)
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1.0 out of 5 stars not worth plodding through, Feb 9 2002
By 
heather valdez (virginia beach, va) - See all my reviews
As a new fan of the Marx Brothers, I raced to the library to learn more about their history. I stumbled upon "Monkey Business: The Lives and Legends of the Marx Brothers" and eagerly brought it home to devour. Much to my dismay, I found the book laden with dates (several of which, as the author meticulously points out) are incorrect. Mr. Louvish has deemed himself the debunker of Marx Brothers myths and goes through great pains to do so. He has a nasty habit of tossing out dates and name dropping when he is at a loss for words, and this annoys me to no end. I have found his dull style of writing to be as enticing as poking my eyes out with a blunt object. Do I really need to know how many times the Marx family was visited by the census taker? And is it entirely necessary for Mr. Louvish to discuss every erroneous legend the Marx Brothers ever created? I think that this book is frightfully dull and that it is best used as an instrument for keeping one's coffee table level. Stick to reading autobiographies of the Marx Brothers if you want to be able to finsh reading. But if you are a fan of superfluous writers, then perhaps Mr. Louvish is someone you would enjoy. Either way, I think the author needs to learn the fine art of self editing and verbal spring cleaning. Enough said.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly researched and a welcome addition!, Sep 9 2001
By 
Simon Louvish has done an outstanding job of presenting a fun, readable and informative account of the Marx Bros. New information to me included thoughts on the evidence that all of the brothers falsified their ages throughout their lives as well as secrets of Margaret Dumont revealed at last. There is also (as one would expect) a great deal of the story which has appeared in numerous other books and articles. However, Mr. Louvish presents it all in an entertaining way, making this book enjoyable on all fronts.

Monkey Business deserves a place on the bookshelf of any devoted fan of the Marx Brothers as well as those only casually interested in their works and careers.

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