Marx Brothers Part IV: Gummo and Zeppo
It looks like the two youngest Marx brothers did not want to be a part of the act. We've seen Zeppo in the Marx Bros pre-code films, but Gummo's presence remains a mystery. I decided not to do two separate entries for them. It’s one less day of work for me and I need to rest. Besides, it's already a challenge to gather enough information on the obscure Marx brothers. I already had enough trouble finding a photo of Gummo and Zeppo alone. I don’t even know if there is one. If there is, it’s either very rare or I just didn’t look hard enough. Above is the only known existing photograph of the entire Marx family. It was taken outside of a theatre after a performance in 1915.
Ok, here's the deal, now that we've reached the end of the series, the final Marx brothers need no introduction. If you haven't been catching up with this series, I recommend you read Chico's, Harpo's, and then Groucho's first. Now on with the show -- first up we have Gummo. He was born Milton Marx on October 23, 1892, in Manhattan, New York City. The origin of his name derived from his creeping out and about the theatre like a "gumshoe detective" -- according to Harpo's autobiography (some sources will say otherwise). Groucho, on the other hand, said the source of his name was related to wearing gumshoes. Either way, you get the concept.
Gummo was the second brother to join the stage after Groucho. He joined the Larong Trio in 1904, which was later formed into the Four Nightingales and finally the Six Mascots. He was the original fourth Marx brother and performed as the straight man in their vaudeville act until he joined the US Army in 1918. Although very few sources mention this, he reportedly spoke with a stammer which made it difficult for him to deliver his lines. This led to his decision to not continue with show business after he finished his service in the Army. According to multiple accounts, he was never interested in being an actor or comedian. His dream as a boy was to become an inventor, but Minnie dragged him out of school at the age of 11 or 12 (he began in 1904 or some will say 1905) and shoved him in on the stage. He later became a well-respected businessman and joined his brother Zeppo in working as a theatrical agent in Hollywood, where he managed some famous stars (who I have yet to find their names) including the brothers. He was also Groucho's personal financial adviser, and according to an interview with Dick Cavett, he said that Gummo was his favorite brother.
In 1929 he wed Helen Von Theaman, who already had a daughter from her previous marriage. They remained married until Helen's death in 1979 and had one child, a son named Robert in 1930. Gummo was described as being a quiet, reserved, gentleman. He may not have had Harpo's superb qualities, but I think he was a nice fella. The fact he was married to the same woman his whole life says a lot!
He passed away on April 22, 1977, at the age of 84, from a cerebral hemorrhage. Groucho was never informed of his passing because it was thought to have brought him into a manic depression.
"For many years after I quit the stage people referred to me as an actor, but during my career, most people vehemently denied this."
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| Gummo during his time serving in the US Army. Most likely 1918. |
When Gummo joined the Army he was replaced by Zeppo. Zeppo was born Herbert Manfred Marx on February 25, 1901, in Manhattan, New York City. I think I've addressed by now that they were all born in the same place, but I'm clarifying anyway. As a boy, he was rumored to have been a delinquent which led to Minnie's decision to put him on the stage to avoid trouble. He stayed in the act much longer than his brother did, beginning in I think the end of their vaudeville days and continuing all the way into a few years of their film career. Like Harpo, he made one appearance in a silent film, A Kiss In The Dark (1925), but the film is lost. He left the troupe in 1934, stating that he was tired of being a "stooge." In later interviews, he claimed he never cared for acting and was happy to find a way out when he became a successful agent. According to Chico's daughter Maxine, he managed the careers of Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Lucille Ball, Lana Turner, and even Jean Harlow.
Legend has it that his name was inspired by Zepplin airships. Both Groucho and his ex-wife Barbara Sinatra confirmed this. Harpo claimed that it came from a trained chimpanzee named Mr. Zippo whom he would imitate. In his own words, however, "Zep" meant baby in some foreign language, and this naturally matched Zeppo since he was the family baby. I'm personally going to side with that one because you know the other rumors can't be true when they all disagree with each other.
Susan Fleming, Harpo's wife, described him as a 'strange man' and I get that impression. He was said to have been the funniest Marx brother off-screen, but never much on-screen. Susan was also right about there not being room for a fourth Marx brother. He wasn't a comic and Margaret Dumont already fulfilled the role of a straight man. Being the youngest, he was typecast in the romantic lead. Most critics agree that the romantic role wasn't necessary, but I disagree. I think he was perfectly fine playing that role, although it didn't exactly give him much of a place in the three main Marxes' world of comedy.
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| He was definitely a looker! I can see a strong resemblance to Frenchie too. |
Apart from being an agent, he took on inventing and engineering and even came up with the design for the Marman Clamp, a device used in WWII to secure cargo during transport. I believe Gummo left some contributions too. Wiki states that Marman Clamps were used to hold the famous "Fat Man" bomb inside the B-29 bomber Bockscar, which, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that was one of the bombs that ended WWII? Alright, this is getting too technical for me now. Let's change back the subject to what I actually know about.
Zeppo married Marion Benda in 1927 (not the Ziegfeld girl). They adopted two children, but for some obscure reason, they divorced in 1954. Zeppo married again in 1959 to Barbara Blakely, who later became the fourth and final wife of Frank Sinatra. Frank, who was one of Zeppo's friends, began to frequently accompany him and Barbara in the 1960s and early 70s. According to her side of the story, he was a jealous and possessive husband, which is probably partial to her leaving him for Frank. Maybe that same reason drew his other wife away... Anyway, after carrying on an affair with Frank, Barbara divorced him in 1973 and married Ol' Blue Eyes three years later. They remained married until he died in 1998.
As far as vices and things like that, Zeppo was the only Marx brother who had a reputation as a drinker. He also had a reputation as a playboy, but that's no news as a Marx brother. He wanted the best for his children but didn't care where he went with his own life as I've read. I've seen him over and over again described as "ill-tempered." He seems like he had a lot of sense, not necessarily wisdom, but just your average New Yorker. On November 30, 1979 (ironically today), he passed away at the age of 78 from Lung Cancer -- probably a recipient of years of smoking. He was the last surviving Marx brother.
Zeppo was responsible for introducing Jack Benny to his wife, Mary Livingstone, who was his (Zeppo's) cousin. Zeppo was also Cary Grant's favorite Marx brother. There's your bit of fun trivia.
"Gummo did the straight part, so that's what I had to do. As a matter of a fact, it would have been rather difficult to get another comic in there. I had always wanted to do comedy, but I never had the opportunity, because with three boys doing comedy there wasn't room for another comedian. So, I played the straight man through vaudeville and New York stage, plus a few of the pictures...The only way I could expand the role was through comedy, but there was no way, no chance."
