Memoir By Wife Of Harpo Marx To Be Published; Other Marx Brothers Projects In The Works

To mark what would have been the 85th wedding anniversary of Harpo Marx and Susan Fleming on September 26, Marx Brothers Inc., the Los Angeles based, family owned, and operated company devoted to the legacy of the Marx Brothers, is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Speaking of Harpo, the autobiography of Susan Fleming Marx (1908-2002.) Speaking of Harpo will be published by Applause Books on June 1, 2022.

Susan was married to Harpo Marx from 1936 until his death in 1964. The book was co-authored by Marx Brothers Inc. board member Robert S. Bader, who worked on the book with Susan during the last decade of her life. Now, almost twenty years after Susan's passing, her son Bill Marx, president of Marx Brothers Inc., is thrilled to finally see the book published.

Bill encouraged Bader to complete the work he did with Susan and says, "My mother was a very private person. After her initial enthusiasm for the book, she had some doubts about it, mostly because she never pulled any punches and was a very opinionated lady. But she had a wonderful story to tell and was very proud of the work she did with Robert. The book has insights and behind the scenes stories that no one else could have provided. Fans of my father and the Marx Brothers are in for a treat."

Bader, author of the critically acclaimed Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers on Stage (Northwestern University Press, 2016) is currently at work on an in-depth biography of Zeppo Marx. Bader states, "Zeppo was so much more than one of the Marx Brothers. He led several lives and at various times was a successful agent, a commercial fisherman, an inventor, and a professional gambler. Some of his friends were the biggest stars in Hollywood, but Zeppo also socialized with small time criminals and notorious underworld figures. He may be the most interesting member of the Marx family."

In his research Bader discovered that Zeppo had appeared in a vaudeville act without his brothers as a teenager. This act was obscure enough to not make it into Bader's otherwise comprehensive Four of the Three Musketeers. Zeppo's son Tim Marx, another Marx Brothers Inc. board member, has made a significant contribution to the book and says, "My father was a complex and unusual guy. He could be the funniest Marx Brother off screen, but he also had a very short fuse when he was angry. There's so much more to know about him. I've certainly learned things I was unaware of from the research for this book."

Another forthcoming Marx Brothers project is the film, Groucho & Cavett, a documentary about the sixteen-year friendship between Groucho Marx and iconic talk show host Dick Cavett. Robert S. Bader collaborated with Cavett on the film, which will have its exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere as part of the American Masters series on PBS. Bader and Cavett previously collaborated in 2018 on Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes, an award-winning film about Cavett's friendship with Muhammad Ali that is currently available on HBO.

Marx Brothers Inc. is also planning a very special audio release of a live concert performance by Harpo Marx, recorded only months before his death. And the tale of Harpo's 1933 trip to Russia from his book Harpo Speaks! has been optioned for the screen. Exciting times are coming for Marx Brothers fans. And there are other surprises in store.

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