O, Brother, Who Art Thou? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chico

Leonard Marx(1887-1961), who became Chico, was the second child born to Sam and Minnie Marx. Their first child had died, so she thoroughly spoiled Leo. Minnie was a smart go-getter and had ambitious plans for her family. Chico was probably the most like his mother, always a charmer, and always on the make. Chico developed a gambling problem in his teens and never really got it under control.

When he ran out of money he stole from his family or friends. His original goal in life was to be a professional gambler; he had the gambler's mentality: if he won he could win more, and if he lost he was bound to win.

Answer: Julius

Julius (1890-1977)was the middle child who came along when his two older brothers had bonded; later, when his two younger brothers did the same, he felt left out. He tended to feel resentful of anything given his brothers that was denied him. His mother called him 'Der Eifersuchtige', meaning the jealous one.

It was on the stage that Groucho found his place, where even strangers admired him. Groucho was the most serious about the theater, and handled most of the details.

Answer: Gummo

Gummo (1892-1977) had been a sickly child and developed a stammer, except when he sang. Born Milton Marx, his original plan was to become an inventor. He tired of his parts in the brothers' acts because he was required to do nothing much but stand around and look handsome.

He got his nickname because he almost always wore gumshoes, whether it was raining or not; this probably dated back to his being rheumatic as a child and afraid of catching cold. The other possibility could be that he had a habit of sneaking up on people while wearing gumshoes. Gummo later became 'the fixer' when problems arose.

Answer: Harpo

Born Adolphe Marx (1888-1964), and nicknamed "Ahdie", Harpo said he wanted lots of children so there would be a child at every window waving to him when he came home. Although he was also a womanizer, when Harpo married, the couple adopted four children and Harpo was a doting father and had a happy marriage. Harpo's voice did not make the transition from silents to talkies, so it was decided that he should remain mute.

He found many other ways to express himself, often honking a horn or creating a disturbance. Harpo taught himself to play the harp and had piano lessons when he was a child, which Groucho resented.

Answer: Zeppo

Zeppo (1901-1979) took Gummo's place when the latter joined the service, but had really wanted to be a boxer. 'The Zeppo' has come to refer to an unnecessary component, or fifth wheel. Zeppo had great success as an engineer when he created the Marman Product Company, which manufactured scooters as well as the clamps that held bombs in place on aircraft during WWII.

The Marman clamps held 'Fat Man' on the Bockscar plane before it was delivered to Japan. Zeppo was originally named for a Mr. Zippo, a chimp that did chin-ups and acrobatics, but he resented the implication and settled on Zeppo.

Answer: Margaret Dumont

Margaret Dumont (1882-1965) appeared in many of the brothers' films, and was usually the brunt of sharp asides and jokes. She truly disliked the way the brothers treated her offstage, as they were always pulling pranks or pinching her bottom. She was pretty much the same woman off the stage as she was on, and was not amused at their childish behavior.

She threatened to quit on almost a daily basis. Margaret was an old fashioned girl who never lost her composure on stage or screen. It's been said that Margaret usually did not get the jokes played on her on and off screen, which made them all the more hilarious for the brothers and the audience.

Answer: Chico

Chico had a great talent for adlibbing, but was usually unfocused. He was obsessed with women, scheming and gambling, and eventually became a sick old man who had no money and no roots. He fell back on his brothers to support him. After keeping him on the wagon for a long period, the brothers had saved up $300,000 for Chico, and he demanded the money or he would sue.

After he got it, it took only weeks before it was all gone. He once walked off stage in the middle of a performance to 'get some air', and did not return; he had lost $30,000 gambling and was afraid the mob was after him. Groucho said of him, "There are three things my brother is always on - a phone, a horse or a broad." The phone was to reach his bookie.

Answer: Harpo

Always improvising, Harpo happened upon the five sizes too large raincoat in a pawnshop. He sewed more pockets into it and carried gags around with him everywhere. His curly wig and honking horn completed the ensemble. In 1933, Harpo was the first American to perform in the Soviet Union, where he was a big hit - no language barrier.
Harpo had a sweet, expressive face that made him look childish and innocent. He seemed to be the most optimistic and content of the brothers. His children called him Harpo rather than Dad. His autobiography, published in 1961, is entitled "Harpo Speaks".

Answer: Zeppo

When Groucho was too sick to act on stage, Zeppo played him so well that nobody knew it wasn't Groucho. On the negative side, the Zeppo character was not noticed to be missing. Zeppo quit the act in 1934. Zeppo did very well for himself as an agent in Hollywood, but when it came to his brothers as clients,he turned them over to Gummo because they were extremely disruptive.

His agency was the third largest in Hollywood, and among his clients were Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Lana Turner. Zeppo became a multi-millionnaire from his engineering work, and lived in Palm Springs near his brothers.

He owned a mansion, yacht, Rolls Royce, jewelry and furs and hung around with Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, George Burns and others at their country club.

Answer: You Bet Your Life

Groucho's goal in life was to become a doctor, but instead he became a wiseguy who dispensed the 'best medicine' to the world. The brothers often thought of themselves as guys who couldn't sing or dance and fell back on comedy and slapstick instead. But they were so good at it that people would come back time after time to see stage shows like "The Cocoanuts" as it kept changing as the brothers performed new routines on the spur of the moment. "You Bet Your Life" was on radio for three years before it was on t.v. from 1950.

The producers felt that Groucho should wear a toupee since his hair was thinning, and he finally agreed, remarking, "If the sponsors want to see me with a full head of hair there will be the devil toupee!"