Only 'The Other Kind of Marxist' Need Apply Part 1 Quiz

Answer: Rufus T. Firefly

Groucho plays Otis B. Driftwood in 'A Night at the Opera', Hugo Z. Hackenbush in 'A Day at the Races' and Jeffrey T. Spalding in 'Animal Crackers' (the T stands for Edgar).

Answer: A frog

Although he usually has an unnatural penchant for horses in several films ('Animal Crackers', 'Duck Soup' and 'A Day at the Races', to name but three), Harpo keeps a pet frog in his trademark top hat for most of this film. At one point, he turns a hoarse-voiced customer of the ship's barber upside down and shakes him, merely because the poor fellow has just mentioned that he has a frog in his throat.

Answer: the pants of a blue serge suit

Groucho's other great courtly howlers include: 'I could dance with you till the cows come home - on second thoughts I'd rather dance with the cows till you come home!' and 'You girls have everything - you're tall and short and slim and stout and blonde and brunette. And that's just the kind of a girl I crave!'

Answer: A banjo, a banjo, and banjo and a banjo

While three of the brothers do at one point play 'xylophone' on the soldiers' helmets, the climax of the song has all four accompanying themselves on 'O Freedonia/ O, don't you cry for me/ I'll be coming round the mountain/ with a banjo on my knee'. It's one of the few films in which Harpo doesn't technically play the harp, although he does open up a piano and pluck its strings.

Answer: 'Horse Feathers' and 'Monkey Business'

Esther Muir, a Todd-lookalike, starred in 'A Day at the Races'. Thelma Todd, the quintessential silent-era starlet, was a talented comedienne and one of the few performers to survive the transition to sound. Her death, by carbon monoxide poisoning, is still shrouded in mystery.

Some believe that in the wake of the mysterious death of Thomas Ince on William Randolph Hearst's yacht, Thelma Todd may have known something which led the newspaper tycoon to order her murder.

Answer: Gookie

Pinky ('Horse Feathers' and 'Duck Soup'), Rusty ('A Night in Casablanca') and The Professor ('Animal Crackers') are joined by such illustrious names as Stuffy ('A Day at the Races'), Wacky ('The Big Store'), Punchy ('At the Circus') and Tomasso ('A Night at the Opera') in the category of weirdly-named characters played by the silent honker. Gookie was the name of a cigar-roller in the neighbourhood in which Harpo grew up, and whose 'concentration face' inspired Harpo's most famous facial expression.

Answer: Love Happy

Harpo is credited as a co-writer on this rather poor film.

Answer: Vermicelli

Groucho: "I used to know a fellow who looked exactly like you, by the name of Emanuel Ravelli. Are you his brother?"
Chico: "I am Emanuel Ravelli."
Groucho: "You're Emanuel Ravelli?'
Chico: "I am Emanuel Ravelli."
Groucho: "Well, no wonder you look like him. But I still insist there is a resemblance."
Chico: "Heh, heh, he thinks I look alike."
Groucho: "Well, if you do, it's a tough break for both of you."

Answer: Il Trovatore

The opera is indeed a real one - Verdi's 'Il Trovatore'. Allan Jones, in this film, was Zeppo's first replacement as the straight man and romantic lead. He later starred in 'A Day at the Races' before dropping out of the Marxes' fold for good.

Answer: swordfish

Yes, this is where it originated. So sad that so few people who saw the Travolta/Berry/Jackman heap may never know.