Book Review: Here He Is (By Himself!)

I was a Groucho Marx fan even before I knew much about the famous Marx Brothers as a group. That's attributable mainly to the 1970s syndicated reruns of You Bet Your Life (or, as it was retitled, The Best of Groucho), where I first appreciated the sardonic humor of the cigar-smoking Marx. So I was intrigued by the premise of Matthew Coniam's book, That's Me, Groucho! The Solo Career of Groucho Marx (McFarland, $35). As the subtitle suggests, Coniam's book gives us a new slant on Groucho's work by spotlighting the wide range of projects -- not all of them in the realm of comedy -- that he did without his illustrious brothers.

Those projects include You Bet Your Life, of course, but also a surprisingly varied lot of others: a television performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Mikado, the stage play Time for Elizabeth (which Groucho co-wrote, with Norman Krasna), and films such as Copacabana (opposite Carmen Miranda, no less), and the groovy 1960s curiosity Skidoo, for director Otto Preminger. Often dismissed in a few sentences when other authors have written about Groucho's career, they receive full attention here, and the results are surprisingly illuminating. Also discussed is Groucho's authorship of books and magazine articles.

There have already been a lot of books about Groucho and his brothers, and I've read most of them. Take it from me: what Coniam offers here is not just a reshuffling of previously published material. He's done quite a bit of original research to inform his text, and has insightful comments to make about the career Groucho built for himself apart from his brothers. There's interesting commentary on the infamous Erin Fleming, and the live performances she managed for Marx near the end of his life.

This is Coniam's second book on matters Marxian for McFarland. I haven't read his first one -- but I think I will, now.

(No disclaimer needed today -- bought my own copy).

Throwback Thursday: What I'd Be Watching

On Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere, people often celebrate "Throwback Thursday," in which they post pictures, memories, or comments that take a nostalgic look backward. When it comes to television, I often wish I could throw back some of the inane reality shows of today, in favor of some of my favorite Thursday night classics. 

Marx and George Fenneman.

Thursdays were always a good night for comedy -- if you worked a 9 to 5 job, you were probably coming into the homestretch of a long week, and could use a good laugh. For much of the 1950s, NBC "and your DeSoto-Plymouth dealers" had you covered with Groucho Marx's quiz show You Bet Your Life. Although the contestants did compete for prize money, the real appeal here was Groucho's trademark wit, and his wry exchanges with the quirky people who turned up each week. Who else would interview a tree surgeon and ask, "Tell me, have you ever fallen out of a patient?"

In the 1960s, Screen Gems (later to be known as Columbia Pictures Television) was one of the world's most successful sitcom factories, and gave birth to two Thursday-night favorites. Hazel, seen on NBC, was a warm, gentle show about the suburban Baxter family, whose lives were completely dominated by their maid. The lead character, who always knew what was best for everyone, could have been hard to take if she hadn't been played by the Oscar, Tony, and Emmy-winning Shirley Booth, who made her endearing even when she was in the midst of driving the Baxters nuts.

And what Baby Boomer kid didn't look forward to Thursday nights to see Samantha Stephens twitch up a good time on ABC's Bewitched? I don't know about you, but the only thing better than having Hazel clean up my messy house would be developing my own magic powers, like the beautiful witch of Morning Glory Circle. I've been hoping for those powers for years, and I haven't given up yet.

What were your Thursday night classic TV favorites?