Here are the three most famous of the Marx Brothers, from left to right: Groucho (the most advanced English speaker), Chico (about level 5b), and Harpo (level 1). Follow the links below to investigate their comedy, their roots in Europe, and other, partly similar kinds of theatre from other parts of the world. These brothers imported traditional theatre from Europe to the U.S., as immigrants in the early twentieth century. Their theatre was designed to entertain immigrant English language learners of all levels (their shows included, for example, songs that would be repeated several times, so that the audience could learn to sing them and sing along) -- and, maybe, by the way, native English speakers as well. What would it look like if immigrants to North America from Asia did the same in the twenty-first century?
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Pantalone (Groucho)
Pulcinella (Chico)
Harlequin (Harpo)
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Here is a scene from their movie Horse Feathers (1932):
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swordfish (script)
swordfish (video)
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and here is the song from that movie, "Everyone Says I Love You".
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Remember that for many of the native English-speaking people of the early 1900s, the millions of new immigrants who were arriving then were barbarians, destroying their country. How do you think the Marx brothers responded to this situation? As you watch their movies, see if you can find answers to these further questions: How do the brothers make fun of authority? How do they choose who to make fun of and who to protect? How do they demonstrate that, although they are new immigrants without complete English or high social status, they still have culture and education? What values do their movies teach?
