Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers on Stage

I have provided research and reference material to the authors of several books about the Marx Brothers. Many of them were good books in their day. But all now suffer in comparison to Robert Bader’s incredible new book. [Full disclosure: I am proud to have provided research for this book as well.] The problem with other Marx Bros. books is that the authors had a life to live or a publisher’s deadline to meet. Ultimately they had to settle for “good,” or “better than the others,” but it was still a compromise. But Mr. Bader is unique. He has spent several decades doing research on the Marxes. Along the way he published a wonderful anthology of Groucho’s writings, and then a revised and expanded edition a few years later. (To say nothing of the several incredible Marx-related DVD sets he produced, and the commentary on the recent Paramount collection Blu-ray release.) He could have written a great biography several years ago, but instead he continued digging. He has not only dug deeper than any of the rest of us, he has dug deeper than most of us thought was even possible. He has dug deep enough to find the Marx Brothers in four vaudeville acts that we never knew about previously! He is the first person to make sense of the conflicting versions of stories told by Kyle Crichton (their authorized biographer), by Groucho and Harpo in their autobiographies, and by Groucho on various TV shows and in his interviews with later biographers. He has tirelessly dug through contemporary news accounts to finally prove which elements of each story are correct: when and where and how these legendary stories actually took place. It’s not his opinion of which version is funniest or most probable, but the verifiable underlying truth. He has used genealogical research to determine the actual names of fellow performers who were given pseudonyms in early biographies. By doing so he has also been able to determine the intriguing stories of what happened to these cast mates after they left the Marx act. [Harpo’s relationship with Katie Fleming spans several chapters and could have been a book on its own.] He has also been able to identify these cast mates in dozens of previously unpublished photos from Groucho’s and Harpo’s scrapbooks. And by figuring out who exactly was who, he discovered another Nightingale who was never previously identified. Along the journey Mr. Bader has uncovered so many other fascinating stories. As only one example, a poor joke told by Groucho on an obscure TV show has led to an incredible tragic story about their cousin Lou Shean that was never part of the Marxian lore. Mr. Bader began organizing his research into a book perhaps eight years ago. No, he isn’t a slow typist. While writing the book he continued digging, until he tied up as many loose ends as possible. Only when he had answered every question, after numerous drafts, after filling all of the holes in the timeline, did he look for a publisher. It would be nice to think that any of us could have written this book if we’d had enough time, but the truth is that Mr. Bader had the tenacity nobody else has demonstrated, as well as the understanding of how the disjointed pieces actually fit together. Robert Bader intended to write a definitive biography of the Marx Brothers on stage. The end result is the definitive biography of the Marx Brothers, the definitive history of vaudeville as a business, and a fascinating book that I have waited 40 years to read.

I've been a fanatical Marx Brothers fan for almost 50 years. I've interviewed Groucho on radio. I've read EVERY darn book written by or about them. I thought I knew it all. But this amazing book told me many, man things I did not know. He sweeps away the lies and great-but-untrue stories that fill all the other books, and get down to as much of the truth as could ever be discovered a century after its events. The book is FASCINATING. I can not recommend it TOO highly. Great book.

This is the best-researched book ever written on the Marx Brothers. Though it only gives cursory discussion of their movies or their private lives, and concentrates mainly on the stage careers that propelled them into the movies, the author spent decades on his research and scrubbed every nook and cranny of vaudeville and Broadway lore to produce this wonderful volume. The total Marxmaniac will also want to read books detailing the Brothers' movie career, including of course the books and articles penned by the Marxes themselves. But even the Marx Brothers gave often inaccurate, exaggerated, or plain fabricated stories about their past. Bader's book renders obsolete many of the previous books on the Marx Brothers, as he destroys the myths and incorrect memories with fact.

I enjoyed this book so much, and did NOT want it to end. For the fan of the Marx Brothers, you can buy this book without any fear of it being repetitious or doubling over the same old stories and information you’ve acquired from other books about the team or the individual “players”. Brand-new research, color, history, etc., all pertaining to the years BEFORE the brothers hit the movies big-time. Finally, you can learn in tremendous detail the way in which the Marx Brothers morphed throughout the formative years. In so do doing, they mirrored the tremendous power and scope of the Vaudeville industry during the early years of the 20th Century, and the reader will gain enormous insight into the ways of the Vaudeville culture that so dominated the early years of the last century. Notable too, is the fact that the book includes as near-complete an itinerary of the Brothers' individual stage appearances in a very detailed listing as is possible. Season-by-season information on players, plot lines, locales, theater names, dates, etc..... Incredible coverage. Informative, entertaining, fascinating, educational, revealing, unique, ......FUN! This book, by Robert S. Bader, called "FOUR OF THE THE THREE MUSKETEERS" - THE MARX BROTHERS ON STAGE." Was years in the writing and compilation, and worth the wait. So glad this book exists. Wonderful to discover as well, that after a lifetime of enraptured study, there is still so much to learn about the subjects that I love. Richly illustrated, including many pictures that have previously been unseen by the general public, and also including many contemporary newspaper ads for the Brothers’ various stage appearances.

For anyone interested in the Marx Brothers, and in the history of Vaudeville and variety (and Broadway) in general, this book is a must. Although there are many books on the Marx Brothers, most of them deal nearly exclusively with their Hollywood and post-Hollywood careers, and very little with their stage career, although it was much longer and much more interesting than their movie years: the latter were the end result of their stage success, which culminated on Broadway with an ebullient review by Alexander Woollcott that made them full-fledged stars. Additionally, Robert Bader corrects the romanticized and mostly inaccurate versions of this period of their lives given by the brothers over the years in books and interviews--a work that had been successfully started by Simon Louvish in his excellent biography of the Marx Brothers, "Monkey Business". The scope of Bader's research is amazingly exhaustive, and it gives a fascinating insight into the vaudeville business and touring practices of early 20th-century America. It also confirms that the fabled Minnie Marx, the Marxes' mother, was a rather inept (if driven and enthusiastic) manager, contrary to the legend built over the years by Groucho and Harpo, with the complicity of Woollcott. Robert Bader's book is a very interesting read, and a fascinating one for any Marx Brothers' enthusiasts and old vaudeville scholars and aficionados. It is an important book on the Marx Brothers as well as on American vaudeville and variety.

A towering achievement of Marxian scholarship, this book details every stage production that featured a Marx Brother from Groucho's solo debut in 1905 to the team's dissolution. (Hopefully, Harpo and Chico's nightcub act, TIME FOR ELIZABETH, THE FIFTH SEASON, AN EVENING WITH GROUCHO, and other later productions will be covered in Part Two.) Bader actually goes week by week and tells you what they were doing, where, and with whom. Only a few weeks are unaccounted for, and I believe some of the gaps have already been filled in the revised edition. The films are mentioned in historical context, but the focus is on theatre, a topic that is neglected in most Marx books. Bader has spent decades following the Marxes' vaudeville trail thru all the tank towns and whistle stops, stopping at libraries to read contemporaneous accounts in local papers. The result is an exhaustive account that puts to rest the legends once and for all and prints the truth. He jokes that the hefty tome might well be sold by the pound, but it is a bargain at any price. I look forward to the revised edition, and hopefully the sequel will not take decades.

The best and most thoroughly researched book on the Marx Brothers. Living now in Illinois (the Quad Cities), I am fascinating by reading about all the small towns in this area where the Marx Brothers performed in their vaudeville days, including Galesburg, where a cartoonist gave them their nicknames while playing poker, and where, in 1913, the brothers played Knox College in baseball and got whipped 14-1. Who knew they formed a baseball team to have fun and kill some time on the road more than 100 years ago? I also like the way the author is able to look through some of the tall tales the brothers told in interviews over the years to find the true story. For a Marx fan like me, this book is solid gold.

I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Marx Brothers, but this book shed so much new light on a phase of their career that until now has been shrouded in mystery. Even though the author has a tendency to insert himself (and, in particular, his opinions about the works of other authors he clearly does not respect), it's very well written and engaging. I devoured it from cover to cover, enjoying every page. I was sorry when it ended!

I’m not saying that this is the greatest non-fiction book ever written. I haven’t read every non-fiction book ever written, so the comparison would be a false one. “Four of the Three Musketeers – The Marx Brothers on Stage” is just the greatest non-fiction book I’ve ever read. If you’ve already read “Harpo Speaks,” “Groucho and Me,” “Growing Up with Chico” and all of the other dozen or so books on the Marx Brothers, this one is the book that lines up all the rest and makes them behave. All the legendary Marx Brothers stories are either debunked or verified. If verified, names, dates and places are detailed. The years of climbing the Mount Everest of vaudeville? There’s a list of all performances. With notations such as the time the fifteen year old Groucho appeared on a vaudeville bill with the twenty-five year old juggler, W.C. Fields. Or the ocean cruise where entertainment was provided by the Four Marx Brothers and Clark & McCullough (my other favorites). Or the stretch of performance dates missed by Chico because of a Mystery Illness – and in a day when performers’ illnesses were specified by the trade papers, speculation is that the womanizing Chico had been caught by a father/brother/husband and that he was recovering from a bullet wound. Harpo’s sojourn as a whorehouse piano player forced to drive a getaway carriage for burglars? The entire court case is detailed. The four sympathetic prostitutes who gave Harpo train fare home? All named. MY GOD, THIS BOOK IS FABULOUS. I tracked down one of the theaters where the Four Marx Brothers first appeared after Chico joined the act in 1912. Not a theater anymore, but the building is still there and it’s located around the corner from a theater where I’ve been performing/directing. History! Three details, and I’ll shut up. ************** From the list of vaudeville dates: “May 14-16, 1914 – Galesburg, Illinois – Gaiety Theatre The Four Marx Brothers got their nicknames from comic Art Fisher at a backstage poker game.” ************** A Marx By Any Other Name… The legend is, as with Groucho dropping his onstage German accent in 1917, that Harpo changed his name from Adolph to Arthur due to anti-German WWI sentiment. Not true. Bader reveals that Adolph became Arthur as far back as 1909. Why? Because during the ten years the Marx family lived in Chicago & LaGrange, also based in Chicago was an attorney named Adolph Marks, who specialized in suing vaudeville actors and was roundly despised by same. ************** Zeppo’s Escape. IRVING THALBERG: Do you think three of you should be paid the same as four? GROUCHO: Without Zeppo we’re worth twice as much. I always thought that was a little harsh, even for Groucho; but Bader reveals why the Brothers were touchy about the subject: after leaving Paramount, there was a changing of the guard, and the new executives wanted the Marx Brothers back. Negotiations broke down because Paramount wouldn’t pay the same money for three that they paid for four. And they were far from the only objectors. Yep. The Marx Brothers had trouble getting work without Zeppo. And considering the way they treated him (also detailed in this amazing tome), the only possible conclusion is, “Karma’s a bitch.” If you’re a Marx Brothers fan; if you’re a student of vaudeville (and all of early 20th century entertainment); or you just want to read the Greatest Non-Fiction Book Ever Written… sorry, I said I wouldn’t do that. Sorry… BUY THIS BOOK.

I'm 50 pages in and this is already the BEST book on The Marx Brothers I've ever read. The level of 'you are there' detail is astonishing. You can almost smell Frenchy's chicken soup cooking in their crowded New York flat as the five brothers discover show business one by one. I am savoring this superb book, paragraph by paragraph, slowly, lovingly. If you love the Marx Brothers, this is absolutely ESSENTIAL

I have provided research and reference material to the authors of several books about the Marx Brothers. Many of them were good books in their day. But all now suffer in comparison to Robert Bader’s incredible new book. [Full disclosure: I am proud to have provided research for this book as well.] The problem with other Marx Bros. books is that the authors had a life to live or a publisher’s deadline to meet. Ultimately they had to settle for “good,” or “better than the others,” but it was still a compromise. But Mr. Bader is unique. He has spent several decades doing research on the Marxes. Along the way he published a wonderful anthology of Groucho’s writings, and then a revised and expanded edition a few years later. (To say nothing of the several incredible Marx-related DVD sets he produced, and the commentary on the recent Paramount collection Blu-ray release.) He could have written a great biography several years ago, but instead he continued digging. He has not only dug deeper than any of the rest of us, he has dug deeper than most of us thought was even possible. He has dug deep enough to find the Marx Brothers in four vaudeville acts that we never knew about previously! He is the first person to make sense of the conflicting versions of stories told by Kyle Crichton (their authorized biographer), by Groucho and Harpo in their autobiographies, and by Groucho on various TV shows and in his interviews with later biographers. He has tirelessly dug through contemporary news accounts to finally prove which elements of each story are correct: when and where and how these legendary stories actually took place. It’s not his opinion of which version is funniest or most probable, but the verifiable underlying truth. He has used genealogical research to determine the actual names of fellow performers who were given pseudonyms in early biographies. By doing so he has also been able to determine the intriguing stories of what happened to these cast mates after they left the Marx act. [Harpo’s relationship with Katie Fleming spans several chapters and could have been a book on its own.] He has also been able to identify these cast mates in dozens of previously unpublished photos from Groucho’s and Harpo’s scrapbooks. And by figuring out who exactly was who, he discovered another Nightingale who was never previously identified. Along the journey Mr. Bader has uncovered so many other fascinating stories. As only one example, a poor joke told by Groucho on an obscure TV show has led to an incredible tragic story about their cousin Lou Shean that was never part of the Marxian lore. Mr. Bader began organizing his research into a book perhaps eight years ago. No, he isn’t a slow typist. While writing the book he continued digging, until he tied up as many loose ends as possible. Only when he had answered every question, after numerous drafts, after filling all of the holes in the timeline, did he look for a publisher. It would be nice to think that any of us could have written this book if we’d had enough time, but the truth is that Mr. Bader had the tenacity nobody else has demonstrated, as well as the understanding of how the disjointed pieces actually fit together. Robert Bader intended to write a definitive biography of the Marx Brothers on stage. The end result is the definitive biography of the Marx Brothers, the definitive history of vaudeville as a business, and a fascinating book that I have waited 40 years to read.

I've been a fanatical Marx Brothers fan for almost 50 years. I've interviewed Groucho on radio. I've read EVERY darn book written by or about them. I thought I knew it all. But this amazing book told me many, man things I did not know. He sweeps away the lies and great-but-untrue stories that fill all the other books, and get down to as much of the truth as could ever be discovered a century after its events. The book is FASCINATING. I can not recommend it TOO highly. Great book.

This is the best-researched book ever written on the Marx Brothers. Though it only gives cursory discussion of their movies or their private lives, and concentrates mainly on the stage careers that propelled them into the movies, the author spent decades on his research and scrubbed every nook and cranny of vaudeville and Broadway lore to produce this wonderful volume. The total Marxmaniac will also want to read books detailing the Brothers' movie career, including of course the books and articles penned by the Marxes themselves. But even the Marx Brothers gave often inaccurate, exaggerated, or plain fabricated stories about their past. Bader's book renders obsolete many of the previous books on the Marx Brothers, as he destroys the myths and incorrect memories with fact.

I enjoyed this book so much, and did NOT want it to end. For the fan of the Marx Brothers, you can buy this book without any fear of it being repetitious or doubling over the same old stories and information you’ve acquired from other books about the team or the individual “players”. Brand-new research, color, history, etc., all pertaining to the years BEFORE the brothers hit the movies big-time. Finally, you can learn in tremendous detail the way in which the Marx Brothers morphed throughout the formative years. In so do doing, they mirrored the tremendous power and scope of the Vaudeville industry during the early years of the 20th Century, and the reader will gain enormous insight into the ways of the Vaudeville culture that so dominated the early years of the last century. Notable too, is the fact that the book includes as near-complete an itinerary of the Brothers' individual stage appearances in a very detailed listing as is possible. Season-by-season information on players, plot lines, locales, theater names, dates, etc..... Incredible coverage. Informative, entertaining, fascinating, educational, revealing, unique, ......FUN! This book, by Robert S. Bader, called "FOUR OF THE THE THREE MUSKETEERS" - THE MARX BROTHERS ON STAGE." Was years in the writing and compilation, and worth the wait. So glad this book exists. Wonderful to discover as well, that after a lifetime of enraptured study, there is still so much to learn about the subjects that I love. Richly illustrated, including many pictures that have previously been unseen by the general public, and also including many contemporary newspaper ads for the Brothers’ various stage appearances.

For anyone interested in the Marx Brothers, and in the history of Vaudeville and variety (and Broadway) in general, this book is a must. Although there are many books on the Marx Brothers, most of them deal nearly exclusively with their Hollywood and post-Hollywood careers, and very little with their stage career, although it was much longer and much more interesting than their movie years: the latter were the end result of their stage success, which culminated on Broadway with an ebullient review by Alexander Woollcott that made them full-fledged stars. Additionally, Robert Bader corrects the romanticized and mostly inaccurate versions of this period of their lives given by the brothers over the years in books and interviews--a work that had been successfully started by Simon Louvish in his excellent biography of the Marx Brothers, "Monkey Business". The scope of Bader's research is amazingly exhaustive, and it gives a fascinating insight into the vaudeville business and touring practices of early 20th-century America. It also confirms that the fabled Minnie Marx, the Marxes' mother, was a rather inept (if driven and enthusiastic) manager, contrary to the legend built over the years by Groucho and Harpo, with the complicity of Woollcott. Robert Bader's book is a very interesting read, and a fascinating one for any Marx Brothers' enthusiasts and old vaudeville scholars and aficionados. It is an important book on the Marx Brothers as well as on American vaudeville and variety.

A towering achievement of Marxian scholarship, this book details every stage production that featured a Marx Brother from Groucho's solo debut in 1905 to the team's dissolution. (Hopefully, Harpo and Chico's nightcub act, TIME FOR ELIZABETH, THE FIFTH SEASON, AN EVENING WITH GROUCHO, and other later productions will be covered in Part Two.) Bader actually goes week by week and tells you what they were doing, where, and with whom. Only a few weeks are unaccounted for, and I believe some of the gaps have already been filled in the revised edition. The films are mentioned in historical context, but the focus is on theatre, a topic that is neglected in most Marx books. Bader has spent decades following the Marxes' vaudeville trail thru all the tank towns and whistle stops, stopping at libraries to read contemporaneous accounts in local papers. The result is an exhaustive account that puts to rest the legends once and for all and prints the truth. He jokes that the hefty tome might well be sold by the pound, but it is a bargain at any price. I look forward to the revised edition, and hopefully the sequel will not take decades.

The best and most thoroughly researched book on the Marx Brothers. Living now in Illinois (the Quad Cities), I am fascinating by reading about all the small towns in this area where the Marx Brothers performed in their vaudeville days, including Galesburg, where a cartoonist gave them their nicknames while playing poker, and where, in 1913, the brothers played Knox College in baseball and got whipped 14-1. Who knew they formed a baseball team to have fun and kill some time on the road more than 100 years ago? I also like the way the author is able to look through some of the tall tales the brothers told in interviews over the years to find the true story. For a Marx fan like me, this book is solid gold.

I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Marx Brothers, but this book shed so much new light on a phase of their career that until now has been shrouded in mystery. Even though the author has a tendency to insert himself (and, in particular, his opinions about the works of other authors he clearly does not respect), it's very well written and engaging. I devoured it from cover to cover, enjoying every page. I was sorry when it ended!

I’m not saying that this is the greatest non-fiction book ever written. I haven’t read every non-fiction book ever written, so the comparison would be a false one. “Four of the Three Musketeers – The Marx Brothers on Stage” is just the greatest non-fiction book I’ve ever read. If you’ve already read “Harpo Speaks,” “Groucho and Me,” “Growing Up with Chico” and all of the other dozen or so books on the Marx Brothers, this one is the book that lines up all the rest and makes them behave. All the legendary Marx Brothers stories are either debunked or verified. If verified, names, dates and places are detailed. The years of climbing the Mount Everest of vaudeville? There’s a list of all performances. With notations such as the time the fifteen year old Groucho appeared on a vaudeville bill with the twenty-five year old juggler, W.C. Fields. Or the ocean cruise where entertainment was provided by the Four Marx Brothers and Clark & McCullough (my other favorites). Or the stretch of performance dates missed by Chico because of a Mystery Illness – and in a day when performers’ illnesses were specified by the trade papers, speculation is that the womanizing Chico had been caught by a father/brother/husband and that he was recovering from a bullet wound. Harpo’s sojourn as a whorehouse piano player forced to drive a getaway carriage for burglars? The entire court case is detailed. The four sympathetic prostitutes who gave Harpo train fare home? All named. MY GOD, THIS BOOK IS FABULOUS. I tracked down one of the theaters where the Four Marx Brothers first appeared after Chico joined the act in 1912. Not a theater anymore, but the building is still there and it’s located around the corner from a theater where I’ve been performing/directing. History! Three details, and I’ll shut up. ************** From the list of vaudeville dates: “May 14-16, 1914 – Galesburg, Illinois – Gaiety Theatre The Four Marx Brothers got their nicknames from comic Art Fisher at a backstage poker game.” ************** A Marx By Any Other Name… The legend is, as with Groucho dropping his onstage German accent in 1917, that Harpo changed his name from Adolph to Arthur due to anti-German WWI sentiment. Not true. Bader reveals that Adolph became Arthur as far back as 1909. Why? Because during the ten years the Marx family lived in Chicago & LaGrange, also based in Chicago was an attorney named Adolph Marks, who specialized in suing vaudeville actors and was roundly despised by same. ************** Zeppo’s Escape. IRVING THALBERG: Do you think three of you should be paid the same as four? GROUCHO: Without Zeppo we’re worth twice as much. I always thought that was a little harsh, even for Groucho; but Bader reveals why the Brothers were touchy about the subject: after leaving Paramount, there was a changing of the guard, and the new executives wanted the Marx Brothers back. Negotiations broke down because Paramount wouldn’t pay the same money for three that they paid for four. And they were far from the only objectors. Yep. The Marx Brothers had trouble getting work without Zeppo. And considering the way they treated him (also detailed in this amazing tome), the only possible conclusion is, “Karma’s a bitch.” If you’re a Marx Brothers fan; if you’re a student of vaudeville (and all of early 20th century entertainment); or you just want to read the Greatest Non-Fiction Book Ever Written… sorry, I said I wouldn’t do that. Sorry… BUY THIS BOOK.

I'm 50 pages in and this is already the BEST book on The Marx Brothers I've ever read. The level of 'you are there' detail is astonishing. You can almost smell Frenchy's chicken soup cooking in their crowded New York flat as the five brothers discover show business one by one. I am savoring this superb book, paragraph by paragraph, slowly, lovingly. If you love the Marx Brothers, this is absolutely ESSENTIAL

This book is the holy grail of information for all scholarly fans of the Marx Brothers. Exhaustively researched and good and disseminating the fact from the fiction of their stage years, Mr. Bader does an excellent job presenting this period of the team's career. There are many books on Marx Brothers' film career, but only chapters devoted to their work on the stage. Bader doesn't approach the work from a fan's point of view, but as a detective sorting out the true facts. All of the brothers told different versions of stories from this period. Bader does his homework and points out when other authors have provided misinformation. It's an excellent book and a must for any fan. Easily the best book on the team since Joe Adamson's.

This is a grand achievement, destined to be the authoritative reference book on the Marx Brothers' stage career. Mr. Bader's decades of exhaustive research are unparalleled, and it shows, in paragraphs packed with data not to be found elsewhere. He sets it all down in careful, willfully unromantic prose, presenting the bare facts that have often been obscured or ignored by legend. This epic volume is a clear highlight of the recent spate of Marx books, and it belongs among the handful that can be called essential.

This is a fine read. A focus on the earlier years of the boys that we don't usually hear a lot about. Very well researched. Glad I bought this.

So deeply researched... Enormous undertaking reflects its size and should keep you busy for some time. Facts never before revealed

If you don't understand many of the references to people and literature used in the scripts of the Marx Brothers movies, this book will help explain them.

Great book. A present for my husband who loves the Marx Brothers. He is enjoying the book very much.

What a find! Such a delight to understand the really challenging early decades of these groundbreaking brothers. I find myself living through those early years thanks to the author's compelling style and unparalleled research into an era of contrasts. If love the Marx Brothers and you're on the fence on this book, don't be. Just buy it, read it, and enjoy!

Great book for Marx Brothers aficionados. A detailed study of the evolution of a family of first generation boys from New York into a performing team remembered as adult icons. How did they get there? How did their various personas emerge? Why were there three Marx Brothers at the end, versus four, versus five? If is all here...

Possibly the best Marx Brothers book. Ever. Chronicles how and why they succeeded for decades on stage before ever making film one.

Awesome book about the early lives of the Marx Brothers. I never knew most of this stuff. Highly recommended for those who are big Marx Brothers fans.

Got this as a gift for my dad for Father’s Day. It was perfect.

Very detailed and entertaining book. I have read several Marx Brothers books and I learned many new things from this book.

Started reading, Great book so far, heard about this from Gilbert Gottfried podcast and glad I purchased a copy

Brilliant and the most authoritative book on the Marx brothers ever!

Detailed and informative. a great read!

This is the most well researched and a must for all Marxists. Rob Bader has done a miraculous job in discovering the true facts about the Marx Brothers stage careers. The book is also an entertaining read and is very highly recommended for people interested in the Marx brothers as well as vaudeville. Don't let this volume pass you by.

It's hard to choose what is most impressive about this book: the dozens of never before published photos (most over one hundred years old, the oldest from 1876), the 75 page chronology of over 1,250 performance engagements (which includes a new solo credit for Groucho at age 16 and other unknown acts for the team), or his dedication to locating primary source material (he located, and reproduces, the actual newspaper ad that Groucho respond to at age 14 in 1905 that started his career in show business. Bader also spent time wading through the Keith/Albee Vaudeville collection and uncovered some rather blunt manager reports sent back to head office. From a 1908 report on their early singing act: I am forced to say that their harmony is something atrocious. They discovered several barbershop chords this afternoon that were something appalling...). This just isn't an assemblage of data, Bader looks at it all and sees the clues in it that uncover the hidden stories. All those times Groucho reminisced about angry fathers with shotguns? There's pretty good evidence this happened to one of the brothers in 1913 (even the most casual Marxist can guess which one) and the subsequent cover up of it is presented here for the first time. Bader also uses the data to untangle the record on dozens of conflicting accounts on the evolution of the team and the presents the real story for the first time of what happened when and where (sorry Nacogdoches). This book is also a primer on the business of vaudeville because to understand the evolution of the Marx Brothers you need to understand the financial forces at work. One example: Vaudeville was undergoing a seismic shift in 1912. Smaller acts were being put out of work by the newly arrived tabloid shows that could shrink or grow in size at will to fill any number of required slots on a vaudeville bill. At this time Chico Marx was working as part of the duo Marx & Lee and knew that they would have hard times ahead competing for bookings against the tabs. The Three Marx Brothers knew they had the perfect show for the tabloid format and needed to grow in size. Marx & Lee joined the act, and the Four Marx Brothers were born and began their ascent up the vaudeville hierarchy.

The tale of The Marx Brothers stage career would have warranted its own book even if they'd never made any of the classic films they're known for. Most biographies of the brothers give short shrift to their early career, relying on previous writings, anecdotes and fading memories to tell the story of their pre-movie days. Robert S. Bader has been enthusiastically researching the history of The Marx Brothers for years, well before he ever considered putting his work in to a book. It took an author as passionate and devoted to its subject to present all of those sides of the story, and then to do the detective work needed to bring what actually happened in to focus. That the Marx family's talent saw them through thick and thin is not news to their fans. It's well known that they became successful both because of, and even in spite of mother Minnie's devoted, but sometimes poorly thought out efforts, and Leonard/Chico's compulsive gambling and womanizing. But the extent of the adversity they were able to overcome is startling. The story even has a villain, with the parallel tale of figures like Edward Albee, one of the heads of the United Booking Office. Bader's retelling of the UBO's efforts to maintain their monopoly over the vaudeville circuit adds a new twist to the tale. If you are new to The Marx Brothers story, and are mostly interested in their film career, “Four Of The Three Musketeers” is probably not the book you should start with. However, it is a book that you will definitely get to as you dig deeper in to their work. Bader's book fills in the blanks, chronicling the years...indeed, decades of work before one frame of their classic films was shot. Every serious Marx Brothers fan needs to spend some quality time with this book.

I was initially intimidated by the length of this book. I heard Mr. Bader speak and was so impressed by his complete immersion into the topic that I disregarded the length and proceeded to read the book. I always found the The Marx Brothers' movies amusing and the lines very smart and it was great reading about them and their family, but what most amazed me was the detail about the world of vaudeville that is contained in this book. Mr. Bader has really combined two books here. One of the main points of the book is the remarkable way in which The Marx Brothers not only profited from, but survived and triumphed over the prevailing vaudeville system - one that clearly was not designed to benefit them. Through the act the author gives us a complete history of vaudeville as it rises from the minstrel shows and then succumbs to radio and movies, especially talking movies. Vaudeville and film both began as entertainment for the masses and were parallel entertainments until sound caused them to be blended. Radio and television would take up the mantle of this type of entertainment and Bader includes Groucho Marx's successful transition into both, demonstrating how this act's essential irreverence bridged almost a century of entertainment. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to truly understand the 20th century entertainment industry.

Over my decades and a film fan, I've read many bios of actors, actresses, comedy teams. A long time ago I read Harpo Speaks and several books on Groucho. I've enjoyed their films, but, never really thought about their life on stage beyond The Cocoanuts. Mr. Bader's book is an utter revelation. I learned so much about theater history and the history of vaudeville which has been pretty obscure to me. To be honest, this was a book I did not want to come to the end. When it did, however, I read all the back matter and the notes were filled with so much more information, my brain practically exploded. How Mr. Bader kept track and edited down this book to such a beautifully written and readable history is a wonder in itself. If you have even the slightest interest in the Marx Brothers, this is a MUST have for your home library. If I could give 10 stars, I would!

"As far as I’m concerned, the Marx Brothers practically invented comedy..."-Jerry Seinfeld Any comedian who is interested in the history of their trade in humor knows about the Marx brothers, at the very least from their movies and the numerous books written about them. But most of those books cover their famous movies and, perhaps, their Broadway career and their later TV work, especially Groucho's. But before there was a Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, or Zeppo Marx there was a Julius, Adolph, Leonard, Milton, and Herbert Marx. Before their famous comedy and musical movies, before their Broadway work alongside famous writers and composers of the day, they labored as unknowns through long and sometimes difficult and low paying days in vaudeville. This book brings together those earliest days, beginning with a teenage Julius (Groucho) in a vaudeville act in 1905 to their last live act together of A Night in Casablanca in 1945, with some info of their later movie and television careers. In between 1905 and 1945 they gradually learned how to become the Marx Brothers we know, a process sometimes frustrating, difficult, occasionally shocking and very entertaining to read about. The vaudeville circuit wasn't an easy way to make a living; someone was always ready to take your place and those who ran it were often ruthless businessmen. The author, Mr Bader, takes in hand the not trivial task of gathering the memories of five brothers, and those who knew them, and events that happened during a period of over forty years. Some of these memories varied from Marx brother to Marx brother, sometimes the same brother would remember things differently from interview to interview, and memories would shift over the many years. Sometimes...perhaps...they just made some details up, for fun. They were famous for being extemporaneous comedians, after all. Mr Bader has gone back to original sources, rare newspaper clips, photos, and the most reliable narrators to piece together what really went on with this interesting family, including their mother/manager, Minnie Marx. The result is an entertaining, interesting and downright funny book. Anyone remember "viaduct?" A very good book, with rare photographs, interesting and fun to read. A solid four stars! I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley for review. I've reviewed it honestly.

Wow. Just ... wow. Robert S. Bader has done an incredible amount of research into the early days - the vaudeville and live stage performance days - of the Marx Brothers and shares it with the rest of us in the tremendous book, Four of the Three Musketeers. Bader brings us in to the home of Minnie and Sam Marx, introducing us to the extended family, and we only leave when Minnie and the boys do to begin their careers in show business. We get the very definite impression that Minnie was quite the caretaker of these early careers and became an agent for them and truly looked out for their best interests (even if it back-fired a time or two). We get a very detailed look at the vaudeville careers of these comedians as well as their more personal lives in the early days (with the vaudeville schedule being what it was, the two [business and personal lives] were intrinsically linked. That Minnie created a 'stable' of young starlets, ready to join the boys in a show at a moments notice - knowing full well that these young ladies did more than simply perform on stage to service the brothers - speaks to Minnie's manipulation and desire to provide for her sons in every way. There have been plenty of books on the Marx Brothers, and the brothers themselves have written a few volumes on their early days. But what Bader does extremely well is point out to the reader the inconsistencies in the stories, the facts Bader has found, based on research, and - when no facts exist - relays the various points of view and expresses thoughtful consideration on what is most likely the 'truth.' It all comes down to Bader's impressive research. From their early battles with vaudeville circuit owners (and their being blacklisted from the top producer) and Chico's gambling debts, and young women scorned, to Uncle Sam's draft and Broadway and eventually film, we following the three ... er four ... um, sometimes five Marx Brothers through their entire early career. Bader is extremely easy to read, making these 500+ pages go by quite easily. And as impressive as the narrative itself is, "The Marx Brothers Stage Chronology, 1905-45" has Bader compiling every live performance theses comic geniuses gave over a forty-year span, listed the theatre, the city, the date, and even the sketch/revue/show name when possible. I may have enjoyed reading through this nearly as much as the narrative as I followed the path they took, could visualize some of the cities and thought about visiting some of these locations (some near me). I grew up watching the Marx Brothers films - classics replayed in movie theatres (so long before Netflix or DVDs) - and have read up on them periodically through the years, and this is easily the most comprehensive, readable, and thoroughly-researched book I've come across. It is highly recommended. Looking for a good book? Four of the Three Musketeers, by Robert S. Bader is a remarkable achievement, detailing the early years of the famous Marx Brothers, separating fact from common fiction (usually invented by a Marx Brother as a joke), and mapping out every theatre and sketch they performed during the early days. It is highly recommended. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Netgalley.com. Author Robert S. Bader was on a mission-he wanted to read a book that detailed the Marx Brothers and their life on Broadway. Much to his disappointment, there was no such animal--so he wrote it himself. Thank goodness! This was a fun read from the beginning to the end--of course, it was about the Marx Brothers so it had to be fun. The thing is, this book also delved into the history of vaudeville itself, which was pretty fascinating. Then there was Minnie Marx--the incomparable family matriarch. She sure was something as she put her boys on the stage. I would love to have spent a few hours with Minnie. She was a force to be reckoned with. The Marx Brothers had to succeed because Minnie wouldn't have it any other way. Bader's painstaking research paid off. Many of the great stories associated with Groucho, Gummo, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo were never told the same way twice--even by the brothers themselves. Bader used newspaper and magazine stories to try and sort it all out. When he couldn't, he gave us all of the versions--which were pretty much hilarious. Filled with lots of colorful characters, this book is a must-read for Marx Brothers' fans--or anyone else interested in Vaudeville. And one more thing--Bader answered an old question of mine--how did the brothers get their famous nicknames? You must excuse me now while I watch 'The Cocoanuts'. I just have to see them after reading about them!

For awhile there, I thought I wanted to be a comedy screenwriter. And so I watched a lot of comedic movies. Not one contemporary comedy can hold a candle to the films of The Marx Brothers. Their zany, frenetic, witty, wacky comedy is unequaled. Their own brand of comedy genius has not and can not be replicated. And here's how that happened . . . In Four of the Three Musketeers: The Max Brothers on Stage, author Robert S. Bader takes an in-depth look at every step of the Marx Brothers' vaudeville career, starting from Harpo's early days playing the piano in whorehouses and Groucho's first time on a stage. As the years of their lives go by, the brothers grow and sing, travel and pay piano, and most of all, they learn to hone their comedic chops. Spending weeks and months on the road at a time, working every day, sometimes several shows a day, the Marx Brothers learn from experience what it takes to survive in show business, and (eventually) how to make it to the top of the game. Meticulously researched (literally! this is a 500-plus-page volume), this book takes you through the journey of the early careers of Julius (Groucho), Adolph (Harpo), Leonard (Chico), and Milton (Gummo). Managed by their mother and occasionally helped along with gifts of their father's cooking to booking agents, the brothers took to the stage and never stopped entertaining us. Filled with stories that no one else has been able to dig up, all the dates and places that could be found, and never-before seen photos of the family, this is the ultimate book for anyone who wants to know everything there is to know about the Marx Brothers. Galleys for Four of the Three Musketeers were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

I regret that I'm not famous and influential, so I could make this book the best seller it deserves to be. If I wrote about everything wonderful in it, I would only be repeating Paul Wesolowski's review, and he is the ultimate authority on the Marx Brothers...until now. Bader is on his level. It is not only the most important book on the team, it gives a detailed look at the society and economy that the Marxes lived in during their touring years. All of which is relevant to the development of the act and their personalities. It is also a fabulous contribution to the history of American theater. Buy this book!

I would have rated this book at six-stars--one for each Marx Brother, but damn-azon, Amazon! The book is phenomenal, containing a precise and fastidious chronology of tour dates, specific Marx brothers performers, and venues--which are a godsend to gobsmacked fans and researchers alike. Love the Art Deco inspired and designed cover, with the artwork from one side of the 1928 "Animal Crackers" stage program. The two galleries of images are truly rare--extra rare like a great steak--and cause an equal amount of salivation--and salvation. The images from the respective collections of David Brandt and Jerry Seinfeld (one of the top comedians of all time who is influenced by the Marx Brothers--no surprise there, but the images are all surprising in amazing ways---like Groucho as a kid with a mannequin a century before the current mannequin fad ;) Robo Bader's book is a must for any Marx fan--a multitude of Marxian tidbits in a one stop shop--which can also double as a doorstop ;)

I didn't realize that I needed to know more about the Marx Bros. until I read this book. It certainly showed me that I was much more ignorant of them and than what I thought. Their rather chaotic family background is thoroughly researched by the author who obviously loves his subjects. He presents their story more as an inside member of their family than a stranger. He pushes past the publicity stories mostly generated by the brothers and makes reasonable conclusions to often dismiss the fact and the fiction. I wouldn't say that the book is a "can't put it down" type, but it is an overall delight.

I've been a Marx Brothers fan all my life and have read just about every book on them— the good and the mediocre. I was afraid this one was going to be yet another cheesy rehash of well-known stories collected by some fanboy. Boy, was I wrong! Turns out this is the book I've waiting all my life for! It's a thick volume loaded with minutae and detail you won't find anywhere else. I can't imagine the amount of time and energy that was spent putting this together. The author covers everything: even giving new insight to stories told countless times before (mostly incorrectly). There's also an appendix which lists every single onstage performance each Brother gave throughout his career. This book is absolutely astounding and a must have, must keep, must cherish for every Marx fan. If it is acceptable to applaud an author, Robert Bader deserves a ten-minute standing ovation.

Princess Fuzzypants here: My family and I love the Marx Brothers. We often pull out their movies and can quote lines of dialogue. More than a century from Groucho's debut, their humour remains as irreverant and funny as it always was. They were the ultimate anarchists on film and wherever they went, chaos and laughs ensued. As with all comedians, real life was not as humourous as portrayed. Along the way there were many faltering steps, colossal mistakes and hitches. Many of them were of their own making, especially Chico, but they remained together both as brothers and as partners for decades giving the world a good laugh when it needed it most. This is a thorough piece of scholarship that goes into minute detail from their earliest days in Vaudeville to the death of their Matriarch, Minnie, into films and out of them again. Obviously, the reader can relate best to the film career that has been immortalized by BluRays and DVD's. Since much of the material seen on film originated on stage, we can only imagine what it must have been like to be in a theatre while the mayhem was going around you and Groucho was ad-libbing like crazy. They were never as great as when Irving Thalberg guided their films. I dare anyone to watch A Night At the Opera and not laugh out loud. Sadly, he lived such a short time and no one else stepped in to take their brand of anarchy and translate it to the screen. Yet, even today. They are still remembered fondly. It would have made Minnie proud and probably surprised the "boys". There is lots of meat in this book for the Marx Brothers fan. It might be too much for some. Still, I give it a rollicking four purrs and two paws up.

This is a must-have book for Marx Bros fans. The previous reviewers have said it all and said it so eloquently that there is nothing left for me to add. Except that the person who chose the title should be scolded for not knowing that there were 4 musketeers in Dumas' books. So this title grates on me as a fan of Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan as well as Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo.

Got his for my partner who is a Marx Brothers fan and he hasn’t put it down ever since he got it for his birthday. He says there’s things he never knew about and he knows a lot !!! Definitely a great buy if you are interested in their history or as a present.