My book, Marx and Re-Marx : Creating and Re-Creating The Lost Marx Brothers Radio Series should finally be available in the next month or so and if you’re interested in reading it there are worse place to get updates than the official Facebook Page.
Archive for the ‘Marx’ Category
BOOK UPDATE: A Cover!
January 4, 2010
My upcoming book, Marx and Remarx: Making and Remaking The Lost Marx Brothers Radio Series, now has a cover!
I still have no word on the release date but hopefully it shan’t be long before people can place orders. Until then, don’t forget that audio copies of the remaining episodes of the original Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel radio series are available HERE.
One of my new years resolutions is to update this blog more often, so stay tuned for goodies to come.
Book Update
November 7, 2009
To all you patient folks out there waiting for my book, (there must be at least two of you, right?) things are starting to move along. Currently I have a good friend and designer working on the cover while another designer works on the interior.
In the meantime I have added a NEW PAGE to this site which includes streaming audio copies of all surviving material from the original Five Star Theatre run of Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel in 1932/1933. You can access them at any time by clicking the link to the sidebar at the right of this page. Hope you enjoy!
On Your Marx, Get Set, Stall!
July 22, 2009
Recently, Jerry Beck posted this promotional image for an aborted Marx Brothers cartoon series over at the excellent Cartoon Brew. A Marx Brothers cartoon seems a slightly stranger prospect than some of the other comedy teams who made it into animated form; Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stooges were all more child-friendly than the Marxes. Strip the brothers of their more abrasive, adult humour and you’re not left with too much for Groucho and Chico to do. Harpo on the other hand, would have made a brilliant cartoon character!
The ad was printed in a 1966 which means the finished product would have been somewhat of a frankenstine job; Chico died in 1961, Harpo followed in 1964 and would Groucho, who was still around and active, even have wanted to lend his voice talents alongside actors imitating his brothers. If not, it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to fill his shoes.
Hundreds of projects like these were attempted, and stalled during the 60s and 70s, one that immediately springs to mind is the The Bickersons. The interesting part about the above image though, is that it offers screenings to interested customers. This would imply that a pilot had been produced; I’d love to see that turn up!
In light of this projects absence here are two great vintage cartoons, one from Disney, one from Warner, that feature brilliant caricatures of the brothers amongst others.
Resolute Interviews
January 2, 2009Happy New Year to all you lovely readers!
My new years resolution is simply to make this a productive year. I have a book to finish, a new project to get writing and a multitude of ideas brewing in the old noggin to get cracking with. As far as this blog is concerned I’d like to continue updating regularly and perhaps engaging a little more with the folk who visit; leave a comment and say hello!
One of my major plans for Illegible Me is to hopefully spice things up a little with a series of interviews. I’ve written a list of people who I would love to meet/speak to/interview this year and if things work out nicely the resulting fruits may be worth posting here. This is the list:
Harold Snoad – writer/producer
Micheal Knowles – writer/actor
Dick Miller – cult character actor
Kevin McCarthey – another cult character actor
Nigel Plaskit – puppeteer
Anyone who saw Laurel and Hardy live on stage
Anyone who appeared in a silent film
Mike Quinn – puppeteer/animator/filmmaker
Rosemary Anne Sisson – writer
The Chuckle Brothers – children’s comedians
Matthew Corbett – children’s entertainer
Ian Lavender – actor
Bill Pertwee – actor
Peter Sallis – actor
Peter Serafinowicz – comedian
George Clayton Johnson – science fiction author
Bill Marx – Musician/Son of Harpo
Kevin Brownlow – film historian/documentarian
Delores Fuller – actress/song writer
Richard Cadell – children’s entertainer/magician
Tony Robinson – presenter/comedian/historian
Some of these people I have connections to. Others I have little or no idea how to reach but we shall see how things work out. I know how tempting it can be to try and locate oneself on google so please – if by some fluke of browsing you are reading this and have found your own name on the list – then get in touch!
