Become a member of THE ALEX FILM SOCIETY! Please list yourPlease list two favorite films: P.O. Box 4807, 91222-0807 Glendale,CA to: acheck Alex applicationwith Mail this Film Society ______q q E-mail Home Phone City_ Address Org/Business Name(s) q q q Patron -$100 Member-$250 Supporting Member-$500 Sustaining Enclosed ismy (our)donationof$______VOLUNTEER.I (WE)CAN Pleasecall. 6 free tickets peryear 6 discounted tickets pershow Program acknowledgement 8 free tickets peryear 8 discounted tickets pershow Program acknowledgement 10 free tickets peryear 10 discounted tickets pershow ______pleaseprint ______State P. O. Box 4807, 4807, O. Box P. Glendale, CA 91222-0807

______Cell Senior/Student -$25 q Senior/Student q q _ Individual -$35 -$50 Dual/Family ______(full time student orsenior65+) (full timestudent 1 discounted ticket pershow 2 free tickets peryear 2 discounted tickets pershow 4 free tickets peryear 4 discounted tickets pershow Zip+4_ 818.243.2539 Tickets: ______The Marx Brothers The Races At A Day at 2 and 8 pm only 2010 April 10, Saturday, now onDVD. W.C. FieldsStraightUp,bothdocumentariesonceonPBSand Nutshell andDirector-Editor-Co-Writer oftheEmmy-winning books. HeisalsoWriter-Editor ofTheMarxBrothersina Groucho, Harpo,ChicoandsometimesZeppoother , Film Historian/Filmmaker JoeAdamson istheauthorof All rightsreserved. Copyright ©1973byJosephAdamson III,renewed2001. at Races” looked like anotherhit. approaching maximum,and“ScenesfromADayatthe Chico scenesofever.

whole routine,andturnedintooneofthegreatHarpo- extended, elaborated,stretchedout,andamplifiedintoa By thetimetheyleftChicago,laughgaugewas and writtenrewrittenlike wildfire,untilitwasfinally he mightmeanbyhissignalswereputinandtaken out were stuckinit,andguessesonChico’spartastowhat got alaugh,evenwhenitwasexpanded,andmoregags Harpo’s pantomimewassheerexposition,butitalways (cont’d frompage1) On The Road WithOn TheRoad TheBrothersMarx 2 pm & winning June 26 8 pm only Saturday, Saturday,

Oklahoma! Oscar® The best loved musical The bestloved of our time! Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger, Starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger, Gloria Graham and Eddie Albert. Unforgettable ballet sequence and choreography by Agnes de Mille. Directed by Fred Zinnemann. 2 hours. Event running time is approximately (1955 20th Century Fox) It’s the story of a couple of young cowboys trying to win the Rodgers and Hammerstein landmark musical takes you back to Rodgers and Hammerstein landmark musical takes Oklahoma at the turn of the last century. hearts of their sweethearts, despite the interference of an evil “A motion ranch hand. When first released it was described as picture as big as all outdoors!” And it still is. Filled with timeless, showstopping songs, this FilmCalendar

Vol. 16. No. 2 April 10, 2010, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m Journal of the Alex Film Society VOICE of the THEATRE people whenphrased dancing tenderfeet. themselves startledintowittinesslike the comedymindsofcompanyfound in-the-face impetusofadailyaudience, conferences, and,giventhecold-water- were perhapsthemostdynamicofscript come upwithsomethingthatwould.These retire intoacornerforminuteandquickly what hadworked andwhathadn’tto 7:30, and9:30,togivethemtimedecide at handyintervalssuchas12:30,3:00,5:00, of thefifty-minuteshowsthatwerespaced conferences withtheclownsbetweeneach Al Boasberghadfollowedalong,andheld day, sixdaysaweek,andforeightweeks. monologues. Theshowswerefivetimesa of itbyproxy withslidesandexpository since ittoldhalfofitsstoryliveand vaudeville, anditwasn’treallyaplayeither, was onitswayout,butthiswasn’treally fashioned tobecallednovel.Vaudeville bizarre tobecalledquaintbuttooold- and ADayattheRaces.) worked fortheirMGMfilmsANightattheOpera author JoeAdamson explainshowtheprocess book Groucho,Harpo,ChicoandsometimesZeppo, of liveaudiences.Inapassageadaptedfromhis accustomed totryingouttheirmaterialinfront (Veterans ofvaudeville,theMarxBrotherswere They foundthatsomethingdidn’tsuit Writers GeorgeSeaton,RobertPirosh,and “Scenes fromADayattheRaces”wastoo Alex Film presents SOCIETY trouble withsomeseductress, andacomedysceneseemedcalledfor. making facesatChicototheeffectthatGrouchowasgoing togetin show, justprevioustothebedroomscene,wasfilledonlywith Harpo was a“nauseating”proposal,ithilarious.Oneblank spotinthe “disagreeable” and“distasteful,”itbombedaltogether. Whenit proposal, a“repulsive”proposal.Stillnotfunnyenough. Itbecame became a“revolting”proposal,“disgusting” an“offensive” ever had”wasnotgettingthelaughsitseemedtodeserve, andsoit missing.” Alinethatwent“That’sthemostobnoxious proposalI’ve rather haveitrustythangone,”andthen“I’d itrustythan wristwatch, “I’dratherhaveitrustythandisappear,” became“I’d just rubalampandtheyappear,” didfine.Areferencetoadoused out ofatesttube,”didn’tquitegoover, butitsreplacement,“You His excuse forHarpoandChico’sexistence,“Theymusthavecome mattress?” didn’tmake thegradeeitherway, andtheydroppedit. retort toSiegfriedRumann’sbeard,“Aren’t youafugitivefrom people wouldsitandwaitforthefunnyanswertocome.)Groucho’s a laughifitwent“Ishedeadorhasmywatchstopped?”because pulse, “Eitherhe’sdeadormywatchhasstopped,”wouldn’tget statement. (AlBoasberg’sfamouslineuponGrouchotakingHarpo’s as aquestionmightalwayscomeacrossbetterifitwasturnedinto The boysbattleforthehandofEstherMuir. WithOn TheRoad The BrothersMarx (cont’d onpage4) By JoeAdamson

www.AlexFilmSociety.org The Brothers On Film see every day.” If any of the contestants happened to say it while they were on y the 1920s, the Marx Brothers the air, they won an extra $100. When Bhad become one of America’s they said the word a dilapidated stuffed favorite theatrical acts. Under Chico’s duck would drop from the ceiling with management, and with Groucho’s the $100 attached. creative direction, the brothers’ vaudeville act led to them becoming Dozens of celebrity guests appeared stars on Broadway, first with a musical over the years including: Phyllis Diller, revue, I’ll Say She Is (1924–1925) and Ray Bradbury, Joe Louis, Liberace, then with two musical comedies, The Johnny Weissmuller, Ernie Kovacs, Tor Cocoanuts (1925–1926) and Animal Johnson, Frankie Avalon and author Crackers (1928–1929). AA DayDay atat William Peter Blatty, who used his prize money to write THE EXORCIST. Paramount signed the bothers and the Races 19371937 the Races You Bet Your Life produced their early films before they left to join Irving Thalberg at MGM for 111 minutes roucho Marx was the emcee and A Night at the Opera. Brother Gummo M-G-M Gstar of this quiz show heard on appeared on stage but never on film radio from 1947 thru 1957. ABC, NBC and Zeppo was featured in the first five DIRECTED by and CBS all aired the series at various movies before joining Gummo as times. The filmed television show a major Hollywood talent agent. Sam Wood was seen on NBC from 1950 until September of 1961. SCREENPLAY Producer John Guedel developed the Love Happy (1949) show and found sponsorship. At that Slick Hare Robert Pirosh, George Seaton. A Night in Casablanca (1946) George Oppenheimer time Groucho was not making movies, and had not been successful on the WARNER BROS. 1947 The Big Store (1941) Director of Photography radio. Guedel happened to see a special 8 Mins. Technicolor with Groucho and Bob Hope, where Directed by Friz Go West (1940) Joseph Ruttenberg they ad-libbed very well. He convinced Freleng the skeptical Groucho to take the lead, At the Circus (1939) CAST and invest in 50% of the show, in part Story By Tedd Pierce by saying that he was “untouchable” Michael Maltese The Marx Brothers Room Service (1938) at ad-libbing, but not at following (Groucho, Chico, and Harpo), Produced by Edward a script. Since Groucho and the Tall showgirls were perfect comic foils for A Day at the Races (1937) Allan Jones, Maureen O’Sullivan, Groucho’s tough line of questioning. Selzer contestants were ad-libbing, Groucho Margaret Dumont, Douglass Dumbrille, insisted that each show be recorded and The reruns that aired on TV during Voices: Mel Blanc, A Night at the Opera (1935) Esther Muir, Sig Ruman edited before release. the summer were titled “The Best of Dave Barry, Groucho” and the entire program was Arthur Q. Bryan Duck Soup (1933) Although it was ostensibly a quiz retitled “The Groucho Show” during the n a New York club for the rich and show, the series’ most important asset final season. Horse Feathers (1932) Film Society was the humor injected by Groucho Ifamous, Mr. Humphrey Bogart orders Many of the episodes are in the public rabbit. Waiter Elmer Fudd tries to get into the interviews he did with the Monkey Business (1931) Donors contestants (and sidekick/announcer domain and syndicated collections of Bugs into the pot. Watch for cameo all the episodes have been airing for George Fenneman), before they had a caricatures of Groucho Marx, Sydney Animal Crackers (1930) almost half a century. Michael & Felice FEINSTEIN chance to play the game. Contestants Greenstreet, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, were picked primarily on the potential Sources: Wikipedia, LIFE WITH Leopold Stokowski, Gregory Peck, Ray The Cocoanuts (1929) Randy & Janice CARTER Minnie’s Boy’s: From Top, Groucho, they had to be foils for Groucho’s GROUCHO, Arthur Marx Popular Milland, and Carmen Miranda. Richard & Barbara COUNSIL Zeppo, Harpo, Chico and Gummo on the set barbs, which they seemed to love. At Library Edition, THE COMPLETE of Duck Soup circa 1933. Laura RICHARZ the start of each show the audience was DIRECTORY TO PRIMETIME David & Catherine STROHMAIER informed of the night’s secret word- NETWORK TV SHOWS, Tim Brooks, “It’s a common word, something you Earle Marsh, Ballantine Books. For tickets call 818-243-2539 or alextheatre.org