| Samuel Marx | |
|---|---|
 Sam Marx in his late years |
|
| Born | Simon Marx October 23, 1859[1]  Mertzwiller, Alsace, France |
| Died | May 10, 1933 (aged 73) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Occupation | Vaudeville performer |
| Spouse(s) | Minnie Marx |
Samuel Marx, born Simon Marx[1] (October 23, 1859[1] – May 10, 1933), was the husband of Minnie Marx, and father of the Marx Brothers.
He was born in Mertzwiller, Alsace, France in 1859[1], and he died on May 10, 1933 in Los Angeles, California.[2] He met Minnie in New York where he was working as a dance teacher. They married in 1884 and had 6 sons. Their first son, Manfred, born 1885, died in infancy.[3] The other children were born in 1887, Chico, 1888, Harpo, 1890, Groucho, 1892, Gummo and 1901, Zeppo.
Sam became a tailor, although not a very good one. He was a talented cook, often convincing the landlord to delay their rent paytime with a good meal.[4] In his show An Evening With Groucho, Groucho reminisces about Sam Marx:[5]
My father was a tailor, and a very bad one, and Chico was always short of money, and he used to hock my fathers shears, so whenever my father made a suit, of course it didn't fit, and the shears would be hanging up in the pawnshop on Ninety-first Street—Groucho Marx
In his last interview, Zeppo also told:[6]
My father was a very bad tailor but he found some people who were so stupid that they would buy his clothes, and so he'd make a few dollars that way for food.—Zeppo Marx
Sam Marx did a cameo appearance in his four sons' film Monkey Business (1931), sitting on top of luggage behind the brothers on the pier as they wave to the First Officer, the boys having slipped off the ship without being arrested as stowaways.
References
- ^ a b c d La famille paternelle des Marx Brothers (French)
- ^ "Samuel Marx, Father of Four Marx Brothers of Stage and Screen Fame". The New York Times. 1933-05-12. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20B17FA3E5C16738DDDAB0994DD405B838FF1D3. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ Stefan Timphus. "The Marx Brothers – Family". www.marx-brothers.org. http://www.marx-brothers.org/biography/marxes.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ Stefan Timphus. "The Marx Brothers – Parents". www.marx-brothers.org. http://www.marx-brothers.org/biography/parents.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ "An Evening With Groucho Marx (transcript)". http://www.ibras.dk/comedy/marx.htm#Klauber. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ The last interview with Zeppo Marx (August 1979)
External links
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