Marxfest Diary: Days 3 & 4

Noah Diamond and Frank Ferrante wave to the crowd
after Marxfest's Q&A with Mr. Ferrante on May 3

It may have been a terrible mistake to start writing these Marxfest Diaries. I must warn those with sensitive stomachs that I can't report on the events of this festival without entering full kvell. I apologize in advance for any breathless burbling in the paragraphs which follow.

DAY THREE of Marxfest (Saturday, May 3) took us out to Freeport, for a performance of Frank Ferrante's sensational An Evening with Groucho, followed by my official Marxfest Q&A with its star. Bouncing along the Belt Parkway with my esteemed Marxfest Committee colleague Jonny Porkpie and my esteemed wife Amanda Sisk , I thought of the first time I saw Mr. Ferrante perform. It was at the Goodspeed Opera House, in an exceptionally good production of Animal Crackers in 1992. I was fifteen years old. (Armed with this information, you can do the math and determine that I am now 75.) By then, I'd been a passionate Marx Brothers fan for years, but that production was my first Marx experience that took place in the real world, in three dimensions, and not on a screen. It was inspiring.

Twenty-two years later, there I was, backstage at the Freeport Concert Association with Frank and the renowned Marx Brothers researcher and archivist Paul Wesolowski (editor and publisher of the legendary Freedonia Gazette), chatting about Harpo's early adventures as a piano player in a Freeport brothel. It should surprise no one to hear that Mr. Wesolowski has unearthed enough material on Mrs. Schang and her gang for a miniseries. (My suggested title: Schang Hide.) It should surprise even fewer to hear that Frank's tour de force performance as Groucho is sharper than ever, or that spending time with this most distinguished graduate of Huxley College has been among the highlights of my Marxfest experience. To meet him is to know that the legacy of history's greatest comedian could not be in better, more caring hands.

Here's my Q&A with Frank, which took place immediately after the show -- many thanks to the Freeport Concert Association for the video, and for hosting the event:



DAY FOUR of Marxfest was yet another experience whose essence can be conveyed only by adjectives such as magical, unforgettable, and oh my god, that's Dick Cavett! (This last item is not technically an adjective, but I've written to the people at Webster's, and it shouldn't be long. But it has to be long -- it's the dictionary.)

Dick Cavett and Robert S. Bader at the Marx Brothers on
Television event at the Players Theatre on May 4

When the Marxfest Committee began, two years ago, we were almost afraid to say out loud that we wanted Groucho's friend Dick Cavett, a comedy legend in his own right, to be involved. Even then, our plans were ambitious, but a Cavett appearance seemed too good, too big, and too unlikely to hope for. Last night at The Marx Brothers on Television, our dream came true, through the heroic efforts of many -- but especially Marxfest Committee member Kathy Biehl (who produced the event) and the great Marx Brothers scholar, author, editor, and archivist Robert S. Bader.

Mr. Bader hosted the event, sharing some prize revelations from his vast research into the Marx Brothers -- including a selection of video clips, many of which we'd never seen before, all of which are to be included on the upcoming Shout Factory three-DVD set The Marx Brothers TV Collection. (If you pre-order the set here, you get a bonus fourth disc with even more lost and/or rare Marx Brothers television material.) The contents of this set have been the subject of much speculation, and although the hour's worth of footage screened last night was only a fraction, it's clear that this is not the usual assembly of public-domain chestnuts. The gems included:

• The first television broadcast of You Bet Your Life (not the endlessly reissued pilot)
• The final episode of Chico's sitcom The College Bowl
• A never-before-released 1955 Groucho performance of "Dr. Hackenbush," in greasepaint
• An almost intolerably delightful Harpo/Chico piano duet from The Colgate Comedy Hour
• A very funny variety-show sketch starring Harpo as a waiter, which Rob Bader suggested may have included material cut from A Day at the Races
• Groucho and Jackie Gleason singing their rewrite of the Gallagher & Shean song, on Gleason's 1960s variety show -- in color
• And, of course, more

Dick Cavett and Robert S. Bader on stage at Marxfest

For the second half of the presentation, Rob welcomed to the stage his good friend, whom we all think of as our good friend, Dick Cavett. They engaged in the kind of sparkling conversation that made Mr. Cavett the best talk show host in television history. This chat included some Groucho anecdotes I'd never heard before, and some which I never get tired of hearing. Rob also showed a wealth of Groucho-on-Cavett clips, including many which are not available commercially or on YouTube. At program's end, Mr. Cavett -- I'm not kidding about this -- drew whoops of laughter and applause when he performed Michael Jackson's moonwalk dance.

Under any circumstances, it would be beyond thrilling to see footage of the Marx Brothers we'd never seen before. Under last night's circumstances, it was beyond beyond thrilling. What I came away with, even more than the excitement of the clips or the presence of Dick Cavett, was simple gratitude for all the love in the room. It was palpable. There we were on Macdougal Street (steps from where Mr. Cavett first shook the hand of Mr. Woody Allen in 1961) -- the Marxfest Committee, fans, friends, family, Ferrante, Wesolowski, Bader, Cavett and many, many more -- all together, doing the thing that got us here in the first place: Watching the Marx Brothers and laughing and laughing and laughing.

Three wiseguys out on the town: Noah Diamond, Frank
Ferrante, and Jonny Porkpie on Macdougal Street after
Marxfest's Marx Brothers on Television event, May 4

Having recently had several experiences I know I'll cherish as long as I live, it's hard to believe that Marxfest is still in its first week. There's a brief breather now, with no public events Monday or Tuesday. But behind the scenes, your Committee is hard at work on the next round. That begins this Wednesday, May 7, with Marxes in Manhattan. Like last night's show, it's produced by Kathy Biehl and devised by Kathy with Rob Bader. Also like last night's show, it will feature film clips you've never seen -- though these clips are even rarer, as they're Marx family home movies. Also on the bill will be a theremin tribute to Marx Brothers music, and recreations of some of the earliest Marx performances, including the infamous Leroy Trio.

You read that correctly: The Leroy Trio will be recreated on stage. Fifteen-year-old Julius Henry Marx performed with this short-lived trio of warblers in 1905. On Wednesday we get to see it. Compared to that, recreating I'll Say She Is is like reheating leftovers. Get your tickets here! Then, on Thursday, May 8, it's opening night for the festival's biggest mainstage production, The Pinch Brothers in "The Bawdy House." This adults-only tribute, brought to you by Pinchbottom Burlesque and written and directed by Jonny Porkpie ("the Burlesque Mayor of New York City"), returns on May 15, 18, and 22, and you're probably going to want to see all four. (Tickets here!) And on Friday night, May 9, I'll see you at 54 Below for The Music of the Marx Brothers, an enchanted evening of Marx music, featuring a wondrous lineup of New York musical stars, and special guests, one of whom might even be me. (Tickets!)

More soon, right here, and all around the town. Everyone says I love you, and these days, they say it a lot.

I remain
Yours in Marx,

The Marxfest Committee with Mr. Dick Cavett at Sunday night's Marxfest event, Players Theatre. Left to right: Trav S.D., Brett Leveridge, Jonny Porkpie (kneeling), Kathy Biehl, DICK CAVETT!!!, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Bill Zeffiro, Noah Diamond