Groucho Marx

During the first half of the 20th century, the Marx Brothers — Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo — established themselves as one of the most popular comedy acts of stage, screen, and radio. They were a smash hit on Broadway, and together they made 13 movies, including comedy classics such as Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera.

Groucho Marx, the third-born of the brothers, was the first to embark on a stage career (at age 15) and went on to become the most famous of the siblings. He was known for his razor-sharp wit as well as his distinctive appearance — bushy black eyebrows, thick mustache, and an ever-present cigar — a look so iconic it was made into arguably the most famous novelty disguise of all time, fittingly called “Groucho glasses” (now immortalized as an iPhone emoji).

Groucho’s absurd humor included slapstick, puns, and punchy one-liners. His witty quips made him eminently quotable — but also hugely misquoted. Many sayings frequently attributed to Marx are likely not his at all, such as, “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana,” and, “The most important thing is honesty. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”