Day 15 & 16 - Groucho Marx & Jimmy Durante

Today I decided I needed some humor, so I'm going to write about two legendary comedians both born before 1900 - the old time, vaudeville and Broadway veterans, Groucho Marx and Jimmy Durante.  Maybe these two don't have too much in common, but they both made America laugh for decades, often playing the older, wise-cracking hams.  Even moreso, each one entertained on stage, on screen and on television, and used their unusual looks to set themselves apart.

Groucho Marx

Groucho and  his brothers broke into the entertainment business through vaudeville and early Broadway (then 5 brothers, Groucho and Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo).  While Gummo left the act, the other four went into film and became one of the most successful comedy teams of all time.  But it was Groucho who was the clear leader of the group, the guy with the huge eyebrows, greased mustache and big glasses.  Even off-stage, Groucho was known to always have that attitude of one-liners.  Arguably an intelligent man, Groucho's comedic timing is legendary and the basis of many other comics that came after him.  Whether as the President of Freedonia (Duck Soup, 1933) or wagging his eyebrows over the secret word in his game show You Bet Your Life (1950 - 1961), Groucho could make just about anyone guffaw.  Often his jokes were so rapid-fire and wrapped up in their own wit that if you didn't listen carefully, you'd miss the punch line, like this one:  "Time flies like an arrow.  Fruit flies like a banana."

Groucho in between wisecracks in Double Dynamite (1951, RKO)

Born in 1890, Groucho was as much a writer as an actor, but he could also think on his feet and ad-lib unlike anyone else.  His age only added to his presence, joining the ranks of folks like George Burns (ironically enough, both comics actually played God in different films) and my next person - Jimmy Durante.

Jimmy Durante

Jimmy Durante also made his mark both on radio, on screen and on television.  He wasn't as razor-sharp tongued as Groucho; instead he was more that funny old gent you'd always talk to in the butcher shop or down at the Legion Hall.  He's much more the guy next door, but much much funnier.  And Jimmy could laugh at himself too, calling himself "Schnozzola" for his very large nose.  Jimmy also sang too, and recorded several hits.  I think his characteristically scratchy but warm and familiar voice seemed a lot like a grandfather you would always love to see.  Part of that was probably portrayed through his famous recording of "Young at Heart."   

Jimmy Durante teaches Frank Sinatra that the "Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" in It Happened in Brooklyn (MGM 1947)

I think Jimmy Durante could also make anyone laugh.  If Groucho was all about wit, Jimmy was all about heart.  In his real life, Jimmy lost his first wife Jeanne in 1943 and married his second wife, Marjorie, after a 16 year courtship.  Unable to have children, they adopted a baby girl, Cecilia, on Christmas Day in 1961, when Jimmy was 68 years old.  Jimmy needed to go to court for the adoption, as he was past the age limit required by law.  But despite the regulations, the judge looked at Jimmy and said "how can I tell the man who recorded "Young at Heart" that he's too old?"  And no one could have loved a child more, as Jimmy's affection for his family was evident in every interview and appearance.  It makes you wish you could have had him as part of your family too, big nose and all.

What I love about these two timeless comedians is the laughter they brought to so many for so long.  Groucho never wanted to be a dirty comic and as such, never used a word of profanity in his act.  And Jimmy Durante, well, how could you not love the guy who popularized such a cute song as "Inka, Dinka Doo"?  Very different styles of comedy, but both titans of talent, both Groucho and Jimmy deserve much longer posts, and I encourage you to go and watch some of their old material.  Your stomach will ache from laughter afterwards!