An unusual friendship between a rock star and a film legend
A few months ago, I was visiting a streaming service that offered free movies. They were all older films, but I saw a movie in that list that I couldn’t pass up. I clicked play and watched the film as it took me back to my youth. It was “At The Circus” starring The Marx Brothers.
When I was young my father shared with me his love for old movies. He was especially fond of the films that preceded sound, which of course included cinematic legends such as Laurel & Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd and others.
When our local PBS station started to play some of these films every Saturday night, I would sit and watch the movies with my dad, laughing and smiling along at the artistry on the screen and delighting in the piano music that would accompany the action. I loved them all.
After several months the movies on PBS would also feature “talkies.” With my father’s encouragement, I was introduced to The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and probably the most famous comedians of the “talkies”-- The Marx Brothers.
As we sat down one night, I was able to watch Groucho Marx sing his classic “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” from the 1939 movie “At The Circus” for the first time. I was hooked.
I often saw re-runs of Groucho on his hit TV gameshow “You Bet Your Life” or later with YouTube videos of him on talkshows, seeing how witty he was as he grew older.
After streaming that movie with the Marx Brothers, I was reminded of a story I had read years ago that stated that Groucho Marx was good friends with Alice Cooper.
The Marx Brothers in 1939
My initial thought was, “That must be a misprint!” How in the world could Groucho Marx establish a friendship with the glam rock, heavy metal star who ruled the airwaves throughout the 1970s with songs like “Schools Out” or “No More Mr. Nice Guy?”
What could these two have in common?
I did some research and found out more about this unusual friendship. Spoiler alert- Alice Cooper may sing “No More Mr. Nice Guy” but in reality, he’s just that- a nice guy and a good friend.
Click on my 2 minute video for the whole story about how their friendship started.
Who wrote that song for Groucho?
By the way, the song “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” was co-written by Harold Arlen, who is most commonly remembered for his contributions to the “Great American Songbook” with songs like “Over the Rainbow,” “That Old Black Magic” and “One For My Baby (and One More For the Road)” to name just a few.
I’d love to do a course on Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen (plus others) and dive into some of the most amazing songs of the last century. Does the phrase “They don’t write ‘em like that anymore!” ring a bell? 😊
Let me know what you think about that idea. Email me anytime you like at Rob@TheRockandRollProfessor.com or leave a comment below.
Coming up!
New online classes will begin in September. Check out what’s on tap next month and watch for some promo codes for members in the weeks to come. Have a great weekend! Rob
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