Biography

At the beginning of the film Monkey Business (1931), The Marx Brothers, playing ship's stowaways concealed in barrels, are first introduced harmonizing unseen, singing the popular song "Sweet Adeline." And although he cannot be seen, this musical performance marks the only time during one of The Marx Brothers' movie that Harpo's voice -- a clear and pleasant baritone -- is ever heard.

Groucho Marx gave this reason for Harpo's silence: Once, while playing a theater in Winnipeg, Manitoba, during a vaudeville tour, The Marx Brothers had a disagreement with the theater's manager regarding their pay. At the end of The Marx Brothers' engagement there, the manager paid them the amount they had demanded...in several large sacks containing the proper amount in the form of pennies, nickels, and dimes. Since the brothers' train was departing in ten minutes, the brothers had no choice except to lug the sacks onto the train with them. As the train departed, Harpo shouted to the manager, "I hope your theater burns to the ground." And that night, it did. Groucho always said that Harpo's voice was like the axe hanging on the backstage wall of every theater: To be used only in case of emergencies.

Once crashed a Hollywood costume party at the home of Marion Davies, dressed as Kaiser Wilhelm II. He had to hitchhike to get home and ended up being arrested by Beverly Hills police on charges of vagrancy, illegal entry, escaping from jail in Gloversville, New York, impersonating Kaiser Wilhelm II, and impersonating Harpo Marx.

When he taught himself to play the harp, he later learned that he played it the wrong way. However, when he became famous and wealthy, he on occasion throughout his career, took harp lessons from various harpists and music teachers in both New York City and Los Angeles to better increase his skill. However, due to his natural born talent, many musicians and music teachers ended up approaching him to learn his method of harp playing. One mentor whom Harpo truly appreciated was Mildred Dilling, who not only took the time to instruct him in the proper techniques but he would regularly consult her when he was having difficulty with a particular composition.

After his death, he was cremated and his ashes were allegedly sprinkled into the sand trap at the seventh hole of the Rancho Mirage golf course in California, USA where he used to play golf on a monthly basis.

If things get too much for you and you feel the whole world's against you, go stand on your head. If you can think of anything crazier to do, do it.

[When asked how many children he'd like to have]: "So many that whenever we go out, there can be one in every window, waving to us."

But I guess that's the way it is. When you lose something irreplaceable, you don't mourn for the thing you lost. you mourn for yourself.

I am the most fortunate self-taught harpist and non-speaking actor who has ever lived.

[on visiting Hamburg, Germany, shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power]: "I saw the most frightening, most depressing sight I had ever seen - a row of stores with Stars of David and the word 'Jude' painted on them, and inside, behind half-empty counters, people in a daze, cringing like they didn't know what hit them and didn't know where the next blow would come from. Hitler had been in power only six months, and his boycott was already in full effect. I hadn't been so wholly conscious of being a Jew since my bar mitzvahs, and it was the first time since I'd had the measles that I was too sick to eat."