Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Frank Ferrante

Episode Date: March 21, 2022

Actor, comedian and director Frank Ferrante joins fellow "Marxists" Gilbert and Frank for a lively conversation about his affection for "A Day at the Races," his decades-long friendships with Arthur and Miriam Marx, his upcoming PBS special, "Frank Ferrante's Groucho" and portraying his comedy hero for three decades and in over 500 cities. Also, Uncle Miltie offers spit take lessons, Elaine Stritch does a kid a solid, Gilbert breaks bread with Henny Youngman and Albert Finney makes a play for Frank's girlfriend. PLUS: Morrie Ryskind! Gallagher & Shean! "Horse Feathers" turns 90! Frank meets George Fenneman! Remembering Hal Holbrook! And the boys pick their favorite Marx Brothers scene of all time! Ship more in less time with ShipStation. Just go to ShipStation.com, click on the microphone at the top of the page, and type in GILBERT to get a 60-day free trial. That’s 2 months FREE of no-hassle, stress-free shipping.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your teen requested a ride, but this time, not from you. It's through their Uber Teen account. It's an Uber account that allows your teen to request a ride under your supervision with live trip tracking and highly rated drivers. Add your teen to your Uber account today. Gifting dad can sometimes hit the wrong note. Oh. Oh, instead gift the Glenlivet,

the single malt whiskey that started it all for a balanced flavor and smooth finish. Just sit back and listen to the music. This single malt scotch whiskey is guaranteed to impress dad this father's day. The Glenlivet. Live original. Please enjoy our products responsibly. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried, and this is Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast with my co-host, Frank Santopadre. Our guest this week is an actor, comedian, writer, and director

who has performed to sold-out crowds all over the world, including off-Broadway and on London's West End. He's appeared on popular TV shows like SpongeBob, SquarePants, and Children's Hospital, and most notably as the writer and star of the long-running one-person show, An Evening with Groucho, which he's performed well over 3,000 times in 500 cities all over the course of 35 years. He's the recipient of New York's Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut, has been nominated for both a New York Outer Critics Circle and London's Lawrence Olivier Award. And in 2017, he was named a Top Ten Theater Performance by the Wall Street Journal. by the Wall Street Journal.

Discovered by Groucho Marx's son, Arthur Marx, while still at college, this man would go on to star at the tender age of 23 in the off-Broadway production Arthur's Groucho, A Life in Review. And his New York, London, and PBS performances received not only acclaim from critics and audiences, but also from the Marks family. He's also appeared in Off-Broadway in the Groucho role in the musical The Coconuts,

written by the legendary George S. Kaufman, who he also portrayed in the one-man show By George. As a director, he helmed productions of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor, in which he also starred. He's performed as the comic host Caesar in Tietro Zanzani. I'm going to handle that one. Tietro Zanzani. I think we've run out of time. We're out of time.

It's one of those, some Guinea production. Exactly. Frank will explain later. Teatro Zanzani. Teatro. Teatro Zanzani. In productions from Seattle to Amsterdam and has performed lead roles in prominent regional theaters,

co-starring with Tony Award winners Faith Prince and Kristen Chenoweth. He's also received glowing reviews from artists such as Bill Irwin, Robin Williams, Carol Channing, and even Stephen Sondheim. And he's been illustrated by the likes of Al Hirschfeld and Drew Friedman. And the guy was even the answer to a Jeopardy question. A film version of the stage show, retitled Frank Ferrante's Groucho, will premiere on public television stations around the country April 2022. Marxist and a gifted performer whose work inspired Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera co-writer Maury Riskin to say, Frank is the only actor, aside from Groucho himself, who delivered my lines as they were intended. The one, the only, Frank Ferranti.

Oh my, easy for you to say, Gilbert. I love it. Thank you so much. Oh my God, I can't wait to meet this Ferranti character. He's here. He's here. Gilbert, thank you, and Frank, thank you. It's an honor to be here.

I love this show. Welcome, Cheech. Was any of that true? Anything in the intro? Yeah, it was all true. Okay, good. I should have spent less time being so insecure after hearing that. I guess I actually did a couple things.

Thank you. Of course. I'm glad I wrote that. Now, no one has ever asked me to play the old Groucho in the movie. Did they ever ask you? No, they did not ask me, though I did it in Groucho Life and Review for years. But you, listen, I vote for you, Gilbert.

I'm a fan. You are the old Groucho, if you ask me. But no, I wasn't asked. But, you know, for years I was, I played in Arthur's show that I did in New York when I was 23. I was playing Groucho from age 15 to 85. Now, this was initially the Gabe Kaplan show that was out there.

That's right. You did an amazing interview with Gabe. Yeah, thanks. And it was written as a vehicle for Gabe by Arthur Marks and Robert Fisher. And it never made it to New York or London. And it was a different show by the time we took it to New York. And the show was revamped. It was cut.

And they added this younger part. So I really spanned 70 years. But for a 23-year-old and 24-year-old to be playing Alt Groucho, you know, I think that's what turned on the critics and audiences. And no one expected

some 22-year-old Gentile from Pasadena to kind of pull me off, you know? So that's what happened. But no, to answer your question, Gilbert, no one's asked me, but you've got my vote, man. Oh, I can't. That's the best compliment I could ask for.

You have given me so much laughter with your old Groucho. It's the stuff of, you know, genius. See, because I remember it's like Groucho had disappeared for a while. And then I became fascinated with him when he got back. Like he was this, you know, I was scared watching him. Oh. That he wouldn't be able to complete the joke or that he'd die right there. Oh, Gilbert, I'm with you.

I think it's because we all loved him so much. We're rooting for him. And you've got to kid it because it was so painful. I saw him when I was a kid, and we were on pins and needles. And he was much more ancient in person than he was on DeCavit or any of the other programs he was doing at the time. What year was that, Frank? He was 86, you say?

He was 86. Just before his 86th birthday. It was 1976. I was 13 years old. And I was a fanatic from the time I was nine. I saw Day at the Races. Changed my life. I was taught by nuns.

And then I saw Day at the Races. I want to treat the nuns the way Groucho's treating Margaret Dumont. I loved it. He was just so impudent and unfiltered. And I was a shy kid like most kids are. And so my dad knew I was obsessed. They indulged my obsession for not just the Marx Brothers, for all those old comedians that we all love. You know, early on I was reading Steve Allen's The Funny Men, and this was like my Bible.

And then Son of Groucho when I was 11, which was written by Arthur Marx. I did a book report on it. But anyway, it's 1976. My father takes the day off of work to take me to see Groucho, who's going to promote a book, The Grouchophile, 1976. Groucho's supposed to show up at noon. No Groucho. Finally shows up at three o'clock. This is the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire. And we get there. There's 1,000 people, mostly young people, college and younger, college age and younger. And Groucho finally shows up, and Aaron is there, Aaron Fleming. Hector Arce, who wrote that great biography, Groucho.

I think it's the best of all the Groucho biographies, in my opinion. I agree with you. Yeah, it's fantastic. It's the first one that kind of takes Groucho on, his person and his personality. But anyway, so Groucho finally shuffles in, and Aaron is waving everyone off. Get away from him. Get away. He's not a freak.

Don't put him behind a table. And I stick to him like I'm meant to be part of his entourage. Groucho's walking to the podium, gets to the podium. I'm standing right behind him. I've got one of his books I want him to sign. He gets to the podium. He's at the podium, and he's mumbling. Can you hear me out there?

Can you hear me out there? We're waiting for the joke. We're all going, no, and we want him to say, well, you're not missing anything. Well, he didn't do that. He just kept mumbling. And finally someone asked Groucho the question, Groucho, are you making any new Marx Brothers movies? He looked up slowly and said, no, I'm answering stupid questions. And the audience went crazy. They went nuts.

And a woman asked Groucho, Groucho, what do you dream about? He looked at her and said, Not you. That's great. So at 86, even without the fastball, he was still bringing it. Yeah, so I guess my point is,

even though he was falling apart and his eyes were glazed over, he was still able to, you can see the gears just kind of moving. It was beautiful. And he, you know, someone, you know, he just went on and on. And he's, I, I asked the first question because in my teenage brain, I thought I'm going to rile him up. He looked so inert. He looked like a zombie. So I knew how he felt about Nixon. So 13-year-old Frank goes, Groucho, what do you think about Nixon? And he says, I hate Nixon. Nixon ought to be in jail. And the audience, everyone loved it.

And that was it. Wow. And you followed him out to the parking lot and tell Gilbert that, what, Aaron came between you and your hero? Yes. I'm sure you weren't the only one. Groucho kills it, and everyone's happy. It's a triumph. And then he deflates and shuffles off, and there was this stairwell.

We were on the second floor, and he's starting to go down the stairwell, but painfully slow. And he gets to the bottom. I'm on the top of the stairwell, and I'm looking down at my hero. There's Groucho and Aaron and R.C., and I scream at the top of my lungs, Groucho's great! And Groucho just kind of looks up and waves and Aaron shoots the steely, steely glare at me like, you know, don't need this. And then I run down the stairs and I'm right, I'm trying to get in between Aaron and Groucho and she won't let me get in there. I wanted to meet him. This is God, the funniest man in the world.

This guy's changed my life. I'm braver because of him. I'm trying to ingratiate myself, Gilbert. I say to Aaron, I say, Groucho sure is lucky to know you, and you're lucky to know Groucho. She looks at me and says, no, Groucho's lucky to know me. Ooh.

How about that, Gil? Oh. To a 13-year-old. Wow. And a fan. Oh. And therein lies the problem. Yeah. It was brutal.

And one of the questions was, when that question was asked, and I was there right, I was two feet away from Groucho at this event. And sitting behind him was Erin. And the question, what do you dream about? Not you. She mouthed the word money. I swear to you, she went, money. You could hear her. And so that kind of told me the story there, what was going on.

And then Groucho goes into his town car into the sunset. I see him in silhouette. And my cousin was also a Groucho fan, 13 years old, said, I said, Ralph, I said, take a photo of Groucho from behind. There's something, I don't know why, I had a cinematic, it was theatrical. I want to see in the beret, kind of stooped over and that's the last I'll see my hero. And he took the photo. I have that photo. And at the end of the show that I do is Groucho. Ten years to that week, I opened in New York, Gilbert.

And the end of the show is me as old Groucho in the beret from behind in silhouette. I must be going. And the pin spot goes out. Boom. It's a wild experience that I got to have. I just watched the PBS special that you were kind enough to send me that's going. We'll plug it now. We plugged it in the opening April 1st, right?

Thank you. All over the country? Yes, and that's the show that I did at USC as a college project. And I invited Arthur Marks to see me in that show. This was back in 85. I invited Miriam Marks Allen to see me. I invited everyone that knew Groucho, Maury Riskind. I mean, I had a lot of guts. I just wanted to do this. You're a 22-year-old kid with chutzpah, right? I did. But, you know, I was just, I just was into him. He gave me such,

I don't know, I just loved him. He was, like, for so many of us, he was an alter ego. He was, he was armor. He was a grandfather figure. And I needed him. And he gave me, like I said, he bolstered me and bolded me. And so I invited Robert Whitey, who had done the first documentary on the Marx Brothers, the Marx Brothers in a nutshell. I contacted him, and he gave me all of these names. I invited literally 100 people. I invited Jack Lemmon, Lucille Ball.

None of them showed up, but the key players did. Arthur, Miriam, and Maury, the last of the great Marx Brothers writers. And Maury Riskin at the time was 89. So here I am now on campus at USC going to put on this one-man show. Now, I got the script from Elaine Stritch, of all things, who I barely knew who she was at the time, because I'm a kid. That's a great story. And I'm writing Elaine Stritch. Here's to the ladies. Have a lunch. I didn't realize that she was this Broadway legend.

But I'm writing. And she was married to John Bay. And I'm like, dear Mrs. Bay. I didn't even call her Mrs. Stritch or Miss Stritch. And they're all handwritten letters. But the reason I'm writing her is because her late husband, John Bay, had done a show about Groucho called An Elephant in My Pajamas. And that was the genesis of the show that I continue to do in An Evening about Groucho called An Elephant in My Pajamas. And that was the genesis of the

show that I continue to do an evening with Groucho, which is the one that's going to be on PBS soon. So anyway, I'm digressing, but I finally wore down Elaine Stritch and she told me, Frank, I'm going to be at Johnny Carson's Tonight Show as a guest. Why don't you meet me there? So afterward, I sent back a note and afterward, she comes out and she says, Frank, you can use my late husband's script. And so I do that show at USC. Wow. What a nice thing for her to do for a kid. Amazing. I mean, how many people do that? Particularly someone like her, a renowned crankster, but she was very generous with me. like her, you know, a renowned crankster, but she was very generous with me.

But I'm doing the show. I'm nauseous. Before I go on, because Arthur's there, Miriam's there, and Maury Riskin was the one that scared me. I mean, come on. I'm going to be doing One Morning I Shot an Elephant in My Pajamas. I'm going to be doing all those jokes from Animal Crackers and

Coconuts. They're all in there, and he wrote them, with George Kaufman. And I did it, and the show went well, and there was a little reception afterward. And Murray Riskin was about, I don't know, three feet tall at this point, and just a wizened guy. But he comes up to me after the reception and says, Frank, I hear you're all of 22. Isn't it time you retired? It was great.

Very one-liner approach to it you retired? It was great. Very, very one-liner, you know, approach to it all. But he was fantastic. So Arthur said to me that night, Frank, if I ever do a show about my father again, I'd like to use you. And I graduated and went to Kansas City Dinner Theater. They're paying me to play Groucho, my hero, in a show directed and written by Arthur Marks. And then within a year, we were in New York. Insane. So that was it. And I became really close to Arthur and Miriam like we were family. But that's how it started. Now, here's a question I think you already answered, but I still want to hear. What was your opinions on Erin Fleming? But I still want to hear, what was your opinions on Erin Fleming?

Well, as a kid, I despised her because I just read about the abuse. I was opening up the L.A. Times and the Herald-Examiner, and the headlines were, you know, Groucho abused. And then I read stories, and then I heard from family members and friends what was going on. And I know it's a controversial issue, but the idea that there's one story that just I can't – I wish I'd never heard it. And that's the story where he's had strokes and he's at the dining table and he can't feed himself. And she's feeding him. And she's going, come on, baby. Eat your food, baby. And she's laughing.

And he goes, what's so funny? She goes, you are. You're the funniest man in the world. And he to her not anymore i'm not it's just that's it's hard for me to root for her in any way uh you know she was uh she was someone who saw an opportunity uh did she get him out there yes did we get to see him more because of it yes did. Did I get, and maybe I know him because in part she was, she was involved, but you know what? I fell in love with Groucho without Aaron Fleming. I saw Day at the Races and I never laughed so hard. Sure. Well, you know, there's two, there's two sides to that coin. I mean, and we've talked to a lot of people about it and, and some people say yes, but she was the one that kept him going. She was the one that got

him out of bed. She was the one that one that organized the parties where Hamlisch would come over and play and Groucho would get up and sing. And the truth of the matter is Groucho was difficult. Groucho was caustic. I mean, I've got to dig in. I have an unusual perspective on it because I was really close to Arthur and Miriam up to their passing. Miriam lived to be 90. Arthur lived to be 89. I knew them for 25, 30 years. And in a way, and it sounds odd, in a way I feel they were working

through their relationship, and I don't want this to sound narcissistic or self-indulgent, but I think they were working through stuff with me because I was a mensch. They saw how much it affected me and how Groucho affected people like you, Gilbert, and Frank and thousands of us. He changed our point of view. Life is crazy. And how do you deal with chaos? How do you create chaos?

Well, you know, we know he had a strange relationship or a difficult relationship, a problematic relationship with Miriam and with Arthur. but they came to see you as a bit of a kindred spirit or almost a sibling. They came to me as a... They came to see you, I said, as someone who understood. And as I said, almost a sibling. Well, I don't know, you know, I don't know how I got them there, but they came, you know, Arthur, I didn't know Arthur, I didn't know Miriam, but they said yes to showing up with this performance. And it's so strange with them. Miriam invited me over shortly thereafter, and I drive to her house, and I, you know, I'm just a, like I said, I'm a kid, and I get out of the car, and I get in there. Later she told me, Frank, I felt like my father was back, and it was moving to me.

So I think eventually our friendship was not about Groucho, certainly. I'm sitting in the backyard with Arthur Marx after 20 years. Groucho's not in the room. Who's in the room is an old friend of mine who I worked with. It was a colleague, a friend and who I didn't want to die. We were 40 years apart and we'd be in his backyard. I'd smoke a cigar or have a, you know,

a whiskey or whatever. And we were two friends and you know, I, they went through a lot of pain. Their mother's an alcoholic. Ruth is an alcoholic. The father is larger than life and caustic. He,

they loved him though. I have to say, people ask me all the time, what is it about Groucho? What did you learn about Groucho? Groucho gave a damn about his kids. He loved those kids. Was he the perfect father? Not even close.

Am I? No. But we try. And he tried. And it's evident in his letters. It came through in the stories that Arthur and Miriam tell me about him. I find him very moving. and he's very human. You can never really tell someone's story in a book or in a movie.

We're all complex. Of course not. Well, you said to me on the phone something interesting last night, that he didn't really get anything resembling a normal childhood himself. So Sam, his father was a character, and Minnie was domineering, which we all know. And you were saying to me that you really believed and they believed, Arthur and Miriam believed, that he did the best he could. Absolutely. And another thing, Groucho was on the road.

Imagine, Giller, you've got teenagers and I've got teenagers. Groucho's on the road when he's 14 alone. Think of the terror of that, the horror of that, running out of money, food. He was abandoned on the road when he was 14 years old, left by the company and just had to get himself back to Manhattan. So he went through a lot and stuff we can't even relate to. I mean, I have a net. Most of us work with a net. We've got credit cards. We've got support. They were poor. They had nothing. That's what makes him so remarkable to me and that family is so remarkable. And then just to have this talent. And another thing I learned about Groucho is – and we all – the fans know this.

Just his interest in educating himself. He kept a – he was an exquisite writer, prolific letter writer, kept a dictionary in his glove compartment, Arthur told me. He was always working on his language. And it's, you know, that's why he's so fluid in his speech and his mind is so fluid, physically fluid. You know, and he's contemporary. I think that's why when we're all gone, we're going to be looking at Groucho 100, 200 years, forever.

It's nice that even though he was insecure about the lack of a formal education, he was respected and admired by the writers that he respected. Absolutely. He so wanted to be a part of that circle. He did. But he had their admiration. Oh, completely, completely. And I just interviewed this past year, and I just talked to her. Miriam's best friend is still alive, 95 years old. No one else knows this, I'm telling you. But her. Miriam's best friend is still alive, 95 years old. No one else knows this, I'm telling you. But she was Miriam's best friend. Her name was Adele Nadel, Beverly Hills. And she would go to the Marks household after school with Miriam, 1940, 41, 42. And I asked her, what was it like? Was it peaceful? Was it chaotic? She goes, it was the best. I learned about reading and music from Groucho, topical events, current events from Groucho. And she's still alive.

I still talk to her. And I talk to her because I miss Miriam. Miriam passed away five years ago. And we are the two that know. Her nickname is Sunny. And I'm the only one who calls her Sunny. Miriam would call her Sunny. And she had nothing but beautiful things to say about Groucho. And the way he was with

young people, he treated them as adults. He didn't, you know, treat them, look down on them, or treat them like children or babies. And that's, I don't know if he could. I don't think he knew how to parent that way, as you said. When you're on the, you know, when you're getting syphilis at 14 from a hooker in Montreal, you know, that's not the way I was raised, you know. You read the books, the Stephan Kaffer book, which is great. I mean, what he endured at 14. And not to mention the anti-Semitism that the brothers endured. Absolutely.

And we can't even imagine what that must have been like. You know, it's still that it's interesting. I tour my show, and Gilbert, you'd appreciate it. It's part stand-up. It's not a tribute show. I'm not really an impersonator. I have such great respect for impersonators like Gorshin and Beiner and Marilyn Michaels.

That's an art form. Basically an actor slash director and a crowd worker and an interactive comedian and other things I do. But the Groucho role has been a through line in my life, which I'm so happy because I started at 20. I've been doing it for my 38th year. Amazing. And so I get to introduce people to this character. But the show keeps evolving.

It's very – a third of it's improv. That's my own stuff. But you have to be careful. I play two tours of Australia with the character. Not everyone knows who he is. The show has to work whether they know who Groucho Marx is. I was going to ask you that. In places all over the world, first of all, and then I want to ask you

what it was like playing him at the age of 24 in London. And again, there you are on your own. Ten years older than Groucho, but in some ways walking in those in similar shoes. What is the reaction to the show in places like Australia?

They love him. They know him. They love him. They get the humor. They do. I did it in London when I was in my early 20s in the West End, and it was a big deal. And you can hear a pin drop. They listen to every word.

It's like certain towns are great theater towns. London certainly is one. And there'd be lines outside the stage where they want to meet the actors. I mean, it was so fun. Albert Finney would be there. Oh, Frank, that was sheer joy. And then he made a beeline for my girlfriend. That's good to hear.

And I get to meet all these great people that I loved. I loved the dresser. I loved Albert Finney in the dresser. I get to meet all these great people that I love. I love the dresser. I love Albert Foote in the dresser. I got to meet all these legends. But it's strange. The show has to work. So do I change a little? You know, I do acknowledge his Judaism in the show at the end, but I used to do it earlier on.

And I'd play these little towns in the Bible Belt, and I'd make a reference to his Judaism. And you can feel the audience recede. And I thought, hmm, okay. I'm going to cut that line, and I'm going to save it for the very end, so they realize they've been loving a Jewish comedian for 90 minutes because they're standing by the end of that show every night. Very smart. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast after this. You'll flip for $4 pancakes at A&W.

Wake up to a stack of three light and fluffy pancakes topped with syrup. Only $4 on now. Dine-in only until 11 a.m. at A&W's in Ontario. What happens when 20 extremely athletic Canadians who thrive on competition and won't settle for less than number one find themselves on a team? Taking on jaw-dropping obstacles all across Canada is one thing.

Working together on a team with some pretty big personalities is another. It's a new season of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, and sparks are going to fly. New episode Sundays. Watch free on CBC Gem. Do tell that story, and we'll go back to the show, because we jump around here like crazy. But since you mentioned your long friendship with Arthur,

I thought the cigar story you told me was rather touching. And I think Gilbert would appreciate it. Yeah. I mean, you know, when I first met Arthur, you know, he's a prickly figure. He's, you know, he's... And I believe Gilbert, we talked about this. I believe Arthur is the one in his Bob Hope, in his controversial Bob Hope book, that first floated the idea. Oh, yes. Correct me if I'm wrong here.

When they were doing the tours of Vietnam, it's a famous story that, you know, he'd bring along all the hottest looking actresses. You know, Raquel Welch and Margaret, whoever was the big sex bot then. Raquel Welch, Ann-Margret, whoever was the big sex bot then. And he would say to them that if they didn't fuck him, he was leaving them in Vietnam. They'd all pack their stuff and get on the plane and wave goodbye to her. I'm not sure it was to the major stars so much as it was maybe toMargaret. No, you wouldn't do that to Raquel Welch. You wouldn't do that to Raquel Welch. Yeah, she would have had him shot.

Cliff Nesteroff will correct me if this wasn't in Arthur's book, which is where I think it came from originally. Does any of this ring a bell, Frank? It does. Listen, I wasn't crazy about that book. I appreciate the young hope. And I thought, Arthur, why would about that book. I appreciate the young Hope. And I thought, Arthur, why would you do that? I said that to him.

He's still alive, and his wife's alive. And I called him out on it. And you did. Well, Arthur wrote four Bob Hope movies. Exactly. He knew his subject. Yes, he did. But I always thought, hey, Arthur, your father was close to Bob Hope.

They loved each other. They respected each other. Why would you write the book? But Arthur had a chip, and it's something he worked through by the end of his life. And I saw him mellow with time, and I can tell you about that a little bit. But, yeah, that Bob Hope book is rough. What is the cigar story, though? Go ahead, Gail.

One thing I have to always get back to, tell us some of the anti-Semitism they faced. Well, there's the famous story that all Groucho fans know, of course. Groucho went to join the Sands Point Beach Club on Long Island. And he's at the height of his career. He's a Broadway star. He's making movies by day and starring on Broadway by night. It doesn't get any bigger or better. And he's finally killing it and he's feeling accepted to a certain extent. And he goes to apply for a membership at the Sands Point Beach Club and the manager goes, Mr. Marks, we're delighted to have you here. He goes, well, I'm delighted to be here. I'm

delighted that you're delighted. Everyone was delighted. Then he found out I was Jewish. He said, Mr. Marks, I'm terribly sorry that we do not allow Jews to swim in our pool. And Groucho says, well, my daughter's only half Jewish. Can't she go into the water up to her waist? What's a better way to deal with it? That's great.

I mean, the fact that he was still dealing with that at that stage. I mean, when you read the biographies, you know what they went through on the vaudeville circuit, and it wasn't pretty. Not at all. But then he was a star. A star, yes. You know, it's hard to – but before we lose it, I did want you to tell the cigar story, you and Arthur in the backyard. Yeah. Because Gilbert will find that, he'll appreciate it.

I spent a lot of time with Arthur, probably more time than just about anyone in my life for a 20 year period in there. And I'd go over there and we'd eat lunch or dinner and have a cocktail. And I'd sit in his backyard and we'd just talk about life. I really wanted to know about him because everyone's always asking about Groucho, what's it like to be Groucho. So I really made a point early on in our friendship to focus on who he was and what he was dealing with. And I like to know why people are, why they are, why people are the way they are. And I wanted to learn about him, what his experience was really as the son of this man. So I'm in the backyard and we're chatting. We're having a drink. And I'm smoking the cigar.

And he says, hey, Frank, let's go in. I said, okay, let's go in. So we go in and I left my cigar in an ashtray outside. And we're inside. He goes, what are you doing? I said, well, I didn't want to bring the cigar in to smoke. He goes, no, no, no, Frank, bring it in. It reminds me of my father.

That's kind of sweet, isn't it, Gil? Oh, wow. And that was toward the end, and I thought, oh, okay. But he had a conflicted relationship with his dad. Of course. And it drove him crazy because he knew he told me stories that I can't share. But one story was at the height of Groucho's popularity post-Marx Brothers, 1954, let's say, top-rated show on television, he is on fire. He's won the Peabody Award.

He's won an Emmy Award. He's on the cover of Time and Newsweek. There's the secret word. Everyone knows who he is. He's part of the national landscape. knows who he is. He's part of the national landscape. But at that same time, his beautiful daughter, Miriam, who I loved, is a raging alcoholic. I mean, and she has to go off to rehab, basically, in a manager's clinic in Topeka. This is what's going on in the midst of his glory. He's coming off a marriage, going into another marriage. Arthur is going to write a book about him that he doesn't want to happen. He doesn't want to have published. And he sues,

he sues Arthur because Groucho wants to be able to tell the story. Groucho doesn't want his privacy invaded. This is the 50s. And Arthur said, you know, I had to take my sister to Topeka. Why wasn't my father doing that? And, you know, and Arthur told me he was on the plane, and Miriam's got her coat on, and a bottle of vodka on the way to the rehab falls out of her coat pocket and is rolling down the aisle. It's horrible. But he felt resentment about that. It's another story involving his mom that's not really appropriate to share.

But just, you know, he saw kind of of I think there were some cowardice that that was there that that that Arthur picked up on and felt that he bore the brunt, which it which explains some of his bitterness. It's not, you know, who says it's easy to grow up and but but Groucho Groucho. Go ahead. Yeah, no, it seems like that was always the problem with Arthur was that, I mean, he's the son of a legend. It's like he's the son of a god. Absolutely. Yeah. And so what do you do with that? And he had talent, and somehow, even without his dad, he kept writing until the end.

He wrote like crazy. He wrote books. He wrote sitcoms. He wrote The Impossible Years, which ran for a long time on Broadway. And he wrote the Groucho show that I did in New York. So he kept going. And he wrote like 42 episodes

of Alice. Minnie's Boys. But the thing about I think about another thing about Groucho. I think about his influence. Both Arthur and Miriam were voracious readers. Even when they were ill, deathly ill, they were still reading. And that's Groucho's influence. That was a gift that Groucho gave them. And I thought, and they both had computers and, you know,

there's nothing more entertaining than watching an octogenarian on a computer, but they figured it out. And that was because they wanted to write and stay in touch and stay connected to the world and to other people. And that's all Groucho's influence. And I got to see that. We had two guests on this show, both of whom we saw, like, tremendous Groucho Marx influence, even though they deny it. One of them, Alan Alda. I mean, when you watch MASH, that's Groucho.

Absolutely. I think it was Gellbart who was making that happen, who was pulling those strings, but yes. And also, when I would watch The Addams Family, John Astin was doing a Groucho imitation with the cigar. Well, again, Nat Perrin was running that show. Right. A Marx Brothers writer. Right. Well, it's interesting you're saying that.

Milton Berle recommended to Arthur that he cast Alan Alda for the role of Groucho initially for the stage show that I ended up doing. Never happened, of course. But I loved Burr. Did you know Burr well, Gilbert?

I met him like maybe two, three times. Yeah, I met him twice. Yeah, he always made me laugh. Yeah, me too, me too. I used to sit with him at the Friars Club. He's the one who said that the meeting age of the Friars Club is deceased. And I wanted to meet Uncle Miltie. I'm like, you know, I love all these guys like you do.

So it was the day after the Northridge earthquake. It was a deadly earthquake. And I figured, well, this will be a good time to meet Uncle Miltie at the Friars Club because no one's going to be there but Uncle Miltie. And I was right. So I call over there and I talk to Alice who was the – out of central casting, the receptionist there. And she said, sure, come on by. Milton Berle's here.

So I go there with a box of cigars, expensive cigars, get up the stairs, and I walk into the dining room at the Friars. And I look to my right and it's Uncle Miltie and Buddy Arnold, who wrote for him. Sure. Buddy Arnold. Wow. Right? We're the men of Texaco. That was him. And then the president of the Friars were there. So I kind of ingratiate myself, said, Mr. Burrell, I'm a big fan of yours. Call me Milton. And so I sat down with Milton, and we just kibitzed. And he said, I'll tell you what, you, you, uh, do your show here and, uh, we'll give you a membership. We'll do a trade-off. And that's what happened. So he sponsored my membership to the Friars, uh, in Beverly Hills. And, uh, so I, but I would sit

with them and, uh, I remember one time and, and if there were two people at the table with him, it's an audience. If it's one-on-one, you can get stories. And of course, again, I want to know about, I want to know what motivates this guy. What's his life like? What's it like now? And so he says to me, Francis, Francis, he'd call me. He said, I can't get it up anymore. He said, I can't get it up. I said, that's not working anymore. I don't know what to say. I can't get it going. I said, Milton, why are you telling me this? I said, that's not working anymore. I don't know what to say. I can't get it going. I said, Milton, why are you telling me this? I said, I turned to you in every area for inspiration.

Because now you can turn to me for constipation. That's great. Well, in all fairness to him, that involves some serious lifting. Yeah, you need a crane. Yeah, hydraulics needed to be called in. We've had about ten guests on this show who have actually seen Milton Berle's dick. Or one. Anyway, I loved Uncle Miltie, and I loved hanging out with him. One time he was on stage, and the mic was too high.

And he was trying to push it, to fix fix it to get it down to his mouth. And he goes, oh, here's a switch. I can't get it down. That's great. That's great. I met him at the Friars in L.A. too, and I was sitting alone at the bar, and he walked in. He took a seat, a couple of seats away from me, and he just started asking me if I used Viagra. I mean, I was a little intimidated.

It was Uncle Melty. He would have needed a case just to get it quivering. A case. I mean, I was in my 30s, so no. Not you, him. Yeah, I know. But it was a strange thing to say to a stranger. Yes. I remember when I did an episode of Cosby, when you could still proudly say that, I did an episode, and Milton Berle stopped by the set.

What did he say to you, Gil? I remember they were talking back and forth, and it was like they were talking about some bit that Jack Benny did. And I was just fascinated watching it because I was thinking, you know, Cosby is telling it his way, which is every little detail and pauses in between. And Burl goes, oh, yeah, you mean one of these guys? And he does one of those goofy Burl faces.

We're sticking his teeth out in the tongue. Frank, weren't you one of the youngest Friars? By the way, the late lamented L.A. Friars Club, which is now shuttered, which breaks my heart. But you lunched there not only with Miltie, but Sid Caesar and Maury Amsterdam and some other wonderful characters. I did. I spent my favorite Father's Day with Uncle Miltie, and he was giving me spit-take training. We were doing double-takes, triple-takes. I swear to God, Gilbert.

And, Frank, he was dribbling all over this $5,000 suit. I mean, his spit takes were now dribble takes, but it was fascinating. You know, he'd be doing the whole head shaking, you know, eyes bulging, and it was great. But I would love it. And I love Sid Caesar, who kind of, in terms of personality, where there were opposites, that Sid was almost like a Buddha at that point. He really survived his alcoholism. Sure. It was a recovery. But he like a Buddha at that point. He really, he, you know, survived to, you know, his alcoholism. Sure.

It was a recovery. But he came by. I was sitting, this is not a funny story, but it's a story. I was sitting there with some colleagues of mine, some friends of mine, actors, and we're sitting there and Sid Caesar, old Sid Caesar kind of comes by and just looks at me and goes, he doesn't know I am. I hadn't met him before. He goes, don't punish yourself.

Don't punish yourself. I spent my entire life punishing myself. Don't punish yourself. I spent my entire life punishing myself. Don't punish yourself. And walked away. Wow. That was it. That was his life distilled to that, which is, you know, remarkable. And there was another time he had to entertain some of the ladies of the Friars Club.

And they wanted Sid just to poke his head into the little room over there and wave. That's it. So I see Sid goes by our table, and he looks at the ladies who lunch, and he sticks his head in there and waves, and he starts coming back. I said, Sid, that was some of your best work. And I made Sid Caesar laugh, and it was like, oh, great, I made Sid laugh. You know how precious those moments are. But Sid, I got to play a Sid Caesar-based character

in that laughter on the 23rd floor. And to me, Sid's one of the great punchers. I'm mad about him. I believe, I think as a little kid, and I think we all might agree, you believe them. I believed everything Lucy did when I was two. I believed everything Eve Arden and Kay Ballard did when I was two. Yeah, they're great salespeople.

Yeah, they're completely salespeople. Yeah, yeah. They're completely in it. Yeah, yeah. But I remember being at the Friars in New York, and Henny Youngman was there. Did you guys meet Henny? Oh, yes. Yes. It was so fun being with him, and he came to my show in New York. That was part of the fun of performing, of course, in big cities.

You get these interesting heroes to show up. And I had lunch with Henny, and at the end of the lunch, he turns to me, Frank, Frank, if you ever need a friend, get a dog. I remember I had lunch with Henny Youngman. And while we were walking in, a pretty girl walks by, and Henny says, you look tired. Why don't you go to my room and lay down? I don't believe that.

Frank, were you at that event at the L.A. Friars? It was like a party for Sid Caesar in the 90s. It was like Sid Caesar's 70th year in show business. No, but I went to a smoker once where he was there. I loved sitting there smoking cigars with Sid. It was heaven. And what's better than that? This is like, this isn't happening. This is just the

best. I'm sorry we didn't meet in those days because I used to go to the club with Al Goldstein, Gil. Oh, my God, yes. Yeah, the L.A. Friars. Did you bring Robin Bird as your date? I met Robin, but I got to meet Hugh Hefner and Larry Flint and a lot of interesting people that were at the Friars once you were in Al's and Miltie. Tell us about this.

Tell us about being a – I can't wrap my mind around this. You and I were talking about it on the phone last night. Being a 22-year-old kid, Arthur discovers you. Now you take the stage of the Lucille Lortel Theater. You're off Broadway in New York, in the heart of it, and you're playing this icon. For God's sakes, you're 23. And you said to me, I didn't even know who I was. I didn't even have a sense of self, but I had a sense of Groucho.

Absolutely. It's true. And I knew how lucky I was. I realized that an actor twice my age would have been thrilled to have this role and opportunity. And I would, after the show, sometimes, you know, I was felt and I was, you know, I couldn't sleep. I was just, you know, reverberating with energy. And, you know, from a small town in California, now I'm in the greatest city in the world and I'm on a Broadway stage and I'm meeting Garson Kanan and Shelley Winters and Kitty Carlisle Hart and you know

Carol Channing Carol Channing they're all showing up Frank you were wonderful you don't push you don't push when I was your age I pushed

which is I'm not sure what she was referring to but but it was a you know but I would walk around at night

till 2, 3 in the morning just basking it knowing it's's going to end one day. I had the wherewithal to realize it's not forever. Enjoy every second. And I did. I enjoyed every second. Even at that age, you had the presence of mind. Good for you.

And the show worked because you had three 20-somethings in that show sparking. The show was solid. It was a good show. The performances, we were there to kill. We had nothing but energy and passion. And the performer that played all the women in Groucho's life, Dumont and Faye McKenzie and the wives, that was Faith Prince, who went on to win a Tony Award

for opposite Nathan Lane in Guys and Dolls five years later. And we'll name check the late, great Rusty McGee, who was also in that show. A friend of yours and mine. Yes, I loved him. Here's a question. What was the Mox Brothers, to you, the Mox Brothers' worst film? Wow. Well, do we don't count Love Happy?

Do we consider it not a marketable film? I don't consider that. They're not even in any scenes together. No, so I wouldn't say that one. For me, gosh, I think Go West is up there for me. Room Service. I'm going to say Room Service. I remember feeling nauseous. Oh, yeah, it's pretty bad. I remember going, because I used to set the alarm clock, put it under my pillow to wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning to catch Room Service or Love, Happy, whatever. So imagine my disappointment at 2 a.m. when Room Service comes on.

Of course. You know, I'm 12 years old. And this is back when you had the TV guide and you're circling. Yes, yes! Of course! You could catch the Marx Brothers, but they would trot them out at Christmas time. Oh, yeah. I think on Christmas Eve is when I saw Horse Feathers, which was my introduction.

Your introduction was A Day at the Races. That's such a great film. I said to Gilbert last night, I'm going to ask Frank, if he had turned on the TV and Room Service came on instead of A Day at the Races, would we even be having this conversation? It's so true. And a lot of folks aren't crazy about those. A lot of folks aren't crazy about the MGM films. But there are scenes on a day at the races. It's a Florida call. That whole thing he does.

He's so great in the exam scene, the medical exam scene. Sure. I mean, he's... Tootsie Fruitsie Ice Cream. That was the first thing. I remember going home after going to bed that night in my shared room with my brother, reenacting the Tootsie Fruitsie. I'm getting a pretty good Tootsie Fruitsie. You know, you can't beat that.

And my poor brother, I'd make him be Chico, my younger brother. Although, you know, the funny thing is people think of A Night at the Opera as the greatest Marx Brothers picture, but to me, it had a lot of, you know, funny moments. But I thought that always struck me as the beginning of the end. I agree with you. What's your favorite, Gilbert and Frank? Duck Soup. Yeah, me too.

My favorite, and it's turning 90 in August, I'm glad you asked, is Horse Feathers. Oh, Horse Feathers is great too. My favorite, and it's turning 90 in August, I'm glad you asked, is Horse Feathers. Oh, Horse Feathers is great too. Yeah. Those are back-to-back for me, I'd have to say. Because they're total anarchy. Absolutely. You know, and you don't have Thalberg putting them in service of a love interest. Yeah, and Groucho's brutal in it, which is what I love.

You like when he's an authority figure. I do. I love when he's in charge of something. And I love when he's an authority figure. I do. I love when he's in charge. You like when he's in charge of something. And I love when he's taking down Dumont. You know, I can see him right now in the kitchen bending over a hot stove, but I can't see the stove. I mean, what's more insulting than that line?

It's great. And the rat-a-tat-tat, just the deadpan rat-a-tat-tat, it's just like, it's chillingly wonderful. I've never seen anyone like him. And it was funny. It's like in Duck Soup where he's prosecuting Chico. And then for no reason whatsoever, he goes on to defend him just because it's funny. Look at Chickalini.

He stands it. A pitiable object. Let's see you get out of that one. I love that whole, that whole, that whole trail. It's great. And of course the great to war number is, it's just spectacular. That's, that's, I mean, that's, that's the edgiest, smartest Marx Brothers movie. That's, that's the Marx Brothers movie that, that is, that is probably the most satirical, if we can use that word.

You know, I, Gilbert and I have a love-hate relationship with the MGM films. But there are, you know, and when you bring up the Tootsie Fruits and you bring up those scenes, I'm transported back to Annabelle's books, to the screen captures and the dialogue in those books. Yeah, Wyatt Duck. Yeah, Wyatt Duck. And Wyatt Duck. Before there were VHS tapes, we had Wyatt Duck.

That's right. That book, remember that? So we'd have the little photos with the quotes, and that was like, oh my god, this is happening. I'm holding a Mark Splitter movie in my hand with Wyatt Duck. It was the best. But, you know, in defense of A Night at the Opera, since I, when I do the show, sometimes they'll couple it with

a screening. If I'm on the road doing a one-nighter, you know, I might be in Riverside, California, they'll show Duck Soup before. But not at the opera on the big screen with a thousand people. I saw it once at the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles. I understood why that film is revered. All the laughs are right in those quiet moments. It's weird to watch it on television. It's off-putting in a way because they're taking their time for the laughs, as you know. It was all timed out. When you're in your living room or you're dying, wherever, there's no... That's what

bothers me about those pictures though. It's like with horse feathers, duck soup, monkey business, it was machine gun. One joke after the other and that's what I loved so much about it. Oh, relentless.

He's relentless. Agreed. Plus you have Zeppo, and nothing against – we just had Jack Jones on the show last week. So with apologies to Jack and Alan Jones, I need Zeppo. Yes. I'm with you. I love Zeppo. You know, I need the four of them because there's a dynamic between the four of them and that Alan Jones was not able to to replicate I agree you know Robert Bader

is writing his biographies up post and it's fascinating well everything Robert writes is so good and so exhaustively researched I I was I always think about this like the three stooges mm-hmm they felt bad that in the height of their career, they were just doing shorts. But it's like the shorts get shown all the time now. And much more people know who the Stooges are than the Marx Brothers. Yeah, it bothers me too because when we were kids, there would be Marx there'd be mark's brother week in la three channels four channels and from monday through friday channel five ktla you can see the paramount films eight o'clock prime time so we're weaned on that and then at 11 you can watch you bet your life and then any other time you can see so you're you can see old groucho being interviewed

on some talk show so you're getting we got the three ages of Groucho in 1974, 75, 76, but that's gone now. There's so much competition out there. And, you know, that's why I hope that I like doing this show, Gilbert and Frank, because I feel it's kind of a mission. It's missionary work. I look, there was a time I thought, you know, maybe enough 15 years ago. And then that changed. I thought, this is this is really this means something to me and i'm converting audiences and you are you have to be and it's it's yeah and and uh they're they're appreciating the style of his humor you know and then if they see my show maybe they'll go see duck soup maybe they'll watch groucho and you and on youtube and you bet your life and i care about

that because like you guys i i'm crazy about him. Yeah, it's like kind of like with your show, you were noticing younger and younger people discovering the Marx Brothers. And it's like – and on this podcast, I always love when I'll get a tweet that says I had no idea who that person was, but I've been looking up all of his stuff now, and I'm a big fan now. Yeah, we get a lot of those. Like somebody wrote to us early on and said, I didn't know who Barbara Felden was, because they were only like 25. But thank you for turning me on to these people's body of work. And that's what you're doing.

I heard you say that you're performing for the grandchildren, if not the great-grandchildren, of Groucho's original audience. Oh, God, yeah, that's true. But talking about the movies, Frank, and you said something very interesting about Groucho and L.B. Mayer when they were at MGM. Yeah, Groucho could certainly self-sabotage. There's that great story I love,

and they're filming A Day at the Races, and Louis B. Mayer comes on the set of a day at the races and says to Groucho, hello, Groucho, how's the picture going? And Groucho goes, that's none of your business, Mayor. We're working for Irving Thalberg. Three days later, Irving Thalberg died, and they were working for Louis B. Mayer. But that was Groucho. Who had it out for them? Absolutely.

So, I mean, Groucho had this tendency to – we loved him when he was brash and insulting on the films. But in real life, it doesn't quite work the same. I think his relationships were sometimes impacted by his inability to filter. And we saw that as he got older, too. Sure, sure. I think at the end, it was a combination of illness and being 85, and he had the gig as Groucho. He didn't have to prove himself, and I don't think he cared as much anymore. What do you think would have happened?

And Gilbert describes the MGM films as the beginning of the end. What do you think would have happened? And it's pure speculation, had Thalberg not died suddenly. They'd have stayed at MGM making at least quality pictures with a budget. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And perhaps they would have been, you know, they would have been better scripts, better directors.

Yeah. Better experience. You know, a day at the races. It took a lot of wind out of their sails, particularly Groucho's. And a day at the races is a little flabby because I don't know if Thalberg was around. Was he there for post-production? I don't know. I'm not sure. You know, to like tighten it up. But hey, wouldn't we have liked to have had a few more, you know, monkey businesses and horse feathers? I know I would have. Of course. Or had they just

stayed in Paramount longer? You know, you forget they only made 13 films. Right. Not that you forget. People forget. Give us a little bit, Gilbert will love this. Give us a couple of bars of that song that you do in the show, which was cut from A Day at the Races, the Hackenbush song. Oh, yeah. My name is Dr. Hackenbush, the famous medical. You're welcome, Dr. Hackenbush. If that's the case, I'll go. Oh, no, you mustn't go. Who said I mustn't go?

The only reason that I came was so that I can go. I'm sure that you would like to hear some facts about my great career. Although my horn I hate to blow. There's one thing that you ought to know. I'm Dr. Hackenbush, as all my friends will verify. Well, anyway, ladies and gentlemen, I am Dr. Hackenbush. I'm Dr. Hackenbush. I'm Dr. Hackenbush.

You never would guess, but nevertheless, I'm Dr. Hackenbush. And that's Calmar Ruby. I love the... Then I think there's... Just make it into the film. For ailments abdominal, his charges are nominal. Though it's great for, there's a rate for tonsillectomy. Sick and healthy, poor and wealthy.

Come direct to me. Oh, I yumped it. That's it. Oh, God bless you, they yell. When I send them home, well, but direct to me. Oh, I yelped it. That's it. Oh, God bless you, they yell when I send them home well, but they never know they never send a check to me. That kind of wit is great. Calmer and Ruby. Right, Calmer and Ruby, of course. But I love the end of that song. With the

possible exception of your mother and your father and your sisters and your brothers and your nephews and your nieces and your uncles and your cousins whom you number by the dozens are doctors, are man's best friend. Yippee! Why did they cut that out? I was just going to ask that. I have no idea.

It sorely lacks a Groucho number. I love any time Groucho sings, as you do. You guys do. And that's what's fun about my show. I love to sing novelty songs. I sing in other shows I do, but I love being able to sing Father's Day and I sing Titwillow.

I sing Hallegr and Sheen. I sing Her Evergames Pauling. I sing Hail Fredonia. I sing Show Me a Rose. Whatever it is, I'm against it. Whatever it is, I'm against it. The one moment I remember talking to Miriam and that felt magical to me, is she mentioned Gallagher and Sheen.

Is this Miriam or Maxine? Miriam. Miriam, I mean. Yeah, gracious. She mentioned Gallagher and Sheen. She mentioned Gallagher and Sheen. And I put my hand out and I said, absolutely, Mr. Gallagher. And she grabs my hand and shakes it and she goes, positively, Mr. Sheen.

That's great. I felt like I traveled back to old vaudeville. That's great. What's better than that? You know, she would leave messages on my machine and she'd be well into her 80s. And she'd sing Show Me a Rose. And that's great. What's better than that? You know, she would leave messages on my machine, and she'd be well into her 80s, and she'd sing Show Me a Rose, and that's it. For no reason. I mean, horribly off-key. Show me a rose and I'll show you.

Frank, Frank, I love you. I'm just calling to say hi. Show me a rose or leave me alone. That's great. And I've got all those on my voicemail still. Oh, that's great. Really Groucho's daughter. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing, colossal podcast.

But first, a word from our sponsor. Andrew LaPosha, question from a fan. Yes. A very loyal fan of this show. Does Frank have an opinion? We were just talking about Groucho on Joys, which Frank said he, we were talking before we turned the mics on, Frank saw, Gilbert and I only found out about it later, but Frank saw it, I guess, when it aired in 1976. But Andrew wants to know, do you also have an opinion on Groucho and Skidoo?

What? Which is, he's not quite so compromised as he was in Joys. Well, you know, I kind of get a kick out of that last scene with Austin Pendleton. Yeah, we had Austin here talking about it. I know, and he had that little joint. Pumpkin. That was it, right? Is that what he says at the end? He takes a little toke of the

joint and just says, pumpkin. And that's it. But, you know, I mean, I've seen it once, and that was plenty, but I love... Plenty. It's so surreal. I mean, we all love the players, Gleason and Channing, the list goes on,

but boy, you know what? He liked a big check, and he felt he was part of the landscape still. I get why someone approaching 80 takes the gig, and you got Otto Preminger directing, but I'm not sure he read the script. Yeah. And Joyce,

do you want to say anything about Groucho and Joyce? God, I was so excited when I was in the heat of my Marx passion. And I was so happy that Groucho Marx was going to be on television, surrounded by these other comedians who, in my opinion, couldn't touch him in terms of skill and talent. But here was the funniest man in the world is going to be on TV. I love him. And then at the very top of the show, everyone introduces

themselves. Desi Arnaz and, you know, Mickey Rooney, whoever was on it. Bab Hope. Everybody was on it. Everyone's on that show. There's like a hundred of them. Jerry Colonna. And then they turn to Groucho with his cockeyed, with his kind of cockeyed hat,

baseball cap. And he just goes something like, Gratia Mach. He didn't have the strength to complete his speech. To put the X in. To pluralize Mark. Oh, my heart sank. And you're going, no, no, this isn't happening. It was a little life lesson, what happens to human beings toward the end. Oh, yeah.

But, you know, he still had those great, great moments once in a while, even at the very end. And I met George Fenneman. He came to my show at the Pasadena Playhouse. Oh, do tell. That's the George Fenneman of this podcast. I insist that you tell this. You got it. I bow before the Mr. Santa, by the way.

Oh, you're too kind. But I was doing the Groucho show where I play him from 15 to 85, the one Arthur wrote. And George Fenneman shows up at the performance. He's in house seats. Now, I'm in my late 20s at this time, and I keep saying that, but I was young, and I couldn't believe that George Fenneman. I used to sneak out of my bedroom at 11 o'clock at night and watch reruns of You Bet Your Life when I was a kid. And now he's in the audience. And I get to introduce him at the very end.

And I've done a bit from You Bet Your Life. I just did this farewell as old Groucho, you know. Good night, Harpo. Good night, Chico. You know, I'm doing all that. And it's a moving piece. And at the end, I get to introduce George Fenneman. And I say, ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest here. He worked with Groucho Marx for 14 years from 1947 to 1961 every week.

And every week, he introduced Groucho with this. And here he is, the one, the only, and the whole audience knows to go, Groucho. Now, this is 30 years after You Bet Your Life has been on the air. And I say, here he is, the male Margaret Dumont, Mr. George. Mr. George Fenneman. And the audience stands up for George, and they applaud George. They remember. It's not that far off from when he was that sidekick.

And I look at Mr. Fenneman, and he's teary-eyed. He's moved by the evening. He's moved by the event. And he comes back to my dressing room later, and he says to me, Frank, would you like to hear about the last time I saw Groucho? I would love to hear the story. And he proceeds to tell me the story about driving to Beverly Hills and to Groucho Marx's home on Hillcrest. And he goes into Groucho's bedroom, and there is Groucho Marx in a wheelchair.

He's got the glasses, the beret, and he's had a couple strokes at the time. But George described Groucho's appearance to me, his expression to me, as beatific. He was serene after this long life. And at the end of this joyful, joyous encounter, Mr. Fenneman tells me he's got to move Groucho from Groucho's wheelchair to Groucho's bed. So George told me he put his arms around Groucho's torso, and he lifts Groucho out of the wheelchair, and he starts to shimmy him toward's bed. So George told me he put his arms around Groucho's torso and he lifts Groucho out of the wheelchair and he starts to shimmy him toward the bed. And in this tiny voice, Fenneman hears, Fenneman, you always were a lousy dancer. That's great. Love it. That's great. It's so sweet. I think there was genuine love between those two guys. That's interesting that you hear stories.

Groucho was not an easy guy to get along with, but George loved him from 1947 until for 30 years. And he was there for him. And, Fenneman, you always were a lousy dancer. What a great line, though. It's great. I think about that as a life lesson. It's like, oh, yeah, you can be in hell. Your body can be shot.

Your brain's going. Humor is what carries the day for Groucho no matter what. I mean it's humiliating. It's embarrassing. He's compromised, but he's still at a joke. I remember I once heard a story. I think it was Dick Cabot who told it, that Groucho was once taking a flight by himself, and it was delayed. Everything that could go wrong.

It was delayed. It was bumpy. The luggage was getting lost, everything. And he was, you know, just he couldn't stand it. He wanted to get out of there. And some woman came up to him, and she said, you're Groucho Marx, aren't you? And he, like, just nods his head. And she said, well, you weren't very funny on the flight. And Groucho says, hey lady, why don't you go fuck

yourself? There's that Groucho wit. I love it. Yeah, right. That's like when he was in London and he was in a cab and there was traffic because there was some event for the Queen. And he says to the cab, what's going on here? Well, you know, the Queen has an event here.

And Groucho goes, oh, fuck the Queen. And the cab driver goes, you could barely approach her. Groucho tells that story. That's great. That's great. Here's a question from another fan, Jimmy Angelina, our friend. And happy birthday, Jimmy, who's the co-author of the Be Italian, a book that we promoted on this show.

co-author of the Be Italian, a book that we promoted on this show. If you guys could travel back in time, and we'll direct this to Frank, and could only see one Marx Brothers show live, which would it be? Including the earliest vaudeville and the roadshow test for the films. And thanks

so much for keeping Groucho's cigar flame burning. I appreciate that. Thank you for that. I think we all are here. Those who are listening and those who are doing this right now. Well, you're doing the heavy lifting, my friend, but we try. I appreciate it. Now, for me, I would love to, because there's no record of it,

we've seen what was kind of the coconuts, even though it's not really reflective totally of the stage show. I mean, that was a three and a half hour extravaganza with huge numbers. You mean Iatias? No, I'm saying coconuts was. Oh, coconuts.

We've seen animal crackers, but I'd want to see Alsatias would be the one to see because there's no record of it. There just isn't. And to see them in their early to mid-30s ripping it up, and it has more of a variety vibe to it. I would have loved to have seen that. It still holds the record for most weeks at the Walnut Street Theater, and that theater has been around since 1809. So it played for months, and that's how successful they were. And that's the show that catapulted them to Broadway. I'd love to see it too, wouldn't you, Gil? Oh, yeah.

Yeah. But, of course, now that he mentions it, I'd also love to see them on the road working out stuff for the MGM Pictures. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But of course, now that he mentions it, I'd also love to see them on the road working out stuff for the MGM pictures. Oh, yeah. That would have been fascinating. Oh, another story that Miriam told was that you know, she used

to travel with them sometimes when they'd be trying out their stuff on the road. you know, she was their daughter. She didn't care know she you know she was their daughter she didn't care it was like she was a kid and uh so they were doing a show and she was just outside running around and ignoring their show and then afterwards chico said to her, well, did you catch it? And she says, what? And Chico and Harpo had switched parts.

Right, right. Oh, yeah. And she missed that. Yes. That reminds me of this time. I love that story, Gilbert. It's great. I remember the time

where Groucho had appendicitis and he couldn't go on. And Zeppo went on for Groucho as Captain Spalding on the road in Animal Crackers. Yeah, that's another famous one. And Zeppo went on and killed it. And Groucho was not happy about it either. Yeah. But Zeppo, you know, as they said, everyone says he was the funniest of all the brothers.

And I want one example of that. No one's ever quoted a story or a one-liner from Zeppo, and I think the book that comes out on him will maybe shine a little light on that. If anybody can shine a light on that, it's Bader. You mentioned the Walnut Theater. How many of these venues, where the Marxists did, I'll say she is, and you're going to be there next week, Tomorrow? I'll be there. I'm leaving tomorrow. I have a matinee

Saturday. It's like, here's another great thing. There's going to be a thousand tickets have sold to see some guy slap on makeup and emulating a comedian's been dead for 45 years. That makes me happy that there's still a thousand people that give a damn about this thing and

kind of know the show. I'm a regular at the Walnut Street Theater. I've directed a lot there and I've performed a lot there and other stuff. Makes us happy too. But I'll Say She Is was 1923. I did Groucho Life and Review there. First time I worked there was in 1993. And afterward, a man came up to me and said,

70 years ago, I saw the Marx Brothers at the Walnut Street Theater. The guy was 87 years old and he'd seen I'll Say She Is. And he said, I watched Harpo drop knives on the exact same spot that other actor, that actor who played Harpo dropped knives. It was so wonderful. It was, they're ghosts. So I played so many of these theaters. I play, you know, I played, I just played my hometown. I did 99th Theater. I played 2,000 theaters with the show. Played it in the round. Played it in universities, performing arts centers, vaudeville palaces.

The Lyric Theater in Allentown is one that was great. Did they play that one, the Lyric? They played the Lyric. That's actually the first place they did I'll Say She Is. It was like a split week. It was supposed to be. It was going to be a few days. you know, it was a few days, it was a break-in actually. They're going to break it in in Allentown and take it to Philly, and then it ran forever in Philadelphia, and

people wouldn't, you know, Philadelphians would not, you know, Philly audiences love them. That there's this, there's a, and Groucho went back in 1974, this is 50 years later, he was doing the Mike Douglas show. I remember seeing that, too, in 74. But Groucho went back explicitly to see the Walnut Street Theater. He did the Mike Douglas Show and made a point of going back to the scene of their major victory. He had a sentimental connection to the Walnut Street Theater. And for any of your listeners, you know, they should check it out if you're in Philadelphia. It's 100 years since I'll Sayia is. Can you believe that?

It's insane. Wow. Yeah. What does it feel like to you personally? And you told me that story about, I think it was the theater in Galesburg, Illinois, where you can still see the grease paint. Yeah, it was actually, I played the Ellen Theater in Bozeman. Oh, Bozeman. Sorry. Yeah, no. And I think it's the most complete vaudeville palace I've ever been in, in that

it's all detailed. It's the only theater I've ever played in that actually still had the placards where they have the name of the acts for vaudeville, and then you have a number next to it, and your program would correspond with the number, and so you can follow what's going along. They still had gas lamps

in there in the dressing rooms, the fixtures. But underneath, Gallagher and Sheen worked there in 1925. And so now I'm doing my Groucho show there. And in the dressing room, under the dressing tables, there are streaks of makeup, black, white, and red from all those vaudevillians from the 20s, 30s. And I added my own grease paint there just to be part of that tradition. But I've never seen anything like that. How about that? Yeah, it's like going into an archaeological dig.

I couldn't believe it. By the way, could Gilbert tour as old Groucho? Do you think? I love that imitation. He likes it, Gil. He's listening to the show. Are you kidding? I love that imitation. He likes it, Gil. He's listening to the show. Are you kidding? I was listening again today.

I remember the first time I heard it was probably, I don't know, 12 years ago. And it kind of took my breath away because you were doing what we were all thinking. And at first, because I feel like he's my grandfather, like we all do, it took me back. You know, I go, oh, no. And then I thought, oh, this is such a place of love and knowledge and pain. You know, it's exactly what you're saying, Gilbert. We didn't want to see this happen to this God. Oh, this is such a place of love and knowledge and pain. It's exactly what you're saying, Gilbert. We didn't want to see this happen to this god.

He's Superman. To me, he's Superman. And it's like age was his kryptonite. And he held in there a long time. But I love when you do it. Yes, it's a crowd pleaser. Maybe it would please the fans if you guys tried to have a little bit of a dialogue or a conversation between younger Groucho and older Groucho.

You want to attempt that? You know, I can't wait to see how I'm going to turn out one day. I can only imagine what that might be like. Me in my later years. Well, what do you consider your later years? Well, anything over... How old are you anyway, Groucho? Old Groucho?

Let's see. I was, when I was born, there were still dinosaurs. And what was a dinosaur? Well, I know a dinosaur, but it was something that I'd cover my eyes for. I worked with dinosaur back in the 1940s.

We could also alternate on... Hello, I must be going. I cannot say I came to say I must be going. I'm glad I came, it was just the same. I must be going. I'll stay a week or two. I'll stay the summer through. But I am telling you, I must be going.

Very good. I love when you do the explaining the self-evidence. That's my favorite thing. Back in my day, there was an audience, and an audience were people who would watch a show. And back in my day, a show was something that they'd do on stage, and the audience would watch this, because they were the audience.

This is surreal for me, watching the two of you guys go. I always thought a recreation of the Carnegie Hall concert would have been fun to do at some point, you know? Yeah, yeah. This is a question I've always wanted to ask you, Frank, but so a fan asked it. Dan Rodden, how often does Frank see websites and articles that accidentally use a picture of him instead of the real Groucho? Happens all the

time and it's irritating. So I found one today. Well, people think that I'm behind it, Like, that gives me pleasure to be identified as the real deal. I love the real deal. So I don't want to see my photo in place of his. He's the guy.

There's only one Groucho. I'm just a guy who's filtering him and sharing him. And it's like what Hal Holbrook does with Mark Twain. I want to give the experience of what it may have been like to spend a 90-minute evening

with Groucho. And a show that he never to spend a 90-minute evening with Groucho. And a show that he never did a one-person show, Groucho Marx. So this show is my fantasy. It's a fantasia. So I'm pretty much doing what I think that a fan would enjoy. Songs, stories, one-liners, harassing my piano player, harassing the audience, bringing people on stage, jumping off of couches, jumping off the stage. But that's a show. That's my own take. That's what I have to offer. But if you want to see Groucho, there's only one Groucho. I've never claimed to be that. Of course. But I always say,

hey, if you want to see Groucho, go watch Duck Soup, watch You Bet Your Life, and see the funniest man in the world. Which, by the way, you mentioned Hal Holbrook. You dedicated the new show to your friend Hal Holbrook. I did. When I was developing the show in college, I didn't know what the hell a solo show was, an historic solo show. I'd seen Gabe, and I thought, well, I want to do this. So that was part of my senior project. And, of course, I mentioned the Elaine Stritch connection.

Yeah. And so I went out to see every one-person show I could see in L.A. County. So I saw a one-person Dorothy Parker show in a 99-seat theater. I saw someone who ended up becoming a good friend of mine. Eddie Carroll had an impeccable Jack Benny one-man show. I saw it at the Mayfair in Santa Monica. And we ended up working together

in a production of The Odd Couple as me, as Groucho, as Oscar, and him as Felix, as Jack Benny as Felix. Okay, it's convoluted. Point was, so he did a great Jack Benny show. I saw Jack Klugman, who I adore, play Lyndon B. Johnson. And this was a time in the mid-'80s where these historical one-person shows were fairly prolific. They were out prolific. They were out there everywhere.

James Whitmore was doing Give Him Hell, Harry, and Bully as Teddy Roosevelt. Julie Harris was doing Bell of Amherst. They were out there. And then you had great other one-person shows, not historically. You had Billy Tomlin and Leguizamo and Boghossian. But the granddaddy of them all was Hal Holbrook, who I saw while I was studying, putting together the show, trying to understand what I'm supposed to do. So I went to Citrus College in Glendora, and there was 1,400 seats packed and one man on stage in a white suit. It's 1984, and I'm just blown away.

I'm going, how is he holding an audience? One guy, he's not singing. He's not dancing. It's monologizing, if that's a word. He is reading from Huck Finn and all of his short stories. And it's compelling. And afterward, and some of it was a little dense for me at the time. I didn't know much about Twain. And I was getting an education. And you see the power of Twain and i was getting an education and and if you see the the power of twain and how he used humor to satirize society and etc and afterward i i went backstage and i had him sign my my poster and he signed it 30 years later it's eight night what 2014 i read his book herald which you guys should read okay i mean everyone who was listening. Next to Moss Hart's Act One, it's one of the best showbiz books.

How you make a show. How you break in a show. It's very moving. And I'm reading the book Hal Holbrook's memoir, and I'm getting teary, and I'm moved. I'm relating to him about the fragmented existence that comes with touring, about trying to make people pay attention when you are outdoors, trying to get focused, trying to make people believe that what you have matters, trying to convince people that Groucho or Twain matter, making them relevant, making them care about these entities that no longer exist.

So I related to Hal, and he comes from nothing. He was abandoned as a child. He literally was left in his playpen when he was like two years old. His parents left him in his diapers, his soiled diapers. Did you know that, Gil, about Hal Holbrook? No. His story is, you know, it's remarkable. He's a fighter.

He's a relentless beast. And here's what I love about Hal. He was doing that show. He did that show for 62 years consecutively. Unreal. And the last I saw him, and he stopped in 2017 when he was 92. He died four years later at almost 96. And I was at his 95th birthday party.

So my point is I see him. I said I have to meet him. I have to get to know Hal Holbrook. This is like what I did with Groucho and Burl and all these guys. I just feel compelled to like gravitate to the masters. And so I sent a note backstage and it got to him and he came back afterward and said, I loved your note, Frank. And I was, and I love how you believe in the tradition of the theater and et cetera, gave me a hug, and I invited him to my show. And the next year, he came to see me do Groucho in 2007 years ago. And he loved it. And he re-signed the poster 30 years later. Wow. Something like, you're an original, he said.

Which is, when you're performing to someone else, that's what you want to hear. You don't want to hear... How lovely. You don't want to hear your good imitation. You want to hear that you're bringing something original to the portrayal. And then Hal and I hit it off. And we wrote each other.

And I would go have lunch with him. And again, I'd pick his brain. And the best, the one thing that stays with me that he said to me, can you imagine 62 years he did the show? He said, keep it going. Frank, keep it going. And then he said to me, He said, keep it going. Frank, keep it going. And then he said to me, do it every year consecutively.

So you can say, even if it's one time that you do the show, you can say that you've done it every year for how many years? This is my 38th year doing the show since 1984. He was a beautiful man. That's great. I'm sorry we didn't have him here. Oh, me too. He's a great, great brain and the stories he had. I mean, that's a career that is larger than life, something that you can only wish to have, you know. But he made me feel good.

I said, Frank, film is fine. TV's fine. But there's nothing like the theater. And you're a theater guy and I'm a theater guy. And you know what I mean, Frank. Wonderful. Praise from Caesar. Yeah, he was the best. What does being owner of Groucho Marx Productions, what does that I mean, Frank. Wonderful. Praise from Caesar. Yeah, he was the best.

What does being owner of Groucho Marx Productions, what does that entail, Frank? I am an owner of this company that was pretty much bequeathed to me by Groucho's kids, Arthur and Miriam, and it represents the name and likeness of Groucho Marx. So this shirt that I'm wearing has been authorized by that company.

I'm new to the position, and part of it is trying to keep Groucho present, whether it's commercially, whatever that means, and products, and also being part of any projects that come about, hopefully. That's what it means. It's licensing of Groucho merchandise and so forth. And I hope I've got another generation to work on. I'm in my 50s, so I hope I can make a difference, keep him, you know, through his company. He started that company. It's Groucho Marx's company that he formed with Aaron Fleming in 1974. So, you know, you see him dancing with Paul Abdul in a Coca-Cola commercial or whatever.

All those things that happen, you know, you see him dancing with Paul Abdul in a Coca-Cola commercial or whatever. All those things that happen, you know, slot machines. It's just a way of keeping him present. What an honor that the kids bequeath that to you. It is. And they know that I care about him and that I'm probably a good choice. So, you know, we're still trying to come up with ways to keep him present. This show is one way to do it, the show that I do. This podcast is a way of keeping him alive.

Never dies. Well, we try. We may be doing this for 38 consecutive years, right, Gilbert? The way we're going. And that's just today. I'm going to do some – let's shout out to your director of the live show, Drea. Yes, Drea Weber directed the film and edited the film. And I think what sets it apart, if I haven't mentioned it, was that the show was filmed with a handheld camera as well, three cameras.

It looks great, by the way, I have to say. Thank you. And she was literally on the stage behind me, behind my shoulder, getting into the audience when I was doing the improv with the crowd, the crowd work. And so it doesn't feel like a typical, you know, unless you're Hamilton where you have millions of dollars and you've got like cranes and stuff. But I'm proud of this, the little show that could. And she shot it beautifully and edited it beautifully. And I'm proud of it. And, you know, she's a terrific director.

I'd been doing it for, I don't know, 20-something years. And she said, you know, this is a good show, Frank, but I think you could do more. Bring Groucho's, bring his smarts to it. Talk about what made him tick. Talk about the fact that he never made it past the sixth grade and became this reader, that he had a friendship with T.S. Eliot. Sing Titwillow, which I do now in the show because it shows that he has this intelligence. He has this breath to him that's not just yadda, dadda, dadda, one morning a shot. She knew that I needed to give it some more depth and texture because Groucho's a complicated man. It's a complicated persona. The reason I think we imitate him is because there's so much to it.

It's not just the lecherous guy. It's not just the insulting guy. He's got a voice that goes from falsetto to bass. He's an athlete. He's got a voice that goes from falsetto to bass. He's an athlete. He's a dancer. When he dances in, I think it's Day at the Races, when he's doing that Charleston with Esther Muir, when he's changing partners with Dumont,

and they go back and forth, he's incredible. He's a good dancer. We see him dancing on that desk in Horse Feathers and of course the famous corkscrew leg dance what do you call that, the corkscrew leg? you're very good at it I don't do it exactly like him but it's close enough and the illusion is there

but I've seen old scripts from those touring shows and it says, does the corkscrew dance does the mechanical man dance was when he puts his arms you know or any kind of in a circular motion as he shimmies across and there were actually these were actually dance moves of the time um but part of the researching those guys is always fun i've done six different productions of animal crackers throughout the country but really great theaters like good speed opera house and and paper mill playhouse and arena stage and and to play Groucho when you have like a 25-person

cast around you and a 20-person orchestra and you get to sing Hooray for Captain Spalding, that's a bit of a fantasy. It was really fun. That's great. I got a fan here, Lucifer Sam. He said, my wife and I were lucky enough to see Frank in an incredible production of Animal Crackers at the Goodspeed Opera House back in 1992. That's right. There you go. I love it. I love it.

That was one of my favorite productions of that show. And I had a director named Charlie Repoli who did on stage on Broadway. He played the Eddie Cantor role in Whoopi. So he was a performer, a musical comedy performer. So he knew how to deal with guys like me. he knew how to deal with guys like me. So if he would literally show you at times, you know, I love when a director ends up showing you bits because shows like that are complicated, farcical.

So he had great empathy for me because he'd done it. And I loved watching him in the rehearsals, mouthing every character and taking on their expressions. He was an empath. So it was an excellent production. I hope you get to play Groucho at some point, Gilbert. Maybe in the remake of Joys. Gilbert, I'm going to drag you up on stage if you ever come visit me

and we'll do some dueling old Grouchos. Or just going to give you the spotlight. Forget dueling. Just make it. You own it. It's yours. Do it. It'll be the coda to the show.

I'm bringing you up. What are you doing in April? I'll be in New Jersey in Morristown and Red Bank. Come by. Yeah. Wow. Like I said, that's as big a compliment as you could get. There you go.

I would love to see you guys do something on stage together. Have Groucho come out as... Groucho could also... Gilbert could also come out and be Sig Ruman. Give us the plugs, Frank, before we get out of here. The website, you're going to be on the road. We want to plug the April 1st, of course. Thank you.

The show is going to be on PBS stations all over the country. What's the website? Where can people follow you and find out what town you're going to be in? Everything is on this website called eveningwithgroucho.com. Eveningwithgroucho.com. The film is on there. All the broadcast dates for April are on there. My com the film is on there all the broadcast dates for april are on there my itinerary is on there for touring um so that that's the best place to go and i'm so excited

that it's happening because it's all been self-generated um you know i'm not i'm not jeffrey rush so i i gotta do the you know i've got to do all the work so i'm producing it i'm doing the i'm booking the flights i'm you know that's always been my career. And I'm kind of happy to be someone who's just been this journeyman in the middle kind of, uh, performer and director. And it's, you know, the Groucho thing we talked a lot about has led to so many other great experiences in theater for me. Um, but eveningwithgroucho.com, uh, it's all, it's all there. And you can find me on Facebook under Evening with Groucho and on Instagram on Frank Frani's Groucho It is truly

a labor of love what you've done for decades you called it missionary work and I think that's the best way to put it and like us you're a historian, you're an archivist you're a preservationist I say it a lot on this show you are doing the Lord's work.

It's important. And I can't think of anybody who is promoting the Marx Brothers. Well, Bader, you and Robert and a handful of other people, Robert Whitey you mentioned. Sure, sure. It's important to do because Gilbert and I had lunch with a 20-something. What, Gilbert? A couple years ago? Oh, yes! She didn't know who

Groucho was. She'd never heard of him. Right. And I don't know if that's uncommon, and it's okay. We just gotta keep going and play to the one person who knows, as I was told by a director. Just play to the fans, and the uninitiated will love it, I hope. But, yeah, we've got to keep doing it.

And I'm proud of it. You should be. It's a labor of love, and it's such a joy to be. I'm a fan of this show. When I'm on the road, it's 3 o'clock in the morning. I can't sleep. I'm listening to your podcast. I'm laughing.

I'm laughing. And, it's 3 o'clock in the morning. I can't sleep. I'm listening to your podcast. I'm laughing. I'm laughing. And Gilbert, you give me laughter. And Frank, what you do to move it along and to add, to enhance. It's a beautiful dynamic that you two have. And it's like a comedy team. Thank you. It feels like a little slice of vaudeville. We're getting everything we love.

It's a fantasy show for someone like me. So thanks. We are the Gallagher and Sheen of podcasting. We'll talk about Teatro Zinzani the next time we have you back. That's right. And your role as Caesar. Francesco, are you a Francesco like me? I am.

I was named after my, you know, not on the birth certificate. I was named after my grandpa, Francesco Ferrante. Oh, so am I. Oh, there you have it. Francesco Santovari. And I was born and raised in Palermo. Gil, I didn't know that about you. I didn't know you were Sicilian.

I have trouble getting rid of the accent. I thought you were Calabrese, Gil. All these years. Oh, my God. We're going to ask. I'm years. Oh my god, that's too good. We're gonna ask, I'm gonna ask one question and then you guys can go out on a little music if you like. Sure. And this is a desert island question. It's a little

bit cliched, but I like to ask it. I'm gonna ask Gil too. So I'll start with Gil. One scene, Gilbert, in one movie, Marx Brothers, that you could watch over and over again, or the only scene you could take to that desert island that people talk about? Oh, my God.

Oh, wow. I guess, as much as it's not one of my favorite movies, I guess it would have to be that scene in Day at the Races where they're all examining Margaret Dumont because it's got all three of them there. Okay. That's a great one. I'm going to pick the speakeasy scene in Horse Feathers. Great, great. Which has everything in it. And talk about educational when you watch a Marx Brothers movie.

I finally, a friend of mine finally found out what calomel was. Oh, yeah. Like sometimes they take aspirin, sometimes they take a calomel. I'd walk a mile for a calomel. That's it. What is it, Gil? Is it like an antacid? Yeah, it was some kind of a powder for headaches. I loved, I was going to say that the examination scene too, when he's dancing, I love that scene. That's my favorite, even though the movie is not the best of them, but he's great in that. And I could watch on a loop him singing, on that canoe, everyone says I love you. Oh, yeah.

Everyone says I love you. What's better? And then that Lifesaver bit and Thelma Todd. And just he's just so brutal and funny. And to see him in his glory playing the guitar makes me happy. And that's another thing. Like I heard Mel Brooks, when he auditions actors, likes to hear them sing. Because there's like a combination like that great comedians were also great musicians. Like the Marx Brothers were great musicians.

Absolutely. All-hmm. Absolutely. Yeah. All of them. And, you know, Groucho even was self-taught on the piano. I mean, he was remarkable.

I used to love, you know, and Bill Marx, we're talking about Bill Marx, Bill Marx. Yeah, we had Bill here. Say hi for us if you see him. I will.

And I, he used to, you know, accompany Groucho at the very end of his life. And I was at a party at Bader's, a couple, Robert, a couple of years ago, Thanksgiving. And there's Bill Marks. And he started playing Hooray for Captain Spalding.

And I'm singing along with Harpo's son, this jazz musician. It was the most surreal, moving moment. I'm singing Show Me a Rose. And I kept thinking, he used to play for old Groucho. And this is a privilege, I'm feeling. I feel so honored to be able to do that. And we hadn't rehearsed. And he's such a great listener, and we had this,

we entertained the party, and it was kind of private yet. There were people hanging around, but it was pretty thrilling to be singing Liddy the Tattooed Lady. Of course, with Harpo's kid. And see, now there's another case of a movie that was a terrible movie, but Lydia, the tattooed

lady is a great moment. So brilliant. Yeah. You could find something in all of them. Even in the big store, you know, you can find little moments. And even the ones that don't work. Maybe not love happy. Yeah.

I remember we had when we had Bill Marks on, who of course was Harpo's son, and I always fuck up the intro when I'm doing it. And Bill Marks said, you learned how to talk from

my father. Yeah, that's really great. That's a great ad lib. Oh, that's beautiful. No, that's, like I said, part of the joy of doing this show for so long is you get to meet these people like Bill and you name it. And down the whole line. I love it. Bill's a great guy.

Yeah, you got to be friends with more than a few Marx Brothers offspring. I did. Yeah, we didn't even mention Maxine. I actually met Burl a bunch of times. Oh, yeah? There you go. It's coming back to you, Gil. Save it for the next show.

You guys want to... Again, Frank, it was an honor to have you here, and we're so thrilled that you're doing the work that you're doing. Thank you. It's mutual. Thanks for putting a little spotlight on it today, gentlemen. Appreciate it. Can we try? Did we get that?

I must be going, or should we try that again? Yeah, or you could do a little Father's Day or whatever you guys are feeling. But do separate sections because over Zoom you have to separate it. We'll trade off. Okay. Want me to go first or you go first? Yes, yeah. You'll be the young Groucho. Why don't you start, Frankie? I'll do young Groucho.

Today, Father is Father's Day. And we're giving you a sigh. It's not much I know. It is just a way of showing you we think you're a regular guy.

You say that it was nice of us to bother. But it really was a pleasure to fuss. For according to our mother, you're a father.

Together. And that's good enough for us. Yes, that's good enough for us. Is there anything further, Father? That can't be right. Is there anything further, Father? The idea. I love me some horse feathers.

Me too. Frank, there's so many things we didn't get to, but I think we covered, we pretty much covered the landscape. Now, did we get the ending of that song? Yeah. You got it. You got enough of it.

Well, to quote the man, we must be going. All right. Gilbert will keep asking questions. I don't mind. Call me any time. I'm around. All right. Call him at 3 a.m., Gilbert.

I'll be asking him who was playing the manicurist in the stateroom scene. Call me at 3 a.m. I'll be listening to your podcast somewhere in Paducah, so do that. You're the best. The fact that you'd be in one of these theaters doing Groucho and listening to our show at 3 o'clock in the morning warms my heart. Thank you. Thanks for keeping it up, guys. Thank you.

You're the best, Ferrante. Gilbert, great to meet you. Frank, thank you so much. Great meeting you. And hope to see you guys again. A thrill, and we will do it again. Well, first, Ferrante. Gilbert, great to meet you. Frank, thank you so much. Oh, great meeting you. And hope to see you guys again. A thrill, and we will do it again. Well, first, hold on. Well, this has been Gilbert Cattery's Amazing Colossal Podcast

with our co-host, Frank Santopadre. And on the show, we had Frank Ferrante, who does an imitation of Groucho. So he's not Groucho, but he does an imitation. He's an incredible simulation.

Back in my day, if you sounded like somebody and it wasn't you, then you were doing an imitation. And he goes up on stage and he puts on a mustache. Now, a mustache in my case was... I hope you're recording this because I want this. I'll send it to you. It was hair that was underneath your nose.

Some people could paint down a mustache, and that paint back in my day was... He'll keep going. Somebody get the hook. No, don't stop. I wish I could... Do not stop. ...was something that you could buy in a can

if you were going to paint your kitchen. And the kitchen in my day was a room where you'd make food. That was called the kitchen. And food in my day... Thank you, Frankie. Bravo. Bravo. You're the best. Thank you, Frankie. Bravo. Bravo.

You're the best. I love you guys. We'll say goodbye. Stick around and do an IV for us. All right. Thank you, Gilbert. Priceless. Thank you.

Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you. Frank, thank you. You bet. Everyone says I love you But just what they say it for I never knew It's just inviting trouble for the poor sucker who says I love you

Take a pair of rabbits who Get stuck on each other and begin to woo. And pretty soon you'll find a million more rabbits who say I love you. When a lion gets feeling frisky and begins to roar There's another lion who knows just what he's roaring for Everything that ever

grew The goose and the gander and the gosling too The duck upon the water when he feels that way too says That's a wise quack The duck upon the water when he feels that way too says That's a wise quack. You keep your bill out of this.

How would you like it if I butted into your affairs and laid an egg?