Gummo marx photo

The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville , on Broadway , and in 14 motion pictures from to They are widely considered by critics, scholars and fans to be among the greatest and most influential comedians of the 20th century. The brothers were included in AFI's Years The brothers are almost universally known by their stage names: Chico , Harpo , Groucho , Gummo , and Zeppo.

Gummo marx photo: RM 2Y8RG2M–The only known photo

There was a sixth brother, the firstborn, named Manfred Mannie , who died in infancy; Zeppo was given the middle name Manfred in his memory. The core of the act was the three elder brothers: Chico, Harpo, and Groucho, each of whom developed a highly distinctive stage persona. After the group essentially disbanded in , Groucho went on to a successful second career in television, while Harpo and Chico appeared less prominently.

The two younger brothers, Gummo and Zeppo, never developed their stage characters to the same extent as the elder three. Both left the act to pursue business careers at which they were successful, and for a time ran a large theatrical agency through which they represented their brothers and others. Gummo was not in any of the movies; Zeppo appeared in the first five films in relatively straight non-comedic roles.

The early performing lives of the brothers owed much to their mother, Minnie Marx the sister of vaudeville comic Al Shean , who acted as their manager until her death in