HARPO MARX

November 23, 1888

Harpo Marx  was born Adolph Marx in New York City.

He was the second of five brothers: Julius (Groucho), Milton (Gummo), Leonard (Chico), and Herbert (Zeppo). He quit school after kindergarten to help support his family by taking a job as a delivery boy. His musical talent was developed by learning to play his grandmother’s harp. In 1922, he and his brothers left vaudeville to perform on Broadway, and soon landed in Hollywood.  

In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers, Harpo’s comic style was visual. Harpo never spoke on screen and was usually seen in a fright wig, battered top hat, and wearing a trench coat. He often blew a horn or whistled to communicate.  

Although he found success on stage, his film career had a shaky start. The first film he did with his brothers in 1921 was never released. In his second film four years later, he appeared without his brothers and actually spoke, although it was a silent movie so his line was written in subtitles!  

His first film success came in 1929 with his brothers. The Coconuts was filmed on a New York stage while they performed in Animal Crackers (which was filmed in 1930) in the evenings. Followed by Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933), A Night at the Opera (1935), A Day at the Races (1937), and Room Service (1938) – all now considered comedy classics. 

It was in Room Service that Harpo first worked with Lucille Ball. The plot revolves around the shenanigans of getting a stage play produced and funded by mysterious backer, while evading paying a large hotel bill.  Ball played Christine Marlowe, the actress who arranges for a backer to meet the brothers. 

This was the Marx Brothers’ only film for RKO and their only film not especialy written for them. It co-starred Ann Miller, who will also be seen with Lucy and Desi in Too Many Girls (1940).

Harpo was said to be Ball’s ‘favorite’ Marx Brother. Naturally, when Lucy and Desi were looking for guest stars for their Hollywood episodes of “I Love Lucy”, Harpo was on their wish list.  

The deal was eventually struck and Harpo was booked. The previous episode, “The Dancing Star” (S4;E27) featuring Van Johnson, was actually filmed after his episode, to be titled “Lucy and Harpo Marx” (S4;E28). It was filmed on March 24, 1955 and aired for the first time on May 9, 1955. 

In the episode, Lucy brags to Caroline Appleby that she will get to meet some genuine Hollywood celebrities during her visit to LA. Now she’s got to deliver. Stealing nearsighted Caroline’s eyeglasses and dressing up as some famous stars, she manages to fool her friend – until the real Harpo Marx shows up and  discovers Lucy dressed up as him.  

Just before the filming, Harpo suffered a heart attack and his doctors discouraged him from doing the show. Thankfully for TV comedy history, he ignored their wishes.

Harpo makes his first entrance poolside, where Ricky and Fred talk him into visiting their hotel room for Lucy.  In this scene, Harpo engages in some of his classic pantomime, even imitating Ricky singing “Babalu”! 

At the poolside are Lucy and Vivian’s stand-ins Hazel Pierce and Renita Reachi, who often appeared on camera in crowd scenes. 

When the real Harpo Marx enters the room instead of Lucy, one wonders if Ethel is as near-sighted as Caroline. She is face to face with the world famous comic and can’t see that it isn’t her close-friend Lucy in a mask! 

The centerpiece of the episode is the now classic mirror sequence.  The routine was first performed by Groucho in Duck Soup (1933). 

The concept of the mirror scene did not originate in this film. Max Linder included it in Seven Years Bad Luck (1921). Charlie Chaplin used a similar joke in The Floorwalker (1916), although it didn’t involve a mirror. This routine has been recreated many times in all forms of entertainment media. 

Lucille Ball insisted on lots of rehearsal while Harpo was inclined to improvise, so the routine had to be re-filmed after the studio audience left to get it right.  

The final version was actually several takes edited together. 

Harpo plays “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” on the harp, an arrangement done by his son Billy. Bill Marx later wrote about his experiences working with his dad in his memoir Son of Harpo Speaks, sharing memories of Harpo and Lucille Ball recreating the Marx Brothers’ famous mirror scene:

“I was 18 years old at the time. Dad said, ‘We’re going to do an ‘I Love Lucy’ episode. I want you to write something for me to play on the show.’ I had this summer job at Desilu as a page or an usher, because they shot all these shows before a live audience. They had me as an usher for this episode, and at the same time, I was continuing on as I had since I was 12 years old, as my dad’s prop man. I went back and forth, doing both those jobs at the time. I was there for the entire week of rehearsals, which were really most fascinating.”

The final fade out involves Fred and Ricky dressed as Chico and Groucho while Lucy and Harpo perform the famous pile on embrace. The real Harpo comes out on top!  

After the final take of the mirror routine was done, Harpo remained behind and played the harp for the cast and crew while Vivian Vance sang. Shortly after the episode aired, Harpo had another heart attack but survived for another nine years. The episode was his final screen appearance with Lucille Ball.  

His final screen appearance was playing himself on an October 1962 episode of the television version of the 1939 film “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington”  starring Fess Parker.  Six months later, Lucy Carmichael went to Washington in an episode of “The Lucy Show.”  Like this episode of “Mr. Smith”, it also featured an actor imitating the voice of John F. Kennedy off screen. 

Marx was married to Susan Fleming from 1936 until his death on September 28, 1964, dying at the age of 75 from complications following heart surgery.   They had four children. 

“When you lose something irreplaceable, you don’t mourn for the thing you lost. You mourn for yourself.” ~ Harpo Marx

On May 19, 2017, CBS aired this episode and “The Dancing Star” (S4;E27) colorized as “I Love Lucy: Superstar Special”. The episode was edited for television, removing much of Harpo’s harp solo, in addition to other moments.     

The episode was issued on various VHS tapes and is also on DVD and available to stream.   

In a 2005 episode of “The Gilmore Girls” the characters talk about this episode, and also reference “Don Juan is Shelved” and “Don Juan and the Starlets.”