October 13th, 2024, 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Except for a half-dozen Jewish and Yiddish shout-outs in their films, there’s not a lot of overt Jewish content in the known oeuvre of the Marx Brothers. Still, one would be hard-pressed to come up with a comedy team with more Jewish subtext than the ensemble comprised of Groucho, Chico, Harpo and sometimes Zeppo (not to mention their yiddishe mamma, Minnie). Our panel of experts on the Marx brothers will discuss the brothers’ complicated relationship to their Jewishness.
About the panelists:
Noah Diamond (noahdiamond.com) appeared as Groucho Marx in the first-ever revival of the Marx brothers’ first Broadway show, I’ll Say She Is, in 2016, for which he adapted the book and lyrics. He’s the author of Gimme a Thrill, 400 Years in Manhattan, and Love Marches On. He can be heard monthly as cohost of The Marx Brothers Council Podcast.
Danny Fingeroth (dannyfingeroth.com) is a cultural critic who’s written and spoken on topics such as Bob Dylan & Jewish Identity, superheroes & Jewish Identity, and the Marx Brothers & Jewish Identity. (There seems to be a pattern here…) His books include 2019’s A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee, the definitive biography of Marvel’s co-creator. His most recent book is Jack Ruby: The Many Faces of Oswald’s Assassin, an examination at the violent, proudly Jewish, meshuggener who changed history when he killed accused-JFK-assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. The paperback version will be released October 1. (Danny did the reading for the audiobook, as well.)
Klezmer historian Henry Sapoznik (henrysapoznik.com) is an award-winning author, producer of radio and records and performer of traditional Yiddish and American music. A five-time Grammy nominated performer/producer, his NPR series the Yiddish Radio Project won the prestigious 2002 Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. His upcoming book is The Tourist’s Guide to Lost Yiddish New York City, from Excelsior Editions (2025).
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