Minnie Marx

Minnie Marx (born Miene Schönberg, 9 November 1864 – 13 September 1929)[2] was the mother and manager of the Marx Brothers, a family of vaudevillains, Broadway and film actors and was also the sister of comedian and vaudeville star Al Shean.

Minnie Marx
Born
Miene Schönberg

(1864-11-09)9 November 1864
Dornum, East Frisia,
Kingdom of Hanover, German Confederation
Died13 September 1929(1929-09-13) (aged 64)
New York City, U.S.
Other namesMinnie Palmer
Spouse(s)Sam "Frenchie" Marx
ChildrenManfred Marx (1885-1886)[1]
Leonard "Chico" Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx
Julius "Groucho" Marx
Milton "Gummo" Marx
Herbert "Zeppo" Marx
RelativesAl Shean (brother)

Early life

Marx was born Miene Schönberg in Dornum, Germany. Her parents Fanny née Salomons (1829–April 10,1901) and Levy "Lafe" Schönberg (1823–1919)[3] were members of the local Jewish community. Her mother was a yodeling harpist, her father a ventriloquist. Her younger brother, Abraham Elieser Adolf, the future "Al Shean", was born in 1868. About 1880 the family immigrated to New York City, where Minnie married Samuel "Frenchie" Marx in 1884.

The only known photo of the entire Marx family, c. 1915

While managing the Marx Brothers, she also went under the name of Minnie Palmer, so that booking agents would not know that the agent representing the Marx Brothers was their mother. She played the harp as did her mother and her son, Harpo. She lived long enough to see her sons' 1929 film debut in The Cocoanuts, but died later that year of a stroke.

Manager: The Marx Brothers

All the brothers confirmed that Minnie Marx had been the head of the family and the driving force in getting the troupe launched, the only person who could keep them in order, and a hard bargainer with theatre managements. As a tribute to her, all the brothers' daughters were given names that began with 'M': Chico with Maxine; Harpo with Minnie; and Groucho with Miriam and Melinda. Gummo and Zeppo had no daughters.

Media

Marx and some of her sons appear briefly as characters in Glen David Gold's novel Carter Beats the Devil; the narrative identifies her as Minnie Palmer, and only gradually offers clues that the struggling vaudeville act traveling with her are the later-famous Marx Brothers. Marx (played by Shelley Winters) was also the main character in the stage musical Minnie's Boys.

References
  1. "Chronology". The Marx Brothers. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  2. "Mrs. Minnie Marx. Mother of Four Marx Brothers, Musical Comedy Stars, Dies". New York Times. September 16, 1929. p. 27. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  3. "Ancestry of the Marx brothers". Wargs.com. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.