Tuesday Afternoon Diversion: Happy Birthday Harpo Marx

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 23, 2010 9:00PM

The Marx Brothers performing days go back to their travels on the Chicago vaudeville
circuit. Their home at 4512 S. King Dr. is now listed as a historical marker. It was here and on stage that the brothers honed their act to perfection.

Today marks the birth of the zaniest of the Marx Brothers, Arthur, aka "Harpo." The id to Chico's ego and Groucho's superego, Harpo on film was a superman, capable of doing inhuman feats, a master of 1,000 faces without the Lon Chaney makeup, sending an audience into fits of laughter without uttering a word, and was a world class horn dog. Harpo's unique brand of anarchy is what most anarchists should strive for.