Chico Marx- The Marx Brothers Ladies Man
Chico was originally nicknamed Chicko because of his reputation as a ladies man. Where ever the brothers were, Chico could be found tucked away in a corner somewhere talking to a young lady. In those days a young man who made passes at the women a lot was referred to as a “chicken chaser”. However Chico ended up “Chico” instead of “Chicko” because a typesetter working on a story accidentally dropped the “k” in his name and it became Chico.
Chico used an Italian accent on stage however it was fake. Historical record states that the accent was originally developed off-stage to deal with neighborhood bullies. Chico continued to use the accent in his stage performances. Vaudeville comedians were popular for their portrayal of stereotyped ethnic characters. Chico continued to use his Italian accent throughout his career for film, stage and comedy routines.
There was another talent Chico sported that tended to be a lot less realized than his comedic ability, he was a talented pianist. When Chico was young he was rumored to have gotten jobs playing piano to earn money. The Marx family was not well off by any means of the word so Chico played to earn money for the family.
Chico was also smooth and as historical accounts would have it, he some times could get two jobs at one time, playing two different piano clubs. He would get a job at one place, work for a few nights and then substitute Harpo would stand in on the other job. Harpo and Chico looked so much a like that no one knew one from the other. The only problem is that Harpo really couldn’t play much and would end up getting them both fired when the owners of the clubs figured out what was happening.
Chico never practiced the pieces he played. According to historical record he would soak his fingers in hot water before going and then hit the stage. Chico’s signature trademark when playing the piano at shows was “shooting” the keys of the piano. He simply made a gun out of his hand and aimed it at the piano keys.
Chico was the business minded brother of the Marx brothers and so he became manager of the Marx Brothers as a comedic group. Before Chico their mother, Minnie, had been their manager, he took over when she passed away. Chico proved to be a good manager by getting the Marx Brothers a percentage of a film’s gross receipts. This was the first deal of its kind in Hollywood.
One of Chico’s connections in Hollywood included Irving Thalberg who signed the brothers on to MGM. This was an important move since the brothers were experiencing a down ward trend after Duck Soup. Chico led a big band in the 30’s and 40’s and a young Mel Torme began his professional career singing with the Chico Marx Orchestra. No matter what project Chico took on, he always seemed to go back to music. He often said that it was his first love.
Chico had a lifelong gambling habit so he never really had the money his brothers had to retire. Chico ended up in show business for a long time after the other Marx brothers retired. Chico died in 1961, after a long battle with heart disease. Chico died on October 11, 1961 in Hollywood, California.
