Interesting look at the early days/making of The Marx Brothers. The author seemed to enjoy slinging barbs at other biographers, criticizing their errors, but this work seemed overly long and full of repetitions, contradictions and disclaimers. Quickly became not enjoyable. 3 stars only for the effort put into belaboring every little detail.

Wow. Just ... wow.

Robert S. Bader has done an incredible amount of research into the early days - the vaudeville and live stage performance days - of the Marx Brothers and shares it with the rest of us in the tremendous book, <em>Four of the Three Musketeers</em>.

Bader brings us in to the home of Minnie and Sam Marx, introducing us to the extended family, and we only leave when Minnie and the boys do to begin their careers in show business. We get the very definite impression that Minnie was quite the caretaker of these early careers and became an agent for them and truly looked out for their best interests (even if it back-fired a time or two).

We get a very detailed look at the vaudeville careers of these comedians as well as their more personal lives in the early days (with the vaudeville schedule being what it was, the two [business and personal lives] were intrinsically linked. That Minnie created a 'stable' of young starlets, ready to join the boys in a show at a moments notice - knowing full well that these young ladies did more than simply perform on stage to service the brothers - speaks to Minnie's manipulation and desire to provide for her sons in every way.

There have been plenty of books on the Marx Brothers, and the brothers themselves have written a few volumes on their early days. But what Bader does extremely well is point out to the reader the inconsistencies in the stories, the facts Bader has found, based on research, and - when no facts exist - relays the various points of view and expresses thoughtful consideration on what is most likely the 'truth.' It all comes down to Bader's impressive research.

From their early battles with vaudeville circuit owners (and their being blacklisted from the top producer) and Chico's gambling debts, and young women scorned, to Uncle Sam's draft and Broadway and eventually film, we following the three ... er four ... um, sometimes five Marx Brothers through their entire early career.

Bader is extremely easy to read, making these 500+ pages go by quite easily.

And as impressive as the narrative itself is, "The Marx Brothers Stage Chronology, 1905-45" has Bader compiling every live performance theses comic geniuses gave over a forty-year span, listed the theatre, the city, the date, and even the sketch/revue/show name when possible. I may have enjoyed reading through this nearly as much as the narrative as I followed the path they took, could visualize some of the cities and thought about visiting some of these locations (some near me).

I grew up watching the Marx Brothers films - classics replayed in movie theatres (so long before Netflix or DVDs) - and have read up on them periodically through the years, and this is easily the most comprehensive, readable, and thoroughly-researched book I've come across. It is highly recommended.

Looking for a good book? <em>Four of the Three Musketeers</em>, by Robert S. Bader is a remarkable achievement, detailing the early years of the famous Marx Brothers, separating fact from common fiction (usually invented by a Marx Brother as a joke), and mapping out every theatre and sketch they performed during the early days. It is highly recommended.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

As a Marx Brothers fan, I had to read this book. The author put in a lot of research on not only one of the best comedic acts in the world, but on the history of Vaudeville as well. A must-read for Marx Brothers fans, and comedy enthusiasts alike!

"As far as I’m concerned, the Marx Brothers practically invented comedy..."-Jerry Seinfeld

Any comedian who is interested in the history of their trade in humor knows about the Marx brothers, at the very least from their movies and the numerous books written about them. But most of those books cover their famous movies and, perhaps, their Broadway career and their later TV work, especially Groucho's.

But before there was a Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, or Zeppo Marx there was a Julius, Adolph, Leonard, Milton, and Herbert Marx. Before their famous comedy and musical movies, before their Broadway work alongside famous writers and composers of the day, they labored as unknowns through long and sometimes difficult and low paying days in vaudeville.

This book brings together those earliest days, beginning with a teenage Julius (Groucho) in a vaudeville act in 1905 to their last live act together of A Night in Casablanca in 1945, with some info of their later movie and television careers.

In between 1905 and 1945 they gradually learned how to become the Marx Brothers we know, a process sometimes frustrating, difficult, occasionally shocking and very entertaining to read about. The vaudeville circuit wasn't an easy way to make a living; someone was always ready to take your place and those who ran it were often ruthless businessmen.

The author, Mr Bader, takes in hand the not trivial task of gathering the memories of five brothers, and those who knew them, and events that happened during a period of over forty years.

Some of these memories varied from Marx brother to Marx brother, sometimes the same brother would remember things differently from interview to interview, and memories would shift over the many years. Sometimes...perhaps...they just made some details up, for fun. They were famous for being extemporaneous comedians, after all.

Mr Bader has gone back to original sources, rare newspaper clips, photos, and the most reliable narrators to piece together what really went on with this interesting family, including their mother/manager, Minnie Marx. The result is an entertaining, interesting and downright funny book. Anyone remember "viaduct?"

A very good book, with rare photographs, interesting and fun to read. A solid four stars!

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley for review. I've reviewed it honestly.

For awhile there, I thought I wanted to be a comedy screenwriter. And so I watched a lot of comedic movies. Not one contemporary comedy can hold a candle to the films of The Marx Brothers. Their zany, frenetic, witty, wacky comedy is unequaled. Their own brand of comedy genius has not and can not be replicated. 

And here's how that happened . . . 

In Four of the Three Musketeers: The Max Brothers on Stage, author Robert S. Bader takes an in-depth look at every step of the Marx Brothers' vaudeville career, starting from Harpo's early days playing the piano in whorehouses and Groucho's first time on a stage. As the years of their lives go by, the brothers grow and sing, travel and pay piano, and most of all, they learn to hone their comedic chops. Spending weeks and months on the road at a time, working every day, sometimes several shows a day, the Marx Brothers learn from experience what it takes to survive in show business, and (eventually) how to make it to the top of the game. 

Meticulously researched (literally! this is a 500-plus-page volume), this book takes you through the journey of the early careers of Julius (Groucho), Adolph (Harpo), Leonard (Chico), and Milton (Gummo). Managed by their mother and occasionally helped along with gifts of their father's cooking to booking agents, the brothers took to the stage and never stopped entertaining us. Filled with stories that no one else has been able to dig up, all the dates and places that could be found, and never-before seen photos of the family, this is the ultimate book for anyone who wants to know everything there is to know about the Marx Brothers. 



Galleys for Four of the Three Musketeers were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

This is a must-have book for Marx Bros fans. The previous reviewers have said it all and said it so eloquently that there is nothing left for me to add. Except that the person who chose the title should be scolded for not knowing that there were 4 musketeers in Dumas' books. So this title grates on me as a fan of Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan as well as to Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo.

Here is the opening paragraph of a review published in NEPCA News:

I am a Marxist—a devotee of Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo. I’ve seen all the films numerous times, read every book I can get my hands on, seek out new documentaries, and scour DVDs and YouTube for lost clips. But until Robert Bader’s new book, my Marxist education was weak concerning their vaudeville days—those years before durable recording devices or movie cameras were there to capture moments in time for posterity. Bader—who also writes and produces for Warner Brothers—has unveiled a work that is meticulously researched and encyclopedic in scope.

Full review here: https://nepca.blog/2017/02/07/review-of-new-work-on-marx-brothers/

Enjoyed this book tremendously. I've always loved the Marx Brothers and reading more about their life was exciting.